We have previously discussed the controversy surrounding University of Missouri Assistant Professor of Communication Melissa Click who was caught on videotape obstructing a student journalist and calling for “muscle” to prevent him from covering a protest. She was charged with assault in that case. Eventually she was sacked by Missouri in what should have been one of the easiest decisions ever made by an educational institution. Now however Gonzaga University has given Click another faculty position, a move that is likely to result in considerable controversy. The effort to “muscle” a student journalist and keep him from reporting on a protest is viewed by many academics as unpardonable, particularly in a market filled with people trying to secure jobs in higher education.
The appointment of Click is likely to infuriate many faculty, particularly in journalism schools. It was not just Click’s conduct generally at the protest but her encouraging students to move against a student journalist. Click confronted videographer Mark Schierbecker during a campus protest on Nov. 9 and appeared to block him from covering the event. When Schierbecker asks to speak with Professor Click, she tells him “No, you need to get out” and appears to grab Schierbecker’s camera. “You need to get out. You need to get out.” When the student journalist refused to leave, Click yells to a group of nearby demonstrators: “Who wants to help me get this reporter out of here? I need some muscle over here.”
A later videotape has emerged showing Click yelling profanities at police officers who were trying to clear protestors blocking traffic on campus. Many academics viewed her effort to silence a journalist and her conduct at protests to be anathema for any academic.
Nevertheless, Elisabeth Mermann-Jozwiak, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Gonzaga, said that they still viewed Click as a good hire despite her history. She was given a one-year, non-tenure track position as a lecturer in the university’s communication studies department.
The school insists that “We are confident she has learned much from her experiences at the University of Missouri and believe she will uphold the rigorous standards of academic excellence demanded of Gonzaga faculty and students.”
From the perspective of Gonzaga, the poor decisions of Click cannot doom her to a lifetime outside of the academy. For others, her actions are mortal not venal sins for an academic.
What do you think?
Unfortunately, I went to Gonzaga.
Had the Jesuits all of my life and have great respect for them.
Unfortunately, Gonzaga under its president McCulloh seems to have forgotten what it means to be a university.
I just wrote to them to sever my ties and suggest that they look at the University of Chicago for an example of both courage and what it means to be a university.
Well stated.
That is so sad – I feel the same way about George Mason University – where I earned my BA – excellent professors overall – but now I realize the Koch bros are funding them. I feel like burning my diploma!
Dog man,
I hardly think that an open student demo located in a public area of a university has much to compare it to the hallways of Congress. One could argue that the representatives were elected to do the People’s Business. And what is so private about that? Especially these days, when it seems that those politicians have redefined the essence of a Good Ol’ Boy’s Club.
But if a group wants to meet in a ‘group’, the group can certainly determine who can listen in or even participate. Certainly their right. But your group for dogs, or someone else’s orchid flower group has a common theme which has not usually been radicalized against some of the basic freedoms of speech and assembly.
The Million Man March on Washington certainly was a group. No denying that. The press covered that event high and wide. In support of the group’s goals to get its point across. But they were hardly the same caliber as the demo’s at UM. Nor would the Black Panther’s group be condoned in decent society.
Was ms. Click’s behavior appropriate for the circumstances? Personally I don’t think it was. And she received her just punishment. I often wonder how one gets so emotionally heated up over things in life. Words have consequences, as does actions have consequences.
Non-tenure track lecturer. Professor Turley believes her moment of in discretion should result in a lifelong employment ban? Why not give her chance to get past it?
I believe in redemption. Let her redeem herself working as a reporter, not in education. She obviously has no idea what it’s like to report.
Again it’s a one year lectureship, equivalent in sports to signing a one year minor league contract
But you a beer that she will be renewed after the 1 year.
Ha ha ha. The job market for journalists is imploding.
Long ago in a galaxy far away, she earned a business degree at one of the state colleges in Virginia. She used to be smarter than she is.
She teaches in the academic wing of communications and she’s been corresponding faculty in a women’s studies program. She’s useless in the pursuit of any serious endeavour. Not only should she be unemployable in academe, so should every other inhabitant of a victimology program.
Her major course will be How to muzzle the press by violence 101!
“I need some muscle over here. Some of these commenters are thinking I shouldn’t work for Gonzaga!”
She’s a radical feminist, SJW. She was hired by a radical feminist, SJW. They run the Education Industry.
I do not stand for Black Lives Matter. I stand for Black Labradors’ Lives Matter. There is a distinction. If my group is meeting on the public courthouse grounds, over in the corner away from the public podium, to discuss our plans for our address to the State Legislature, my group can exclude journalists from listening in to our game plan. That is what is going on here. If you read the book by Woodward and Bernstein on Wategate called Alll The President’s Men and you will see that they respected the various hallways and closets which comprise the Hall of Congress and that they discretely asked to speak to Sam Erivin and others in Congress about what went on, but they did not try to invade private meetings of the public officials to learn what went on. This Mizzou employee was on the public grounds to organize her troops and could rightly ask these damned journalists to get out of their private meeting.
Gonzaga is said to have been founded by Jesuits. The various Jesuit colleges around the nation are very good. Someone there interviewed Click and did the facts. I also applaud the position taken by the University of Chicago on free speech and the ending of worry warts who fear that the mentally deranged students will be “hurt” because someone says the N word or talks about animal abuse.
Black Labradors Lives Matter. Keep that in mind. Those of you who just assume by my name that I am one of those other “BLM” folks are jumping to conclusions. A Black Labrador is a Dog. Dog spelled backwards is God. Have some respect.
My grandson was considering Gonzaga as an academic choice; no longer!!
Ruined Catholic colleges are the last places anyone should consider. There are three sorts of schools anyone should consider:
1. A school that has an unusual, well stocked, and well regarded program in a subject you wish to study.
2. A school which has an explicit architectonic missions congruent with what you seek.
3. The optimum choice among the state schools where you qualify for in-state tuition.
Option 1 might be something along the lines of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. Option two might be Brigham Young or Grove City College or Christendom College. Option three, if you live in Washington State, might be UW depending on some unspecified ifs.
Gonzaga delenda est
“The so called Journalists were invading the private space of her group.”
The student journalist were clearly gathering information for the purpose of reporting it to the community. I think that qualifies as ‘Journalists’ – I don’t think journalism gets much purer than that.
But I am not following how a group, even a political protest group, converts open university space to their ‘private space.
Perhaps you could explain how a group claims for itself for its private use the space that is normally open to anyone on the university campus.
“We are confident she has learned much from her experiences at the University of Missouri and believe she will uphold the rigorous standards of academic excellence demanded of Gonzaga faculty and students.”
That really puts the question in sharp focus – has she changed?
We have not heard form Click.
Has she changed her belief that reporters should not cover protesters? Has she changed her view that it is acceptable to use physical force to prevent reporters from covering public demonstrations?
I wonder what she believes now.
BLM dog, thank you for edifying the generally held opinion among civilized people, that BLM represents a degenerate mindset as far as justice or freedom or human rights go. Click’s behavior renders her nonredeemable as an academic.
Reblogged this on Matthews' Blog.
Gonzaga, about 120 km north of here, has a fine reputation and a very good geology department. I suspect they know what they are doing.
Gonzaga is so proud of this disgrace, that the Gonzaga Bulletin, a student publication, put her at top billing: Here’s a screenshot and link to the story:
http://www.gonzagabulletin.com/news/article_29c83aaa-7166-11e6-a24f-1bcc083cf85a.html
I vote mortal sin, as far as being considered a teacher let alone a professor. She encouraged these student to act like brown shirts and she knew all the moves.
Just checked out their website. A university founded by Jesuits – the best and brightest of the Catholic tradition. How could they have erred and hired this woman? Political correctness is destroying intellectual inquiry — maybe they will bring in Milo to speak.
Because the Society of Jesus is and has been since about 1965 a gnostic cult devoted to the charisms of single-malt scotch and sodomy.
A close relative of mine is a Gonzaga graduate. For the first time, I have lost a measure of respect for this otherwise commendable institution.
Gonzaga hires Click. Gonzaga is located in Spokane, Washington. Rachel Dolezal lives in Spokane, Washington. Do the math.
Another fascist academic. Sad that Gonzaga has hired her. Never heard of that “university” – must be an obscure one.
She can communicate. Her verbal demands were clear and concise. The so called Journalists were invading the private space of her group. Mizzou sucks. Gonzaga needs to be commended.