University of Kansas teacher resigns after ‘inappropriate reference to violence’ in class

Strong Hall at the University of Kansas on August 22, 2020. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

LAWRENCE – A University of Kansas lecturer who suggested that men who refuse to vote for a female president solely because she is a woman should be shot Friday after a video of his comments went viralwhich has led to widespread reactions.

Barbara Bichelmeyer, KU’s provost and vice chancellor, announced in a statement Friday that the teacher, Phillip Lowcock, was “leaving the university.” The announcement came two days after a conservative pundit posted a video on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, of Lowcock addressing a classroom of students and making what the university called an “inappropriate reference to violence.”

“There will be some men in our society who will refuse to vote for a potential female president because they don’t think women are smart enough to be president,” Lowcock said in the video. “We can line up all these guys and shoot them. They clearly don’t understand how the world works.”

He continued: “Did I say that? Delete that from the recording. I don’t want the deans to hear that I said that.”

When the university learned about the video, the university met with Lowcock and immediately placed him on administrative leave, Bichelmeyer said. She said Lowcock apologized to her and other university leaders and said his intention was “to emphasize his advocacy for women’s rights and equality.” Bichelmeyer said the university is trying to find another instructor to teach his classes. He was a staff member at KU’s department of health, sports and exercise sciences.

The video on X has been viewed more than 3.5 million times. It was first posted Wednesday morning by Ned Ryun, the son of former Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun of Kansas. A slew of politicians, media personalities and X users condemned Lowcock’s comments and called for his resignation.

A national free speech organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, defended Lowcock’s comments, saying his speech was hyperbole and protected under the First Amendment.

Bichelmeyer condemned violent rhetoric, but she recognized the confusing nature of academic freedom and free speech.

“It is no secret that higher education and, more broadly, our society continue to grapple with issues of freedom of expression, care and respect for others, and civic engagement,” she said. “The world is what we make of it. Please use this unfortunate event as an opportunity to reflect on these topics and the role each of us plays in our academic community.”