An adjunct faculty member at George Mason University was fired after openly drinking alcohol with undergraduate students in class last week, sources tell News4.
The university said it launched an internal investigation, alongside a police investigation into the allegations.
Multiple sources at GMU confirmed what they called a disgusting and dangerous situation that put one student in danger when a undergraduate apparently drank so much in class that they passed out and EMS was called to help.
Last Thursday evening, the adjunct faculty member in the political science department invited undergraduate students to bring alcohol to class for end-of-semester student presentations, sources said.
The adjunct faculty member drank with the undergraduates, which were in a 400-level course — meaning an upper level of undergraduate, sources said.
News4 was told there wouldn’t have been freshmen in the class, but it was unclear if any of the students were under the legal drinking age.
At least one student passed out during the class, possibly in a bathroom near the classroom, and EMS responded to help. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue confirmed to News4 it responded with the city’s fire department to GMU’s campus at about 6 p.m. Thursday for a medical call. Officials said a person was treated and taken to the hospital. News4 was told the student is doing OK and their parents were notified.
The university is not confirming all of those details, but when News4 started asking about the incident, the university sent a statement that said, in part, “Last Friday an adjunct lecturer was fired following a prompt investigation into a Thursday evening incident in his classroom that egregiously violated those policies and expectations.”
But sources tell News4 they’re hearing rumors that this now-former adjunct may have drank with other students in other classes on other dates. The university has not addressed that directly, but the statement News4 was sent also said, “The university is also conducting ongoing outreach to all students whom the instructor taught this semester to address their well being, and encouraging any student who has experienced additional inappropriate behavior to report it to the university.”
News4 has not been able to confirm if any charges have been filed in this case.
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