Utah State graduate settles racism lawsuit for $45K after he said professor drew ‘coon caricature’ of him

Gregory Noel, a Utah State University graduate, talks about his case in his attorney's office on Mar. 15, 2023. Noel filed a lawsuit alleging he was discriminated against during his time at Utah State. He signed a settlement agreement with the school in June 2023.earlier this year after he said his professor drew a racist “coon caricature” of him that was displayed on the screen in front of his entire class.His concerns drew statewide attention about discrimination in higher education.

The case marks at least the fourth major settlement for the northern Utah university since 2018. Combined, the public school in Logan has paid out nearly $1 million for those agreements, which are ultimately funded by taxpayers. “Whenever there are allegations of discrimination, USU strives to address and prevent the behavior and provide a fair and equitable process to resolve grievances,” according to the statement.

At the meeting, the professor allegedly accused Noel of being violent and questioned whether he was abusive to others, including his wife.Noel said he was stunned by what he saw a racist comment. But he tried to brush it off, knowing he had to work with the professor going forward. In the drawing, Noel’s tall, groomed afro was depicted even taller and sticking out wildly. His thick eyebrows were thicker and angry and furrowed, along with a huge mustache that took up much of his face. His skin was darker, too.

Other students also recognized Noel in it, taking pictures of the display and sending them to Noel, according to his lawsuit. “Hahah! Look what he’s doing,” a classmate texted. “Why is he drawing you?” said another in a text thread. “That’s totally you. So weird.”

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