Machete-wielding prof hired to teach sculpture at another NYC college
A video of Shellyne Rodriguez went viral earlier this year when she verbally harassed pro-life students at Hunter College.
Rodriguez, who later threatened a reporter with a machete after knocking on her door, has been hired to teach at Cooper Union in Manhattan.
Shellyne Rodriguez, the former Hunter College professor who was fired after harassing a pro-life group on campus and chasing away a reporter with a machete, has now been hired to teach a sculpture class at Cooper Union.
Rodriguez is now listed as an “Adjunct Instructor” on the Cooper faculty directory, and a fall schedule dated September 2023 shows Rodriguez listed as the instructor of a new sculpture course.
In May, Campus Reform reported on the viral video showing Rodriguez berating students from Hunter College’s Students for Life chapter for tabling against abortion, calling the display “violent,” “triggering,” and “f*cking propaganda.”
[RELATED: Student chews up fetus models at pro-life display in Manhattan]
Rodriguez went on to vandalize the display at the end of the clip, scattering the students’ materials onto the ground.
Following the incident on the Hunter campus, Rodriguez was visited at her home by a journalist from the New York Post. As seen in video captured by the Post, Rodriguez threatens him at her door with a machete, holding it to the reporter’s neck and shouting “Get the f–k away from my door, or I’m gonna chop you up with this machete!”
The reporter and his videographer left and headed toward their vehicle before dash-cam footage shows the machete-wielding Rodriguez pursuing the pair and chasing them around the vehicle.
Rodriguez was arraigned on menacing and harassment charges and may reportedly receive a plea deal, according to the Post in August.
In response to Rodriguez’s violent outbursts, Hunter College fired the professor. A school spokesperson said in a statement, “Hunter College strongly condemns the unacceptable actions of Shellyne Rodriguez and has taken immediate action. Rodriguez has been relieved of her duties at Hunter College effective immediately, and will not be returning to teach at the school.”
[RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Pro-life group’s display vandalized 10 times at Christopher Newport University]
In response, Rodriguez said in a statement that the school “capitulated” to “racists, white nationalists, and misogynists,” ARTnews reported.
In a statement to Campus Reform, Students for Life Field Coordinator Savannah Craven challenged Cooper Union’s decision to add Rodriguez to its faculty.
“Copper Union is out of their mind for allowing an individual to teach at their school who is guilty of chasing people with a machete and threatening to harm them,” she said.
Campus Reform has contacted Cooper Union for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
