LA CROSSE, Wis. – Attorneys for the Universities of Wisconsin admitted during a hearing Friday that the institution has received pressure from a Republican politician and from a donor to fire veteran UW communications professor Joe Gow for ruthlessly creating and appearing in content for adults .
As XBIZ reported, the Board of Regents held a final hearing at UW-Madison’s Vilas Hall to weigh a faculty court’s recommendation to terminate Gow’s employment. The spruce
Oral arguments were offered by Gow as well as attorneys from the UW System’s legal counsel office. After the hearing, the Personnel Affairs Committee met behind closed doors before making a recommendation for the full Board of Regents to consider at an upcoming meeting, possibly as early as Sept. 26-27 at UW-Parkside.
“At least one donor has publicly stated that he would ‘kill’ a planned scholarship if Gow was not fired,” the lawyers said. wrote in a document they distributed before the hearing.
The attorneys also stated that Republican Sen. Rob Hutton, who chairs the Legislature’s Universities and Revenue Committee, “has made it clear that he, a member of the Legislature who provides some of the university’s funding, is against Gow returning to university. teach.”
Hutton issued an official statement in December, pressured the state university system – which is supposed to operate with academic freedom – to fire Gow.
“The disgraceful behavior of Dr. Gow has fallen far short of what we expect as taxpaying citizens of the State of Wisconsin and is further eroding the public’s trust in our institutions of higher education,” Hutton proclaimed, openly advocating for more than just Gow’s complete removal. but also “any UW officials or board members who were aware of this conduct and chose not to address this conduct should also be removed from their positions.”
Free Speech Org FIRE issues statement in support of Gow
As XBIZ reported, Gow was fired as chancellor at the recommendation of University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, who called the professor’s actions — including posting adult videos featuring his wife to their OnlyFans account — “appalling.” .
Rothman told Gow in December that he had initiated a process to challenge his tenured faculty position in communication studies. The trial resulted in a hearing in which Gow had to defend himself before a faculty court. After the hearing, the tribunal recommended that Gow be stripped of his term of office.
At the tribunal, Gow made an opening statement in his own defence, claiming: “Tenure is based on the quality of a person’s teaching, research and service. These false accusations have nothing to do with that and they beg the question: Do teachers have the right to engage in freedom of expression in their personal lives, especially on today’s social media?”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a free speech organization that is helping fund Gow’s defense, has issued a statement earlier this week in support of the professor’s case.
Zach Greenberg, FIRE faculty legal counsel, stated, “As a public university system, the University of Wisconsin system is bound by the First Amendment, which firmly protects a wide range of colorful, controversial, and provocative speech. Public universities can Don’t violate the First Amendment just to save face or appease donors.”
Professors, Greenberg added, “should have the freedom to express their opinions when they don’t have time, even if their words offend others. Firing tenured professors for what they say outside office hours would erode academic freedom across the country. You may not like Joe Gow or his videos, but the principles that protect him also protect countless dissidents, freethinkers, artists, and others who speak truth to power. FIRE calls on the UW Board of Regents to reject the recommendation to fire Joe Gow.”
Academic authorities were initially spurred to take action against Gow by Rupert Murdoch-owned publications, as part of an ongoing nationwide trend of Republican and conservative activists and operators running stigmatizing smear campaigns that targeted the livelihoods of individuals in various strata of the population about their gender. work, even if this is not related to their other professions and activities.