Some Dean with Too Much Time on Her Hands Suspends a College Professor over a Photo of His Daughter in a Game of Thrones T-Shirt

By Cindy Davis | Miscellaneous | April 17, 2014 |

By Cindy Davis | Miscellaneous | April 17, 2014 |

Are you kidding me? New Jersey’s Bergen Community College seems to be working through some issues with its Dean, B. Kaye Walter, aside from her utterly inexplicable take on a photo posted on Google + by art Professor Francis Schmidt. The picture below is of Schmidt’s daughter wearing a Game of Thrones t-shirt, with the well-known Daenerys Targaryen quote, “I will take what is mine with fire and blood.” Apparently Dean Walter felt the word “fire” could be taken to mean “gunfire,” and therefore some sort of threat—or an invitation to violence—against the school. Though Schmidt tried to explain the significance of the quote in relation to HBO’s television series, college officials (claiming they never heard of the show) suspended him without pay. The professor believes this action is in retaliation for a previous grievance he’d filed when he was denied a sabbatical.

Here’s the photo:

Pretty scary, huh?

Regardless of public outcry against the suspension, the college maintains it has a need for concern:

“The referenced incident refers to a private personnel matter at Bergen Community College. Since January 1, 2014, 34 incidents of school shootings have occurred in the United States. In following its safety and security procedures, the college investigates all situations where a member of its community - students, faculty, staff or local residents - expresses a safety or security concern.”

*headdesk*

Cindy Davis, (Twitter)