University of Kansas lecturer leaves after viral comment

The University of Kansas announced Friday that an instructor is no longer employed there after a video showed him making “a highly inappropriate comment in his classroom suggesting violence against individuals because of their personal views.”

University officials have not named the instructor, but the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has identified him as Phillip Lowcock, a health sports and exercise science instructor who reportedly made a passing remark in class that attracted men who would not vote. a woman running for president should be shot. On Friday, Lowcock’s profile page was no longer on the university’s website.

Asked whether Lowcock was fired or left voluntarily, a university spokesperson said in an email: “That is a personnel matter that the university cannot discuss.” Within Higher Ed could not reach Lowcock on Friday.

On Wednesday, Libs of TikTok, a conservative because they think women aren’t smart enough to be president.”

The man in the half-minute video then says, “We can line up all those guys and shoot them. They clearly don’t understand how the world works.” He immediately follows that with “Did I say that? Delete that from the recording. I don’t want the deans to hear that I said that.”

The university announced shortly after the video was posted that a faculty member who made an “inappropriate reference to violence” had been placed on administrative leave.

“The instructor sincerely apologizes and deeply regrets the situation,” the statement said. “His intention was to emphasize his advocacy for women’s rights and equality, and he acknowledges that he has done very poorly in doing so.”

Graham Piro, faculty legal defense fund at FIRE, said Friday that “the university will hear from us soon … this appears to be a pretty blatant misunderstanding of the First Amendment.”

Whether Lowcock resigned or was fired, Piro said the situation is concerning. From the video, Piro said it appears Lowcock was making a hyperbolic joke, not one “real threat‘ that would not be protected under the First Amendment.

Anita Levy, a senior program officer in the American Association of University Professors’ Department of Academic Freedom, Tenure and Governance, said she also does not know whether Lowcock has been fired. But she said: “There is a full arsenal of due process protections that he should have.”

Not everyone was dissatisfied on Friday. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican who called for Lowcock to be fired on Wednesday, posted on season for people who do not plan to vote for Kamala Harris is no longer an employee at KU.”

Kansas Provost Barb Bichelmeyer said as much in her statement to campus on Friday “We fully support the academic freedom of our teachers when they teach in the classroom. However, academic freedom is not a license for suggestions of violence, as we saw in the video.”

“It’s 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 community engagement.Bichelmeyer 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.”