Antonio Calvo

Who was Antonio Calvo?

Antonio Calvo was a senior lecturer in Spanish at Princeton University who committed suicide in April 2011 after learning either that he had been suspended from his job or that his employment contract had been abruptly terminated by Princeton.

The cause of death, as determined by the New York City medical examiner's office, was "slash wounds" to his neck and arm. The cancellation of his employment contract would have meant that Calvo—a Spanish citizen—would lose his residence visa in the US and face deportation.

Calvo's death has provoked questions regarding why employment was interrupted during the middle of the academic semester. According to an acquaintance of Calvo, on April 8, a security guard reportedly forcibly removed him from his office and took his keys, and the university barred access to his email account. Later that day students waited in vain for him to arrive to a class he was meant to teach.

Calvo, who also taught linguistics, poetics and the arts of the Harlem Renaissance, was being evaluated for reappointment, and his department had recommended that he be retained.