University chancellor refuses to resign after racist Asian joke

Thomas L Keon has apologised but so far refused to resign over ‘offensive and insensitive’ comments

A university chancellor is under pressure to resign over an offensive Asian impersonation he made at a commencement ceremony earlier this month.

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee at Purdue University Northwest in Indiana has demanded that Thomas L Keon stand down over remarks made at the event on 10 December.

Video of the commencement ceremony shows Mr Keon taking the podium after a speaker and saying some seemingly made-up words.

As the crowd laughed he told them “that’s sort of my Asian version of his….” referring to the previous speaker, reported CNN.

Mr Keon made a public apology on the university’s Twitter account on 14 December.

“I made a comment that was offensive and insensitive. I am truly sorry for my unplanned, off-the-cuff response to another speaker,” he said.

“I assure you I did not intend to be hurtful, and my comments do not reflect my personal or our institutional values.”

But on 16 December the Faculty Senate Executive Committee unanimously decided to call for his resignation and sent him a letter to that effect.

“We asked him then, and later, for a response to our demand for his resignation; to date, we have heard nothing from him,” vice chair Dave Nalbone told CNN.

The faculty and staff then passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the chancellor

The chancellor can only be removed by the university’s board of trustees or president.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Keon for comment.