On March 6, students in a MATH 123 class were subjected to an angry outburst from former mathematics professor Joel Pereira, leading to his subsequent dismissal from Drexel University after students submitted complaints and released a video of the incident.
According to the students present, Pereira rebuked them for arriving late to his lectures and using electronic devices during class, before engaging in a heated exchange with them. Many of his former students claim that he “targeted” certain students in his classes, making threats toward their grades in the course and directing unprofessional and vulgar language at them after they had exited the classroom. His dismissal caused other professors to substitute for him at the end of the winter term, as well as the omission of final exam grades from his students’ course averages.
The incident began on Wednesday, March 5, when Pereira called out students for being late to the lecture and using their cell phones before abruptly ending the class early and walking out. The next day, he delayed administering a quiz and argued with his students, who reported his use of crude language and tone, especially toward students who had left the classroom after completing the quiz.
A student in the MATH 123 class, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “He had a problem with this [one] student because he had his laptop open, and I guess Dr. Pereira didn’t think he was paying attention to what he was saying.”
One student recorded the exchange, which other students used as evidence for their complaints to the mathematics department and to other staff at Drexel University. By the following Monday, another professor had replaced Pereira in his courses for the remainder of the quarter, and many students in the class had their final exam grades excluded from their course grade.
Pereira had been teaching in Drexel University’s mathematics department since 2018, notably teaching in calculus courses. Many of his previous students claim that he had exhibited unprofessional behavior in his other courses. Ali Al Nazal, a student in his MATH 116 course, spoke about how Pereira’s behavior affected his learning, saying “In terms of as a person and how he treated his students, he treated us very poorly… It made it super difficult to engage in the class.”
Another former student of his said via a message, “…when I asked a question in class about a problem, he laughed in my face and said that the only way anyone would ask that is if they weren’t paying attention. He then laughed some more and then answered the question I asked.” Many other students claimed that Pereira showed similar reactions to their questions.
Drexel University has shared limited details about Pereira’s dismissal. From what the university has shared, Pereira was placed on an indefinite leave before the Winter term’s final exam week. While he still has not returned for the spring term, it is unknown whether his leave is temporary or permanent.