HOUSTON – It was supposed to be a memorable trip last summer for students from the University of Houston.
Students traveled to Ghana, West Africa as part of a study abroad program. The trip was sponsored by the African American Studies department.
“I complained on the trip, my friends complained on the trip and let him know we would report some of the stuff when we got back,” a student said of his professor.
We spoke with 2 of the students who didn’t want their identities revealed. They said that trip to Africa was a nightmare for some who attended.
“I could not believe he was doing it at all and openly with a group of students,” a student said. “That’s just negligent because he’s representing the university.”
That “he” the students are referring to is adjunct professor Paul Easterling. Easterling is the target of a probe at UH. FOX 26 News obtained verified emails confirming that investigation.
He is accused of giving students cookies and brownies made with marijuana during their trip to Ghana.
“We were all in a large hotel room and they were just passed around freely to students and some students got up and left and went to sleep,” a student said. “Some students started eating.”
One of the students said others were smoking marijuana during the trip.
“The students’ behavior was erratic and you can tell a lot of students were experienced smokers,” the student said.
Easterling is still on the job, despite the probe, according to the university. Our sources say he’s scheduled to take another trip to Ghana with more UH students in a matter of weeks.
“I was just hate to have something happen to a student on a University trip on the university’s watch due to his negligence by handing out drugs to students,” one of the students said.
The university released this statement in response to the allegations:
Students in the program take up to six credit hours of African American Studies courses that include lectures at the University of Ghana at Legon, University of Cape Coast and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. This is part of our ongoing mission to embrace knowledge of African life on the continent and throughout the Diaspora.
Borrowing critical insights from scholar-activists such as Marcus Garvey and Zora N. Hurston, AAS views international travel as an imperative tool for examining the African experience from a systemic perspective. As such, student participation in the study abroad program provides a key measure of the programs strength in introducing students to advanced research opportunities and original sources within the discipline. In addition to conducting field research and oral histories, student participants in the study abroad program receive instruction and gain awareness of the everyday concerns and political economy of ordinary Ghanaian citizens.
To ensure the safety and welfare of these student participants, and of all students involved in university-sponsored events, the university has in place strong policies regarding drug use, sexual harassment and Title IX.
One of the students in the program has come forward with allegations of improper conduct regarding the Ghana trip in 2010. We are actively and aggressively investigating these allegations. The university takes these kinds of allegations very seriously, as the safety and welfare of our students always is our primary concern. We have begun interviewing everyone involved to determine the facts. Because of the concerns that have been raised, we will be assigning a different chaperone to accompany the students on this years trip.
Source: GhanaWeb
