Posted on 08/31/2021 10:54:18 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
A University of Georgia retiree-rehire professor resigned on Tuesday after one of his students refused to properly wear a mask in an upper division psychology seminar class held at the psychology building.
During Irwin Bernstein’s second class of the semester, the student, who was not present on the first day of class, arrived at the 25-person class unmasked and was asked by Bernstein to retrieve one from the advising office. The student was given a spare disposable mask from a peer but did not wear it over her nose.
Bernstein asked the student to pull her mask up to wear it correctly, but she said she “couldn’t breathe” and “had a really hard time breathing” with the cloth over her mouth and nose.
Written on the board at the front of the classroom was, “No mask, no class,” according to fourth-year psychology major Hannah Huff.
The 88-year-old psychology professor explained to the student that he could die from COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and age-related problems, Bernstein said in an email to The Red & Black.
Only about 15 minutes into the Tuesday lecture, which consisted of Bernstein taking the student attendance, he asked the student to pull her mask up again, but this time, the student did not respond.
Bernstein, who was already informed that two of his absent students tested positive for COVID-19, then announced his resignation on the spot and left the class immediately.
“At that point I said that whereas I had risked my life to defend my country while in the Air Force, I was not willing to risk my life to teach a class with an unmasked student during this Pandemic,” Bernstein said in an email to The Red & Black. “I then resigned my retiree-rehire position.”
Huff said she sat at the front of the class on Tuesday in shock, anger and silence for a few minutes, like the rest of her peers, as she tried to comprehend what happened.
“Professor Bernstein said, ‘That's it. I’m retired,’ and we watched him pack all of his papers into his bag and walk out of the classroom,” Huff said.
“Resignation was an all or none decision ... I felt some relief as I had been getting more concerned as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in recent weeks,” Bernstein said.
Some students began logging onto Athena to find last-minute seats in other seminars. Others stared at the student and asked, “You know we need this class to graduate, right?” In response, the student said, “Well, this is a blessing in disguise,” according to Huff.
Huff, who is expected to graduate in December, said she has now been moved to another upper division psychology seminar at 8 a.m., opposed to the original 9:30 a.m. class time.
“The damage is done. Obviously she has her values, and they’re clearly not going to change even when someone asked you to do something that will make them feel comfortable,” Huff said. “Bernstein is there for you [the student]. Like, he came out of retirement to do something for us, but you just can’t take it out of the kindness of your heart to put a piece of fabric on properly.”
The seminar, primarily filled with upperclassmen, is a requirement to graduate for all psychology majors. All students affected by the resignation of the instructor were moved to a new section of their courses, according to UGA spokesperson Greg Trevor.
Immediately after the class abruptly ended, Huff called her mother in panic worried that she wouldn’t be able to graduate.
“This is not what I signed up for. This was not my original plan for my final semester here. It’s heartbreaking. It’s surreal,” Huff said. “I kept thinking to myself, ‘There’s no way this is happening.’ There was definitely hidden hostility in that room, and I do feel a little bit of anger toward this girl, but mainly agitation.”
Bernstein began teaching part-time at UGA in 1968 and became a full-time faculty member in 1971 while he continued research at Emory University’s Yerkes Primate Center until 1993.
Although he retired from UGA in 2011, he still taught as a part time retiree-rehire for many years and was asked by his former psychology department to return this year to teach two courses this semester. Now, Bernstein will not teach either.
On Aug. 18, the first day of in-person classes, Bernstein told his students that he would teach under a “no mask, no class” policy.
Unmasked students who arrived on the first day of the seminar were directed by Bernstein to retrieve one from the front office and the Advising Office. Every student was masked during the remainder of the class time, Bernstein said in his email to The Red & Black.
Bernstein wrote in an email to The Red & Black that the head of the psychology department said he could not enforce a mask policy upon his students. UGA follows the policies of the University System of Georgia, which only encourages masks inside campus facilities and does not allow its institutions to enact mask or vaccine mandates.
The now-resigned professor said USG is in compliance with the policies of the state of Georgia which “forbids us from requiring masks.”
“I am sorry that the pandemic has caused so much dissension. I personally do not agree that stimulating the economy is more important than people’s lives and am disappointed that some people feel that it is,” Bernstein said.
I was a Captain in the Army from 76-84, a time when the country was not at war. Does that make me "Stolen Valor", too?
I'd be careful tossing out Stolen Valor so casually.
About the most dangerous thing I remember was on Reforger '77, when an M60 made too wide a turn, and put it's right track over the front of my jeep. Thankfully, it only killed the radiator...lol.
Imagine being this dumb to think a thinly made piece of fabric would stop a virus from infecting him. It’d be funny if he found out that he already had it and didn’t show any symptoms
The selfishness of the professor is remarkable. He would force young, healthy people to wear masks in his presence, because of HIS frailty. He would rob healthy young people of their freedom and their right to live a normal life, because death has been knocking on his door for several years. People like that professor are disgusting human beings. He is just like all of the miserable hippies from the 60's, who lived their youth with free sex and drugs, then turned around and instituted "zero tolerance" policies and ever-increasing restrictions and tyranny on younger people.
One fewer psychology professor. However will we survive.
From the article, which is in the largest college paper in Georgia:
Bernstein wrote in an email to The Red & Black that the head of the psychology department said he could not enforce a mask policy upon his students. UGA follows the policies of the University System of Georgia, which only encourages masks inside campus facilities and does not allow its institutions to enact mask or vaccine mandates.
Interesting - one would think that a huge state university like UGA could do better than an 88 year old retired/rehired instructor for a 4th year required course.
As far as the instructor is concerned - at his age, he doesn’t give a hoot about anything but his own concept of how things in his world should be.
People tend to get totally inflexible and obsessive at that age - again I blame the school for putting him in front of tuition paying students - hard to believe they can’t find psych instructors.
All the students got transferred to other courses so they will be ok - albeit with some inconvenience.
Interesting that there was no compromise at all - teacher just walked - student didn’t consider the other 25 mask wearing students- everyone just looking out for themselves.
Thank you both for your description of military duties, and for the insight into the attitude that you had/have toward it. Very much appreciated.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
L
buh bye!
He should have volunteered to die from Covid or should not have un-retired.
So, if he wanted her seat, should she have gotten out of his way? Same difference in my way of thinking..
Mind games, figures, psych major. Make the world yield to your own demands, or i stomp my feet.
The student did nothing wrong but stand for herself. Let the sheep bleat.
As someone who has always been a civilian, i applaud and appreciate the service (Marine) of my youngest brother and all military personnel. To me, equally heros. No Stolen Valor thoughts at all.
As an aside, my brother and I recently had a great discussion on the differences between military and civilian mindset. Interesting discussion over a bottle of Irish whiskey.
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