After pictures of him were found online, a tenured English professor at Wake Forest University in North Carolina was put on leave with Dr Omaar Hena posting the photos on Reddit
Reports say that Dr. Omaar Hena had been sharing the pictures for seven years on social media. Here is more you need to know about this.
Students found the photos, which were said to show Hena n*ked and str**ing. In early February, rumours started to spread about them. The Old Gold and Black says that Hena may have known that his students knew about the explicit pictures, but he still put them online. Now, it looks like they’ve been taken away.
Hena has been teaching at the university for 15 years. A few weeks later, he was put on leave. So far, neither he nor the university has said anything about the matter.
Wake Forest professor Dr Omaar Hena posted pics of himself mast**bating on Reddit and Instagram
Omaar Hena is a tenured English literature professor who has taught for more than 15 years at Wake Forest University in North Carolina
— News News News (@NewsNew97351204) April 29, 2023
Enjoying a nice #OnWhoseTerms2018 conference lunch! With Henghameh Saroukhani, @amongthemoths, Ronald
Cummings, @omaarhena, @ProfJohnMcLeod pic.twitter.com/fIZ0RksVdU— Caroline Koegler (@CarolineKoegler) March 23, 2018
Reports say that Hena posted the content on Reddit, and many students began to follow him on Instagram, where he also posted some of the pictures. Reports say that he even began talking to some kids on the app.
Wake Forest Professor’s social media activity raises concerns
The Old Gold & Black reported that Hena messaged a sophomore on February 10 at 6.40 pm, stating, “Thanks so much for following!” with a purple heart emoji. “Of course!” the student responded, to which Hena said, “Love your queer energy. And I’ve been a fan of wake radio people forever.”
Hena had posted an Instagram picture of him in an Aladdin costume in a classroom with the message, “I can show you the world.” A person commented on the post, “Has anyone requested a magic carpet ride yet?” His response was, “OMFGG, I wish!” per the Daily Mail.
Hena’s social media posts were much more graphic than what is usually considered acceptable. A publication saw a video of him shirtless. Old Gold & Black says that he was caught on video while looking into the camera.
Wake Forest University hasn’t said anything about it yet, but the university policy is said to say, “Faculty are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with generally accepted standards of conduct and behavior for the profession.”
Activity of Wake Forest professor sparks debate on faculty conduct guidelines
Hena got the best review possible on Rate My Professor from a student who said, His online persona is inappropriate. However, he is a great professor with great insight on the topics he teaches,” someone wrote in February.
Even though the university hasn’t said anything about it, the incident has brought up the question of how staff members act on social media. Due to the popularity of social media in today’s world, universities and other institutions need to set clear rules and standards for how faculty members should act online.
The case of Hena shows how a person’s actions online can affect their job, no matter how long they have been there or what role they hold. The university did the right thing by putting Hena on leave while they looked into what happened. The incident should remind all faculty members that what they do online can have real-world consequences, and they should act in a way that makes their job and school look good.