Professor Melvin Villaver spent two years working at Clemson University, dedicated to improving the lives of students and passionate about teaching music and the history of Black American culture.

This past summer, a few months before Professor Villaver was fired from the University, my classmates and I spent two months with him studying abroad in London. While abroad, I had the privilege of taking Music 3150: Music of Black Americans taught by Professor Villaver.

Before taking on a two-month internship abroad, I was conflicted about where to study, but Villaver was the deciding factor for choosing London. When I was clueless about this opportunity, he listened to my concerns, walked me through the process and acted as a mentor when entering this program. 

Before even leaving the United States, Villaver always expressed his love and appreciation not just for Clemson University, but for the people who make it what it is. As his student, I know he wanted to make a change while he was at the University, and even though he’s gone now, he’s made a huge impact on me and so many students like me. 

Studying abroad with this professor was a truly inspiring experience, in and out of the classroom. Nothing ever felt like work — he didn’t just want his students to take a random test or answer questions they didn’t understand. He wanted students to feel something from the music he showed us and hold an opinion on the history that came before us. 

Villaver wouldn’t just teach in a classroom; he would tell us about the history of music and then show us why it is so important today. It is disheartening to see Clemson students in the media talking badly about a man they never knew. What he did was not right when commenting on Charlie Kirk, but everyone has made a mistake, and one mistake shouldn’t nullify all of the good that he has done. 

During the two months I spent in London with Villaver, I could only say positive things about his character. He accommodated my family when we wanted to come down early to spend time in the city before my cohort got there. He took two buses and walked 15 minutes with me to the first day of my internship while in London because I didn’t have time to go there beforehand. 

Every morning before class, he would walk a group of students to a different side of London, going on and off trains if we did not feel comfortable going there by ourselves.

As a Black student at a predominantly white institution, it was so enlightening to see a non-Black professor care so much about Black history. Professor Villaver had such an impact on the University and had a huge impact on me, and I truly feel sorry for all of the students who don’t get to experience his teaching.

While I was in London with Villaver, I could tell how much he loved being a professor, not just by how he expressed it through words, but by how he showed it through his actions. 

He carefully curated several tours that had to do with jazz, rock, gospel, etc. Professor Villaver talked about music in his class with great enthusiasm and took us to dinners and to a multitude of theater performances that, at times, he paid for out of pocket. I truly loved my study abroad experience, and he is a huge reason why. It is unfortunate that because of one mistake, students will no longer get to experience him as a professor.

Professor Villaver was fired last year for his personal opinion on the Charlie Kirk incident. In my opinion, if we are firing professors for freedom of speech, we should look around at some of our student organizations on our campus that have discriminated against students because of race or gender and have had no consequences. 

Professors like Villaver are just people who aren’t perfect; he deserves better from the University, and his situation goes to show how accountability is selectively applied, and how quickly a lifetime of meaningful work can be overshadowed by a single moment.

Mariah Jordon is a senior English major from Dallas, Texas. Mariah can be reached at [email protected].