re: Fordham 'fires a white professor who mixed up names of black students'

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Trogan encouraged students to relay any complaints to Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) Laura Auricchio, English Department Chair Mary Bly and other administrators.

Chantel Sims, FCLC ’25, was the other student involved in the name mix-up. Sims, who is also a member of The Observer’s reporting team, said she did not report Trogan to the administration so she felt like a lot of his action and communication seemed unnecessary.

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“It seemed a little excessive, like all you needed to do was say sorry and it would have been fine,” she said. “We were not actually that upset about him mixing up our names. It was more so the random things he would throw into the response.”

In the email to students, Trogan assured students the course was “centered specifically and explicitly around issues of justice, equality, and inclusion,” and that he has devoted his “entire life” to these issues — describing his dedication to racial justice throughout his career in depth.

Sims said the section of the email that listed his credentials and “everything he has done for minorities” gave her the impression of a white savior complex. The other first-year student interviewed by The Observer agreed with this assessment.

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Trogan concluded the email by stating he is willing to give up his position if the students feel like they have been discriminated against.

“Depending on your response to the officials above, I may — or may not — be your professor in class next week. It’s all up to you,” he wrote.

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According to Trogan, in Badowska’s letter of termination, she did not focus on the original name mix-up. The email he sent to his students on Sept. 24 was the catalyst for termination. He also said Badowska ruled that he had not exhibited “proper development” from the Oct. 5 conversation, which also contributed to the decision.

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