Newspaper: A-B Tech instructor reprimanded for e-mail referring to immigrants as ‘leeches’

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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La Voz has the story here. The newspaper first reported the story a few weeks back, and I noted it in this blog post.

Here’s a snippet from the latest story:

ASHEVILLE. — Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College president Betty Young has disciplined an instructor who during work hours sent a message via his state e-mail account calling even undocumented students brought to the United States as infants “criminals” and “leeches” and who once advocated shooting undocumented immigrants, confirmed several people who met with Young.

“She told us that she had taken disciplinary action but that because of the confidentiality of personnel matters, she could not go into details,” said Edna Campos, a former lobbyist for El Pueblo and latina activist from Asheville. “She said that the word would find its way to other instructors that A-B Tech would not tolerate such comments.”

In a statement e-mailed to the Spanish language newspaper La Voz Independiente in Asheville, Young denied she had discussed the “specific personnel matter” regarding electrical engineering instructor Tom Sharar, who is still on the faculty.

“The specific action may not have come up, but the specific matter of Mr. Sharar was definitely discussed,” said Campos, reacting to Young’s denial.