MUNCIE, Ind. (WTHR) - Ball State University's president is responding to a classroom confrontation between a student and a professor.
A video recording of the incident shows police in the classroom as the two argue over where the student is seated.
The video has received thousands of views.
About halfway through the class, a woman left a seat in the front row the classroom, according to Benson. He says that’s when the professor suddenly instructed him to move to the front seat, which has not been his assigned seat since the start of the semester.
“I told him I ‘didn't want to move’ sir,” said Benson, ‘my laptop is plugged into the charger.’”
Benson said the professor said "move, or have the police called on you."
The professor reportedly stepped out of the classroom to call university police. Two officers arrived about 10 minutes later to investigate the complaint.
During that investigation, according to Benson, other students in the classroom told the officers that Benson had done nothing wrong and had remained calm, even when the professor insisted that he move and threatened to call police on him.
The officers asked Benson if he was a student and if he wanted to move or leave the classroom. The senior decided it would be in his best interest to exit the classroom.
“I have to make sure I am going to be okay and make sure this doesn't escalate, so I decided to leave," said Benson.
Once in the hallway, Benson says the two officers relayed his information to dispatchers to verify that Benson was enrolled and permitted to be on campus.
Originally from Chicago, Benson has been at Ball State for at least four years. He is scheduled to graduate in May with a bachelors degree in business. His dream is to one day be an entrepreneur.
Benson said he was concerned at first that the officers might misunderstand what transpired in the classroom. After hearing the explanation, Benson says the officers didn’t understand why the situation escalated to a call to police.
Ironically, Benson said, part of the class lesson that day centered around cultural values and respect.
Word about the confrontation spread fast, in part because another student shared cell phone video of the incident. It eventually reached BSU President Geoffrey S. Mearns, who was traveling back to Indiana at the time. Still, Mearns responded immediately upon learning of what happened.
In a message to Eyewitness News, Mearns called the professor’s behavior “a gross error of judgment” and an unwarranted overreaction. He promised appropriate training and oversight for the professor and mentioned an apology to all the students in the class.
Benson shared with Eyewitness News part of a separate apology the professor emailed to him. Benson said what happened to him warrants more than just an emailed apology.
After filing a formal complaint, Benson says he was given the option of staying or moving to a different class. He opted not to return to the same class.
Benson said he told his family about the incident, which has gotten some national attention.
“I was not doing anything wrong. I didn't cause a disruption. We know what kind of society we live in now. We know what happens to young African American men and the police. There is no telling, in those 20 seconds, what could happen. I was honestly scared for my life," Benson said.
Benson said he thinks it was Mearns who insisted the professor take responsibility for his actions and apologize. Mearns, hopeful nothing like this ever happens again, has reached out to Benson and is scheduled to meet with him.