Ex-CUNY Professor Shellyne Rodriguez departs Bronx court
Shellyne Rodriguez leaves the Bronx County Hall of Justice in New York, New York on Monday, June 26, 2023. (Kevin C. Downs for Fox News Digital)
Several Cooper Union students told The New York Post this week it’s "crazy" that their university hired a professor who once threatened to "chop" a reporter with her machete.
"I don’t think such a person should be here," said one student when asked about professor Shellyne Rodriguez beginning her new job at the school, located in New York City's East Village.
Upon hearing about the hire’s past, another student exclaimed, "Oh s---! That’s scary. I don’t think it’s ok. When you are a student you’d want to feel safe. I would not feel safe with that person being my professor."
After losing her teaching gigs at both Hunter College and the School of Visual Arts following the machete incident last May, the New York Post reported Thursday that Rodriguez is "listed as an adjunct instructor at the Cooper Union in the East Village and appears on the fall semester schedule as teaching a sculpture class."
NY POST REPORTER CONFRONTED BY MACHETE-WIELDING PROFESSOR SPEAKS OUT: SHE THREATENED TO ‘CHOP US UP’
Shellyne Rodriguez at the Bronx County Hall of Justice in New York, New York on Monday, June 26, 2023. Rodriguez is charged with three misdemeanors – fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree menacing – as well as menacing, which is categorized as a violation. (Kevin C Downs for FOX News Digital)
Though the school has yet to confirm the professor’s employment status, students at The Cooper Union found the notion shocking.
An architecture student declined to disclose her name to the Post following her interview, claiming, "I don’t want [Rodriguez] coming after me.]"
The incident that resulted in the 46-year-old professor’s firing occurred when Post reporter Reuven Fenton went to her Bronx apartment to ask Rodriguez about a video depicting her yelling at pro-life students.
While Fenton attempted to question Rodriguez about her antics, she rushed out of her home with an unsheathed machete, held it to the reporter’s neck and threatened to "chop you up with this machete," the Post reported.
MACHETE-WIELDING PROFESSOR CHASES DOWN FAST FOOD AFTER ARRAIGNMENT FOR MENACING REPORTER
Rodriguez also told the camera crew to "Get the f--- away from my door."
After going inside for a brief moment, she came back out and followed the reporter and his cameraman onto the street as they attempted to leave. Footage depicted Rodriguez chasing both of the men while holding the machete.
Rodriguez turned herself into police on May 25. She was later charged with harassment and menacing, along with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, following that encounter.
Not all students at Cooper Union were disturbed at the news that Rodriguez was a teacher at the school. One called her having the job "kind of cool," and described the professor as a "bada--."
They added, "I don’t think it poses a problem here and people are not talking about it that much. I think it’s the outside obsession."
Still, others found it unsettling. An art major told The Post, "I think that someone who acts irrational like that would have the same mentality in class. I will definitely be worried."
The Cooper Union’s School of Art did not immediately respond to FOX News Digital’s request for comment.
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