Kansas prof leaves university after saying men who won't vote for a woman POTUS should be shot
The University of Kansas has announced that a faculty member has left the school after being placed on leave.
Former Exercise Science Lecturer Phillip Lowcock recently said 'We can line all those guys up and shoot them.'
The University of Kansas has announced that a faculty member has left the school after being placed on leave for a “highly inappropriate comment in his classroom suggesting violence against individuals for their personal views.”
KU’s Oct. 11 announcement did not disclose the name of the lecturer, but the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) subsequently identified him as Exercise Science Lecturer Phillip Lowcock, Inside Higher Ed reported.
A recording of Lowcock’s comments was leaked to X two days before the school put him on leave.
INSANE: Professor at @UnivOfKansas says that men who don’t vote for Kamala should be lined up and shot.
He then asks that line to be cut from the recording so the dean doesn’t find out.
Any comment @UnivOfKansas?pic.twitter.com/3TotbHSqLa— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 9, 2024
“What frustrates me—there are going to be some males in our society that will refuse to vote for a potential female president because they don’t think females are smart enough to be president,” Lowcock said.
“We can line all those guys up and shoot them,” he continued. ”They clearly don’t understand the way the world works. Did I say that? Scratch that from the recording. I don’t want the deans hearing that I said that.”
Lowcock later expressed remorse over his remarks and “deeply regrets the situation,” according to the university’s statement.
“The instructor has apologized to me and other university leaders, and he deeply regrets the situation,” Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer’s statement reads. “He has explained to us that his intent was to emphasize his advocacy for women’s rights and equality, and he recognizes he did a very poor job of doing so.”
FIRE expressed disappointment in KU’s decision, framing it as a violation of academic freedom.
“The First Amendment protects hyperbole and overexaggerated jokes,” FIRE’s Graham Piro told Campus Reform. “From the video, it appears that the instructor was trying to prove a point by making a joke about shooting men who will not vote for a woman for president. He was not expressing a genuine intent to commit an act of violence.”
“We urge KU to rescind any punishment of this instructor arising from this incident,” however.
[RELATED: Missouri and Kansas federal judges temporarily block Biden’s student loan handout plan]
In her statement, however, Provost Bichelmeyer said that the initial decision to place Lowcock on administrative leave should not be interpreted as a departure from freedom of speech and academic expression.
“The free expression of ideas is essential to the functioning of our university, and we fully support the academic freedom of our teachers as they engage in classroom instruction,” the announcement notes. “Academic freedom, however, is not a license for suggestions of violence like we saw in the video. While we embrace our university’s role as a place for all kinds of dialogue, violent rhetoric is never acceptable.”
Campus Reform has reached out to KU and FIRE for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.