Penn State lecturer pleads guilty to ‘harassment’ of professor, remains on administrative leave
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A white Penn State lecturer pleaded guilty last month to harassment for shoving a Black professor out of a campus restroom and on to the ground — and he remains on administrative leave while the university’s own investigation continues.
Robert Wahl, a 61-year-old adjunct lecturer of sociology and criminology, was charged with a summary offense of harassment, which is legally on the same level as public drunkenness and littering. He paid just over $450 in fines and court costs, and the case is now considered closed in the courts.
At the university level, however, it’s a different story.
The local chapter of the NAACP has called for Penn State to terminate Wahl, after allegations surfaced that Wahl also used a racial slur against the professor he repeatedly shoved in the Willard Building bathroom. University police were told the incident came about because the professor was wearing his required mask incorrectly, something the professor also told at least two sources at the scene.
Penn State spokesperson Lisa Powers confirmed in an email Friday morning that Wahl remains on leave while the university’s investigation continues. When asked whether the university’s investigation involved the alleged use of a slur, however, Powers declined to answer because it was a “confidential personnel matter.”
In an excoriating statement last month, the local chapter of the NAACP railed against the charge of harassment, saying the minor charge amounted to “sweeping race-related aggression under the rug.”
Based on Pennsylvania statutes, a charge of harassment can still involve physical contact such as striking, shoving or kicking. Both intent and the degree of injury can also play a role in distinguishing between simple assault and the less-serious charge of harassment, and it was never made clear to the CDT what Wahl’s intent was nor the extent of the professor’s injuries — although the professor was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center for evaluation after the incident.
Neither Wahl nor the professor returned messages from the CDT seeking comment.
Last month’s NAACP statement called for a “thoroughly” reviewed investigation.
“We demand that Penn State University review this case thoroughly as it clearly represents yet another instance of systemic injustice based on race, and it clearly shows a far higher regard for the perpetrator than for the victim,” the NAACP statement read. “We hold Penn State and university police accountable for the casual handling of this matter. We demand that Wahl receive the appropriate charges for his actions, that he be removed from paid administrative leave immediately, and terminated.”
It is not known whether there is a timeline for the university investigation or when it might be completed.
