COLUMBIA — MU faculty member Melissa Click and MU staff member Janna Basler have apologized. And Tuesday night, Click resigned her courtesy appointment with the Missouri School of Journalism.
Click teaches mass media in the Communication Department. The School of Journalism is a separate entity.
Click was caught up in an incident Monday between a freelance photographer and protesters near the Concerned Student 1950 camp on Mel Carnahan Quadrangle.
"Yesterday was an historic day at MU — full of emotion and confusion. I have reviewed and reflected upon the video of me that is circulating, and have written this statement to offer both apology and context for my actions," Click, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication, said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon by the College of Arts and Science.
"I have reached out to the journalists involved to offer my sincere apologies and to express regret over my actions. I regret the language and strategies I used, and sincerely apologize to the MU campus community, and journalists at large, for my behavior, and also for the way my actions have shifted attention away from the students’ campaign for justice," the statement said.
"Courtesy appointments with doctoral faculty are basically honorary in nature," Esther Thorson, the journalism school's associate dean for graduate studies, said in an email Wednesday.
Thorson said doctoral dissertation committees are required to have at least one person from another academic discipline.
"A person does not have to be a courtesy appointment holder," Thorson said. "However, Courtesy appointments may serve EITHER as internal OR external members, providing more flexibility for our doctoral students."
Ten communication faculty members serve in courtesy roles, Thorson said. Five other non-journalism professors have courtesy appointments with the journalism school.
Courtesy appointments in the journalism school require nominations by doctoral faculty and are voted on by the journalism school's promotion and tenure committee before going before Dean David Kurpius for final approval, Thorson said.
The Journalism School's Executive Committee, including Kurpius, met Tuesday morning to discuss the vote and prepare a statement on Click's actions Monday as seen in footage of an incident between the photographer, Tim Tai, an undergraduate in photojournalism, and the protesters — including MU's Greek Life and Leadership Assistant Director Janna Basler.
On Tuesday night, Click attended a meeting with the doctoral faculty* and the journalism school's promotion and tenure committee. Kurpius said Click resigned her courtesy appointment before a vote was taken. Kurpius said the committee discussed other matters, but that Click's appointment was the only item for which a vote was planned.
Click left the meeting, which began around 5 p.m. in the basement of Switzler Hall and ended just after 7 p.m., at around 5:45 p.m. As she left the meeting room, she said she had no comment to make. At that time, she had not yet resigned.
Prior to leaving, Kurpius said, Click discussed her perspective and her reasons for resigning; he declined to elaborate, saying Click would be releasing additional comments on Wednesday after putting together a "clarifying statement."
"One of the things of good journalism is to get all the facts, and we wanted them directly from her to have context and understanding," Kurpius said.
A vote on whether to end her appointment was about to start, Kurpius said, when Click offered her resignation via telephone.
"She's not a bad person," Kurpius said in an interview Tuesday night. "... She wanted to explain what happened. I thought it was very appropriate. She was intelligent and thoughtful and apologetic for many of the things that had happened."
Also, the MU Police Department increased its presence on campus after threats were made against Click.
About 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, MU Police Maj. Brian Weimer confirmed the department is "aware that there have been threats made against her (Click)." He said the department has "stepped up patrols" and was performing "walkthroughs" across campus.
Kurpius said he had heard about Click receiving "horrific threats." He called such threats "unacceptable" and said he hoped Click would be treated respectfully.
Click was seen at the end of the video asking for assistance and for "muscle" to remove MU junior Mark Schierbecker, who filmed the interaction and uploaded his footage to YouTube. Basler was seen pushing and berating Tai in the video.
Angela Dahman, MU's Division of Student Affairs marketing and communications manager, said Basler would not be available for an interview Tuesday.
"We are focused on securing her family's safety right now," Dahman said in an email.
At 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, the MU Office of Greek Life released a statement attributed to Basler.
"As a student affairs professional, I take my responsibility to students very seriously," Basler said. "Yesterday, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me while trying to protect some of our students. Instead of defusing an already tense situation, I contributed to its escalation. I regret how I handled the situation, and I am offering a public apology to the journalist involved.
"I have the utmost respect for journalists and the profession of journalism. I have devoted my career to helping students learn and develop outside the classroom. What happened on Carnahan Quadrangle has been a lesson for me. I am deeply sorry for what happened."
Mark Lucas, Department of Student Life director, said in a statement that he and Cathy Scroggs, vice chancellor of student affairs, were "reviewing videos and will be having conversations with individuals present in order to understand what happened."
Kurpius and Thorson characterized Click's actions as a clear violation of First Amendment rights. Kurpius said taking actions that might escalate a peaceful protest was "unwarranted."
Click has been an assistant professor at MU since 2008, serving as a resident instructor and visiting instructor between 2003 and 2008. She earned her Ph.D. in 2009 from the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Click chairs MU's Student Publications Committee, the job of which is "to recommend to the vice chancellor for Student Affairs policies and regulations regarding the publication of the Maneater and Savitar." The Maneater is MU's student newspaper, and Savitar was the school's yearbook, which was discontinued.
On Tuesday afternoon, Thorson said in an email that the doctoral faculty met at 1 p.m. after indicating via email that they wanted to meet face to face.
"The discussion has not concluded, and no decision has yet been made about the courtesy appointment," Thorson wrote at the time.
Kurpius said he was not aware of Click ever having taught a journalism class at MU, adding that she might be able to teach a cross-listed course.
"Dr. Click does not teach journalism courses," Thorson said in an email. "She serves on some doctoral committees."
Thorson said "the complexities and ethical challenges are such" that the faculty "has not made a decision and will continue to meet." She cited "issues of pushing a student" and "issues of saying something inflammatory" as well as the notion of a "safe space" on public property.
Kurpius said it was the responsibility of any faculty member "to support the First Amendment rights of all students and staff."
Attempts to reach Click earlier on Tuesday were unsuccessful; a call to her university phone number indicated that her voicemail inbox was full.
In an email to Chris Bennett, an attorney in Austin, Texas, and an MU graduate, College of Arts and Science Dean Michael O'Brien said, "I in no way condone what Dr. Click did, but I hope (key word) that we can chalk this up to inflamed passion and inexperience."
O'Brien indicated that he and Mitchell McKinney, who chairs the Department of Communication, would be meeting with Click.
"Faculty (and students) have a right to express their views, but they do NOT have the right to intimidate others," O'Brien wrote in the email. "This has been an awful time for the university, but that in no way condones intimidation."
Bennett, who graduated in 2005 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, emailed O'Brien on Monday night, saying he was "absolutely horrified" to see the video of Click.
"I just let him know that I thought it was absolutely unacceptable for a member of the faculty to threaten violence against any journalist, and especially a student journalist," Bennett said Tuesday in an interview.
Click was not tenured, McKinney said in an email Tuesday night. On Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Communication released via Twitter a statement attributed to McKinney.
"The University of Missouri Department of Communication supports the First Amendment as a fundamental right and guiding principle underlying all that we do as an academic community," McKinney said in the statement. "We applaud student journalists who were working in a very trying atmosphere to report a significant story. Intimidation is never an acceptable form of communication.
"We reiterate our commitment as communication scholars to the transformative power of dialogue; we believe words shape our realities and that engaging multiple perspectives is vital. According to the University's Collected Rules and Regulations (HR 114), we will not be able to comment on any personnel matters."
Supervising editor is Elizabeth Brixey.
Show Me the Errors (
(45) comments
This article has now drawn more than 40 responses (see below). If that's not a record, it should come close to being one.
I refer readers to my two posts on November 12, 2015, shown below. Those are the REAL problems, not the person named in the article - OR, for that matter, any other single person.
When are we going to address our REAL problems? Based on the results since formation of this so-called "System" in 1963, the answer appears to be "never." How sad for the university's students at all four campuses - both present and future; for Missourians in general; and for the present and probable future standing of the university in the nation.[sad]
Fantastic article - For my two cents , if people is requiring to merge PDF files , I encountered a service here http://www.altomerge.com/.
Both of those faculty/staff members should lose their jobs and pensions... The students involved should be expelled. More evidence to justify this than the nonsense used to demand and get the president's resignation... Utter hypocrisy and stupidity AND RACISM on display... If these people are not held accountable for their heinous and illegal actions, there's no justice, just mob rule funded by george soros et al... shameful...
@Naresh Khatri (et al.): You need to understand something about us technology folks, of whom we have an entire campus (9,000 plus students) as part of this misbegotten excuse for a "system." We believe as a matter of principle that if you are going to do something significant it must be done on a "vast" basis and NOT on a "half-vast" basis. :)
Sorry, but neither the present batch of Curators nor some previous batches have been either all male or all white; at least one present Curator is black. Historically at least one Curator's President (head of the Curators) was both female and black. She was from our campus, and she is a truly wonderful person. We don't have many black students, as is typical of domestic public and private technical institutes, but we DO have and have had some very good ones.
If you want to learn more about the present Curators you can log onto the System's website and, with some screen manipulations, read their individual bios. We recommend you do that.
We are continually amazed - even dumbfounded - at what appears to be an abysmal lack of knowledge on the part of current university students, faculty and many alumni as to how this university is SUPPOSED to function. For this the university's news organs need to shoulder a considerable amount of blame. More useful information is needed - and less sensationalism and "fluff" (or "information" obviously aimed only at PYOA).
I'm sorry, but does nobody at MU know what's in the First Amendment? It guarantees free speech and the right of a free press to publish. It doesn't give the Press any special rights to intrude on a private meeting or get past a security perimeter, any more than they have the right to go onto a football field during a game.
Totally agree. It would be outrageous For them to think they have the "right" to go onto a private football field during the game. On the other hand, public space is likely a different argument.
Of course, I don't know much about the law, but I hope people don't have the right to claim public space and then "demand" that other people leave. If so, there is a 20 acre public space near my place, and I'm taking it. Tomorrow I start construction of my security perimeter. Yay! Everyone else out!
Click and the other criminal faculty had no more or less right to the space than the press. Yet click and the students acted in a way to prevent access to a public space to a press member. That's illegal, and if you disagree, then you have no 'splanation for the outrage except to claim we're wrong. Your position is in the extreme minority, and that might tell you something, but I fear it won't.
If Click did nothing wrong, why did she apologize? Why have the students completely turned 180 degrees from their prior position?
Public outrage for Click's actions won't end till she's fired. Like the cop who had to quite being a cop (the one who killed the man in Ferguson), Click's alleged "career" as faculty is over. She should apply at one of the left wing media outlets because that's the only place she'll get work. Her public career is over.
When you finish calling for the heads of minor players in this farce maybe you should also take a look at the present Board of Curators, who by statute are supposed to be the legal guardians of UM System. Why quit with only the MU chancellor's and the UM System president's dismissals from their respective posts?
The present "System" needs either a complete overhaul or to be scrapped. It is in reality dysfunctional, and one reason WHY it is dysfunctional is that the administrative organization which preceded its formation was itself dysfunctional.
EXCELLENT point. All curators are lawyers and of the same race and also of the same age. How can they understand the complexity/diversity of the university?
There is no place for intimidation and threats of violence against a student by anyone at the university.
Click, her husband and all else involvedin the threats need to be fired immediately and removed from campus.
What think readers of Basler's words, I'm sorry "...for what happened....?" Like she was just walking down the street minding her own business and "something happened to her." LOL!
Oh, and per Click, there is apparently some "context" that justifies and supports her criminal activity: "context for my actions." And exactly what "context" justifies your criminal action of using physical violence against a student (you a paid teacher), and conspiring w/students (remember you are an example for them) to commit physical violence: "we need some muscle over here."
The reason Basler and Click omit any actual description of their physical actions is because they committed crimes and if they put it to words, it's an admission of guilt, and all the DA has to do is discuss the acceptable penalty.
I'd give them both a couple years hard time, and for every student who physically participated, at least those in immediate vicinity of Tim Tai, I'd give them a couple hundred hours community service.
It is nothing except absolutely disgrace, deplorable, and unacceptable that Click is still a paid employee. Her teaching career should be permanently over yesterday or earlier.
I wonder if she has a drug problem. She sure as heck seemed out of control.
agree 1000%, physical assault is a crime... no excuse for any of those people, they need to be held accountable for their actions.
She should be JAILED
Journalism 101.....vet, check and recheck your sources and verify the facts. How embarrassing for this to take place at a college that claims to be the top journalism school in the country. Pinkel should be fired along with the two women on the faculty, the student body president and the rich boy, Omaha activist should be escorted past the county line after receiving a swift kick in the rear.
I am a former 25yr Photojournalist (and have hired past MU PJ students) and I'm a father of a college student. The actions of those few faculty could have escalated a hot situation and it could have gone bad quickly due to their actions and led to serious safety issues for students. The #1 job of all faculty is the safety of the students - not political activism or personal expression. When that line gets crossed the failure is not repairable and they must go. At the same time, I can fault other faculty for not being there effectively working in the background more efficiently to be part of the solution to keep that situation from happening. If a few of the J school or other faculty had been there well in advance calmly talking to the students and faculty in the tent area about access issues and public rights this might have all this been avoided. I see the Univ. Presidents' quick resignation as a move to increase overall student safety and for that part of his involvement he is a winner.
and he lost a job he did not deserve to lose... reprehensible that people can cause this much harm to another without just cause... this whole thing is setting race relations back decades, and is in no way doing any good...
This silly woman teaches anything? Sounds like she hasn't the maturity to even be a student.
So she resigned her "courtesy appointment" at Mizzou's School of Journalism. Big fat hairy deal... Nice that she can remain a professor in the School of Communications. Which student will go on a hunger strike at Mizzou until she resigns her real job there?
It is disgraceful that they accepted her phone call to resign from her "courtesy appointment" (not her paid position), while they assembled to vote to kick her out. They should never have accepted the call. Besides, they could have simply told her there's no such thing as a verbal resignation, it requires signed and dated paper, then voted to cancel her appointment. Totally FUBAR.
Despicable but typical. Mizzou had no choice but to fire this fascist hag once the video went viral. But this violent oppression of dissenting views is typical of the leftist professors and happens quite often when there is no video to prove it and incite public disgust. Why would anyone want to hire a Mizzou graduate after this circus? Who wants to hire whining and entitled and disruptive goons and put up with them in the office? No thanks. The value of a Mizzou diploma has been diminished irreparably by the actions on campus this week. And Missouri taxpayers deserve a refund from the school.
Click only resigned from a non-paid courtesy gig. She's still a paid MO employee!
Firstly how come when an Asian is physically assaulted and threatened doesn't the progressive movement come to his aid? Don't Asians matter? You've turned a story about his assault by these nasty Red Guards into a plea for sympathy for the leaders of the assault.
I don't believe there are people threatening Click nor 'the family of the student. This is more propaganda. The violence was done by the protestors (on a minority journalist) and Click called in muscle to do more.
Click will scuttle back to her day job teaching garbage to young people.
This article is part of the cover up.
Did Jonathan Butler really think we wouldn't find out that his oppressed-self comes from a family worth $20,000,000? http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/11/mizzou-hunger-striker-claims-hes-oppressed-rips-white-privilege-comes-from-family-worth-20-million/
If Melissa Click really cares about people, especially children, why hasn't she organized a protest or coalition to address America's expanding and shameful *National Epidemic of Childhood Abuse and Neglect*, *Poverty*, that for more than two generations has deprived untold numbers of American kids from experiencing and enjoying a fairly happy American kid childhood with Safe Streets to travel and play on,
*Child Abuse and Neglect* that is primarily responsible for populating our prisons with depressed, angry, frustrated, undisciplined, unpredictable, sometimes suicidal teens and adults full of resentment for irresponsibly being introduced to a life of hardships and struggles.
*Early Childhood Abuse and Neglect* that often leads depressed, sometimes suicidal *(NY Times May 18, 2015 - Rise in Suicide by Black Children Surprises Researchers)* children to develop into depressed, angry, frustrated, unpredictable, sometimes suicidal teens and adults lacking empathy and compassion for others, though needing to vent their pent up negative emotions, often causing emotional and physical harm to peaceful people...instead of venting their anger, resentment and pain on the immature single moms and/or dads who introduced them to a life of pain and struggle by irresponsibly building a family before acquiring the practical skills, *PATIENCE* and means to successfully raise and nurture a developing young child who matures into a fairly happy responsible teen and adult.
https://knutesniche.wordpress.com/2015/09/24/end-americas-shameful-destructive-epidemic-of-child-abuse-and-neglect/
*Black (Children's) Lives Matter; Take Pride In Parenting; End Our National Epidemic of Child Abuse and Neglect; End Community Violence, Police Fear & Educator's Frustrations*
If she does get fired, she should move to Hollywood and try and get a job on a movie about slavery. She could play the wife of a slave owner. If she were wearing period clothing and old timey glasses she could perform as she did here, run around ordering her slaves to do this and that and if the Yanks come around she could order them off her land with the help of some "muscle" from the yard hands.
They are complaining about racism and past treatment of African Americans and you have a privileged white woman strutting around barking orders at African Americans including ordering them to physically do her bidding. And yet, they don't get the irony.
while they physically abuse an asian fellow student...
these people are utterly contemptible.
Basler should be arrested for assault - repeated assaults. Watch the video.
Is there Any truth to the rumor that the faculty committee members said, "We're sorry, Melissa, but we just don't Click"?
Click assassinated the First Amendment when she criminally threatened a journalist.
Is the Department of Communication full of such Storm Troopers?
If the Department of Communication does not fire Click, then they shall be collaborators with Click.
Amen! Well put!
So Click thinks an "apology" fixes all? Ok then here we go. I apologize that you "feel" you are experiencing institutional racism. There. All better?? Now you get your tents and trash you've left off public property. And for any of you students attending school on taxpayer funding get back to class. And fire those two university employees taxpayers are paying. When are we taxpayers who are funding this institution going to stand up and take it away from these liberal fascists?
She should be fired immediately. I can't believe a university with the #1 journalism school in America has not demanded her firing immediately!
Agreed. Resigning from a "courtesy appointment" is as meaningless as her apology. Her behavior was unconscionable. She should be fired.
Wolfe's apology was followed by his resignation. Make sure Click AND Besler share his fate for similar, but worse, crimes by signing this petition: https://www.change.org/p/university-of-missouri-board-of-curators-university-of-missouri-students-concerned-public-remove-faculty-members-who-impeded-the-first-amendment-in-the-shadow-of-mizzou-s-j-school?source_location=petitions_share_skip
Is the man wearing a black sport coat over a white shirt an employee or student? He can be seen in both videos and was intimidating Mr. Tai along with Ms. Basler, MU's Greek Life and Leadership Assistant Director.
Is the man wearing a black sport coat over a white shirt an employee or student? He can be seen in both videos and was intimidating Mr. Tai along with Ms. Basler, MU's Greek Life and Leadership Assistant Director.
Judging from the article in Missourian last week, "drunk white people" should be camping out on campus demanding an end to a racial slurs and a racist climate on campus.
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/higher_education/activists-put-football-night-protest-on-hold-plan-event-for/article_8597e93e-844a-11e5-8b7f-8fa963c1da7f.html
Very true, but I suspect that "drunk white people" just put it in a reasonable perspective and understand that people (yes just people) can say stupid things over the course of their entire life. Even Concerned Drunk Guy knows that Concerned Student 1950 really didn't mean to sound so racist by referring to a huge portion of the MU population as "drunk white people". My buddy, Concerned Ugly Friend, didn't take it that way either (and no don't worry he wont make a scene being called ugly). I guess collectively, we Semi-Concerned and Semi-Drunk Old White Guys are just incredibly thankful that we graduated long-ago.
Given Ms. Click’s accommodating personality, her extensive knowledge of the Constitution, and her finesse in dealing with the media in stressful settings, it’s hard to imagine the liberal faculty (aren’t they all?) not confirming her behavior, or at least tacitly doing so by suggesting that she consider moderating her communication demeanor in future interactions with the press.
Student Affairs says they are focused on Basler's and her family's security. MUPD is increasing their presence after alleged threats against Click. Who was worried about the security of the journalist who was verbally and physically threatened on the Quad by these two women? He's a student. Where was Student Affairs and MUPD in protecting his security. Not to mention all the other students on campus who are trying to go about their day and attend their classes, and the community as a whole? Wake up Concerned Student 1950!! You want to be treated equally? That doesn't mean you get "special" treatment!
After feigning outrage and concern, they will vote to let her keep her job. Everyone knows it. This is just PR. If the President of the University can be fired for not going enough to address reported (totally unsubstantiated) name calling and poop art, acting in fairness would mean removing this woman from her unemployment without a second thought. Fairness is a concept that MU uses selectively.
A question that I can't seem to find answered directly anywhere authoritative: does Melissa Click have tenure?
The article says she lacks tenure. She also lacks a lot of other things, such as judgement suitable for a Wal Mart greeter.
Shouldn,'t your headline read: ... voting to consider removing ... rather than "...to remove...?
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