Recently, allegations of discriminating words that prompted the college to open an investigation by the Dean of Students about the incident involving Robert Kolodziej, an adjunct faculty member in the Arts, Entertainment and Media Management Department, resulted in the termination of his teaching contract last week. Kolodziej is still a full-time staff member in the Controllers Office.

As reported in the Sept. 29 issue of The Chronicle, Keisha Geter, a sophomore marketing communications major, complained to Columbia President Warrick L. Carter and the Office of Student Affairs about comments the instructor made in her Sept. 9 class.

When Geter learned about Kolodziej’s teaching contract being revoked, she said it was the right thing to do for the college. But she said she had no intention of getting him fired.

“At least he knows those words are not OK [to use],” she said. “He’s learned a lesson, but he still has a job. These are really bad times; I don’t want anybody to be homeless or suffering.”

Not all Kolodziej’s students were happy with the decision, though. Tracy Palmer, a marketing communications major, made an attempt to organize a protest with the hope to reinstate Kolodziej’s contract.

The protest was scheduled to take place at the South Campus Building, 624 S. Michigan Ave., at 9 a.m. on Oct. 17, according to an e-mail from Palmer. However, she was not in attendance with Nathaniel Manning and Alisha Moore, the only two students who attended the protest.

Manning and Moore, who were in Kolodziej’s Saturday morning Intro to Management course, said they didn’t feel the protest was a failure.

“We’re here; so we’re successful,” Manning said. “[This is] to try and make people aware of what’s going on. It’s not going to stop here; we’re going to move on.”

Manning and Moore were also surprised that one student complaint could result in a termination and said they are frustrated with the way Columbia handled the situation. Geter said she was surprised it was handled so quickly.

“I’m shocked that Columbia did something about it,” Geter said. “It only takes one person to make a change and stand up. That’s what I did.”

When asked how common it was for one student complaint to prompt a termination, Steve Kapelke, Columbia’s Provost and senior vice president, said he “would not discuss personnel issues.”

Kapelke said he was also unable to say what the investigation concluded and how it was conducted.

Kolodziej declined to comment on both the investigation and the protest on his behalf.