Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
04-27-2018

I was embarrassed to learn this week that our University’s faculty is once again embroiled in scandal. Patricia Hill, a UNL Sociology Research Professor, was charged by police in Alexandria, Virginia for vandalizing the home of a National Rifle Association lobbyist. Amanda Gailey, Associate Professor of English, harassed the family of the lobbyist by demonstrating in front of their home. She carried a sign that read, “NRA Chris Cox profits off dead kids.” As you’ll recall, this is the same Professor Gailey who accosted the young student handing out literature on campus for a conservative organization last August.

During this past session, Mo Neal, a Professor Emeritus of Art from UNL came to my office and handed me a Barbie doll covered in red paint along with a photograph of one of the murder victims from the Florida high school shooting. I was one of several Senators who received a “Bloody Barbie.” The rationale behind this behavior is the idea that supporting our Constitution’s 2nd Amendment, and supporting organizations who defend it, makes you complicit in the murder of school children.

The crime of murder has been illegal since the dawn of human civilization. Trampling the 2nd amendment constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans – the idea these university professors promote – has no effect on murder. I am forced to ask; do they want to prevent murder, or do they want to take away our 2nd Amendment rights? These two ideas are mutually exclusive. Banning guns does not stop murder because the only behavior being controlled is that of law-abiding people. Murderers are criminals. They do not obey the law.

I am very sensitive about the infringement of ANY constitutional right. As a solider and now as a State Senator, I took an oath to support and defend the constitution. UNL’s representative said what these professors are doing is “…on their own time and (they) were expressing their own beliefs.” What they are doing is attacking our constitutional rights. One shouldn’t use 1st Amendment rights to justify attacking the rights afforded by another constitutional amendment.

Our University system has over 16,000 employees. It’s the largest employer in Nebraska. The legislature appropriates nearly $600 million to it every budget. Over 1,000 of these employees make over $100,000 a year in salary paid for by your tax dollars. Is it too much to expect some modicum of professionalism from those teaching Nebraska’s sons and daughters?

After the scandal involving the young sophomore trying to hand out conservative literature on campus last summer, Chancellor Bounds and President Green promised me personally they were going to take steps to correct the lack of standards that govern the conduct of our University’s faculty and staff. Whatever they are doing doesn’t appear to be working. Does academic tenure prevent a professor from being fired for improper conduct?

I urge readers interested in this topic to kindly contact the University Regent who represents our part of Nebraska. This is Mr. Bob Phares. He can be reached at (308) 532-3180, or by email at; bphares@nebraska.edu. The elected Board of Regents are the ultimate authority at our University.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at; tbrewer@leg.ne.gov. Mail a letter to; Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1202, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509 or call us at (402) 471-2628.