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Fired over porn videos with wife, UW-La Crosse chancellor Gow battles to remain as faculty, during hearings in Onalaska
Joe Gow’s fight to remain part of UW-La Crosse faculty went before a university Senate committee during a hearing Wednesday in Onalaska.
Gow was fired as UW-L’s chancellor last December, when UW regents found out he was making pornographic videos with his wife and affiliating with adult film stars.
The hearing will continue beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, and a decision on Gow’s future could be made soon after.
During Wednesday’s proceedings at the OmniCenter, Gow argued that he should be allowed to continue teaching, despite the controversy.
“I was waiting to get an attorney, and they jumped the gun on that,” Gow told reporters after the session.
He argued that the university is “orchestrating” the process.
A panel of administrators heard testimony about whether Gow had embarrassed the school. He is accused of insubordination for failing to cooperate with the investigation.
Gow, representing himself, at one point questioned interim UW-L chancellor Betsy Morgan’s claim that the controversy has damaged the university’s reputation.
“Everywhere I go, people are concerned,” Morgan said, “besides just the jokes, which are no longer funny, but we don’t want to be known as ‘Porn U.'”
Gow asked Morgan if she could show “that it hurt enrollment or fundraising.”
He claimed that Morgan could not show that, to which she responded, “I can tell you that we’ve had donors who flat out say, ‘I will never give another penny to this university if Joe Gow is teaching.'”
Gow will begin presenting witnesses in his defense when the hearing resumes on Thursday.
Lucenut
June 22, 2024 at 8:50 am
With the billions of tax dollars spent on the UWL campus, why would they have to use the Omni center for this? Keep your porn scandals at your government indoctrination center. Don’t involve Onalaska.
LG
June 23, 2024 at 6:20 pm
Joe Gow has offended the values of those in power at UW-L. The “horror”. So I will make a prediction. They will fire this fully tenured professor for embarrassing them and offending their values. He will file a lawsuit for wrongful termination. Keep in mind they did not have the patience to wait for him to obtain legal representation. UW-L will lose the lawsuit. And the taxpayers will foot all associated costs. Not just Joe Gow and his wife getting screwed here. Think before you fire.