Editor’s note: This article was first published in June 2011, shortly after the documentary aired.
A new documentary by Antena 3’s Equipo de Investigación investigates, this time, the reasons why a lecturer at the prestigious Princeton University was dismissed, a dismissal that ended the dreams, hopes and life of Antonio Calvo, who was found dead in his own home three days later.
He was dismissed for inappropriate behaviour, even though his students all agree he was the most passionate, entertaining and dedicated teacher they had. Princeton prides itself on having one of the smartest teaching staffs on the planet, devoted 100% to their lectures and 0% to their students. The Spaniard Antonio Calvo was an exception, which made him the best-loved teacher on campus.
Princeton has never given the reasons for the dismissal or granted interviews to explain it, and so far only two possibilities have been raised:
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That he was dismissed over an email in which he addressed a student in a very Spanish tone: «Deja de tocarte los huevos y ponte a trabajar» (a crude but everyday Spanish phrase meaning roughly “stop slacking off and get to work”, which literally refers to touching one’s balls). Because the lecturer was gay, the message could have been misinterpreted as sexual harassment.
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That it was a conspiracy by Princeton staff as a whole to dismiss him, either because a teacher who was kind to his students was frowned upon, or simply because he was gay.
Other documentaries by Equipo de Investigación
Featured image: Daderot, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
