Corinna Marin, a professor known for her anti-Israel and anti-American views, is set to return to teaching at the City University of New York this fall, joining a long list of contentious and, in some cases, criminal faculty members the university has employed over the years.
Just a day after a Hunter College professor made headlines for confronting an anti-abortion student, he escalated his behavior by threatening a reporter with a machete at his home, saying he would “chop him into pieces.”
Shereen Rodriguez faced charges of intimidation and harassment for the incident, which was recorded, and subsequently lost her position at City College.
In 2018, a sexual harassment complaint surfaced against several professors at John Jay College of Criminal Justice—a school focused on training police—alleging they ran a drug-fueled environment dubbed the “Swamp,” where they exploited students.
The scandal implicated adjunct professor Leonardo Dominguez, former anthropology department chair Anthony Marcus, sociology professor Barry Spant, and anthropology professor Rick Curtis.
Naomi Haber and Claudia Cojocaru, the alleged victims, reported severe accusations including rape and drug usage to John Jay’s Title IX office. Allegedly, Curtis, known for drug research, also sold heroin from his office.
All involved denied the allegations and filed a countersuit for defamation while being suspended in September 2018. Spant and Marcus resigned during the investigation, and Dominguez did not return. Although a public prosecutor’s inquiry began, no criminal charges were ever filed.
In 2021, John Jay compensated Haber and Cojocaru nearly $165,000 each, although Curtis faced only a retaliation charge, with most other allegations dropped. By 2024, he was allowed to resume teaching.
In another case, Carlton Jama Adams, chair of the African Studies Department, was accused in a lawsuit of continuously subjecting a graduate student to discriminatory comments regarding her African heritage. Despite the allegations, he continues to teach at the university.
A judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2024, ordering New York State to pay $225,000 to the plaintiff and her lawyers.
Alison Friedman, a biology professor at Hunter College, sparked controversy by dismissing concerns from black students that their school might close, claiming, “They’re too stupid to understand that they’re going to a bad school.” Despite the backlash, she remains employed.
Stephen Handelman, a former director at the university, faced allegations of inappropriate conduct with a much younger intern. An anonymous lawsuit against him was dismissed in August 2023, but he has been on administrative leave since the allegations surfaced.
Erin Thompson, a self-identified expert in art crime, garnered attention for suggesting that rioters could bring down statues faster using chains rather than ropes. She made this comment during protests over a statue of Christopher Columbus.
A 2017 incident led to the firing of economics professor Michael Isaacson after he remarked on social media that he considered it a privilege to teach police officers who would die in the future.
Adding to the strange events, Vincent Green, a former adjunct professor at John Jay, was expelled for allegedly pulling a female student’s hair in 2018.
