The university has assigned an employee in its the human resources department to sift through the complaints.

Laurentian could not confirm how many complaints have been filed.

When contacted Friday, Persinger said he was not aware of any new complaints.

“The administration has not contacted me about any complaints,” he said in an email to NorthernLife.ca. “Consequently, I am not in a position to provide any further information.”

The Laurentian University Faculty Association said in a press release it only became aware of the new complaints through media reports.

“In disclosing this information publicly it is our contention that the University Administration has violated its own Respectful Workplace Policy, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the collective agreement,” the press release said. “We are especially surprised by this tactic because never in its history has the university publicly disclosed, in such a manner and to the media, that it was undertaking an investigation of an employee.

“Particularly detestable, in our view, is the setting up of what can only be characterized as a ‘snitch line’ through which they are clearly soliciting further complaints. It is shocking and entirely inappropriate for the Administration to resort to these tactics. LUFA is exploring all options in its defense of Dr. Persinger and will certainly be filing grievances on his behalf.”

The university said previously it dropped Persinger from the fist-year class because he asked his students to sign a “statement of understanding,” warning them they would encounter some words and language they may find offensive.

The purpose of that unit of the course, Persinger said, was explore the power we imbue in certain words by exposing students to profane or even “silly” terms they encounter in their daily lives.

“We live in a world where words are becoming more and more important,” Persinger said.

Robert Kerr, Laurentian's provost and vice-president of academics, said he received a complaint about the course in December, and had Persinger removed later that month.

Despite how the removal has been portrayed, Kerr said his issue was not with Persinger's use of strong language in the course material, but that document he asked his students to sign before they took the class.

“A faculty member cannot ask a student to sign a document, or a memorandum of understanding, as a condition to take his or her class,” Kerr said.

And that's fine, Persinger said, because signing the document was not a prerequisite to remain in the class anyway.

“(Even) if they don't sign it, they can stay,” he said.

The Laurentian University Faculty Association filed a grievance on Persinger's behalf, aiming to have him re-instated as the course's professor.

Jim Ketchen, president of the faculty association, and an associate professor with Laurentian's department of law and justice, said he sees the issue as academic censorship.

“Are we living in a free and democratic society where free speech is respected?” he asked.

The faculty association's position, said Ketchen, is that Persinger's “statement of understanding” could never be interpreted as a binding contract.

“All the elements of a contract are simply missing from this,” he said.

After his dismissal, one of Persinger's students created an online petition to have him reinstated as the course's teacher.

“I think he's probably one of my favourite professors that I've had so far,” said Marc-Andre Huneault, the student who started the petition. “I think (Persinger) was treated unfairly.”

As of Friday afternoon the petition had 425 supporters.