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'Stomp On Jesus' Controversy At Florida Atlantic University Draws Gov. Rick Scott's Involvement (VIDEO)

Rick Scott Joins 'Stomp On Jesus' Controversy
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Senior Editor/Reporter, The Huffington Post

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants to know why a student at Florida Atlantic University was suspended for refusing to stomp on "Jesus."

FAU junior Ryan Rotela refused to participate in a classroom activity on March 4, when communications instructor Dr. Deandre Poole asked students to write "Jesus" on a piece of paper and then stomp on it, the Sun Sentinel reports.

Rotela, who has been described in local media reports as a devout Mormon, told WPEC two days later that he complained to Poole's supervisor, Noemi Marin, director of the communications school at FAU. According to the station, Rotela was then suspended from Poole's class, but the university insisted in a subsequent story that no student was disciplined in any way as a result of the incident.

FAU said in a statement that students were given an explanation about the exercise and an option to participate, a description that differed from Rotela's version of events.

The back-and-forth drew in Scott, who is asking state university system Chancellor Frank Brogan for a detailed report on the controversy, the Miami Herald reports.

"Whether the student was reprimanded or whether an apology was given is in many ways inconsequential to the larger issue of a professor's poor judgment," Scott said in a letter to Brogan, according to the Herald. "The professor's lesson was offensive, and even intolerant, to Christians and those of all faiths who deserve to be respected as Americans entitled to religious freedom."

FAU has said professors won't use the "offensive" exercise again. "It was insensitive and unacceptable. We continue to apologize to all the people who were offended and deeply regret this situation has occurred," reads a statement from the university.

According to Mediate, the idea for the activity came from an instructor's manual that accompanies the course textbook.

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Before You Go

10 College Profs And Faculty Behaving Badly
Max Reinhart(01 of08)
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Max Reinhart, a 65-year-old professor of Germanic and Slavic studies at the University of Georgia, was arrested and charged with prostituting himself for $60 and for allegedly running a prostitution house.Reinhart allegedly posed as a woman named "Sasha" in the transexual escort services section of Backpage.com, a well-known classifieds website targeted by activists and law enforcement alike for its featured advertisements.
Gamal El-Zoghby(02 of08)
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Firefighters discovered child pornography while putting out a fire at the waterfront home of 76-year-old Gamal El-Zoghby in New Jersey in January 2012. The AP reported that the firefighters were checking for hidden pockets of flame behind the walls by pulling down panels of sheet rock when a single magazine from the 1970s with pornographic images of pre-pubescent girls fell from behind one of the panels. The firefighters also found 60 to 70 vintage Playboy and Hustler magazines. (credit:NBC 10)
Bill Burnett(03 of08)
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On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Stanford Professor Bill Burnett and his wife Cynthia hosted a party for their son and his friends -- 16 and 17-year-olds -- to celebrate a football win. They bought chips and soda, but were clear about one rule: no alcohol allowed.Cops arrived, responding to a noise complaint and allegations that there was underaged drinking. Though the Burnetts insisted that there was no drinking, the police found alcohol that, they say, the teens snuck in.Burnett was arrested and charged with 44 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor -- one for each teen at the party. Because of social host laws, parents are liable when underage kids drink on their property -- even if they're unaware that it's happening. (credit:NBC News - Today Show)
J. Wesley Boyd(04 of08)
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J. Wesley Boyd, a psychiatrist who teaches at Harvard Medical School, and his wife, Theonia, a pathologist who also teaches at the medical school, were arrested at a party after police alleged that underage drinking was happening. Boyd said he and his wife had told the students that there would be no drugs or alcohol allowed at the party. He also said he and his wife and another couple had monitored the party without seeing any alcohol.But several of the students admitted that they had been hiding the drinking from him. (credit:Alamy)
Donald Ratcliff(05 of08)
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In March, Wheaton College professor Donald Ratcliff was arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography and two unlicensed handguns. Ratcliff was charged with two counts of Aggravated Child Pornography and was placed on administrative leave. He taught Christian education and child spirituality. (credit:ABC 7)
CUNY Faculty(06 of08)
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Cornell West(07 of08)
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Princeton University professor Cornell West was a big supporter of Occupy Wall Street and traveled to a few of the movement's camps. West was arrested in an act of civil disobedience with 18 others on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building in a demonstration against the Citizens United decision. (credit:RT)
Kenneth Ng(08 of08)
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California State University economics professor Kenneth Ng openly admitted to being the scribe behind BigBabyKenny.com, a site that guides tourists through Thailand's sex trade. Ng defended his blogging on the site as "free speech."
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