What some St. Cloud State students and faculty are protesting

According to the UTVS video above and accompanying story, St. Cloud State University is seeing a little unrest over the firing last month of Mahmoud Saffari, its associate VP for enrollment management.

The Students and Faculty of Color Caucus at SCSU on Thursday protested the apparently abrupt Sept. 20 dismissal of Saffari, who'd had the job for eight years. They say he was fired for being a person of color who was critical of the university, the St. Cloud Times reports.

Tamrat Tedeme, St. Cloud State professor of human relations and multicultural education, told a student government meeting:

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

“You don’t suddenly evict somebody from their office unless their name was Mahmoud I suppose -- or unless they are ... a person of color."

President Earl Potter, in a letter to the faculty caucus, reportedly wrote:

“I will state that I have not, and would not, dismiss a person from employment for having criticized university processes and procedure. You suggest that people of color who access leadership roles are not treated professionally and that they are penalized for disagreeing with senior level administrators. That is not the way I work.”