A three-member panel at the University has ruled that Dr. Norman Eckel, an accounting professor who was suspended following allegedly threatening remarks made in the classroom, will be suspended without pay until Jan. 1 for violating the University’s Academic Charter.

As the BG News first reported on Feb. 9 several students complained after Dr. Eckel, a member of the BGSU faculty since 1979, made remarks on Feb. 1 about allegedly bringing a gun to class and killing the students after one student arrived considerably late for class.

“We were all joking around about the kid coming in late,” said Scott Leigh, a student in attendence during the incident, to The BG News at the time, “When he made this comment we all dropped our jaws. We were all in shock.”

The University deemed that it was no laughing matter and conducted an internal investigation consisting of three panelists from within the College of Business according to Kim McBroom, a spokesman in the Office of Marketing and Communication.

After the four month investigation it was decided that Eckel, who had been suspended since Feb. 1 with pay would continue his suspension until Jan. 1 without pay due to violations of University policy.

The exact policies violated by Dr. Eckel within the Academic Charter were unknown, but “they were characterized as dealing with intimidation” McBroom said.

While the number of suspension of University professors was unkown McBroom deemed them “fairly infrequent” and to suspend a tenured associate professor without pay, such as the case with Dr. Eckel, as “very infrequent.”

Following the suspension Dr. Eckel will be required to take part in “professional development and to undergo peer reviews of his teaching each semester,” according to the University.

The exact nature of the investigation is unknown as Dr. Eckel has 60 days to file an appeal of the suspension and those involved could not comment on procedures involved in the investigation until the 60 days had elapsed.

McBroom said she was unaware of an appeal and as of press time Robert Boughton, chairmean of the Faculty Senate could not be reached for comment on whether Dr. Eckel had appealed his suspension.