NewsNational News

Actions

University of Missouri professor filmed during protest asking for ‘muscle’ fired

Posted at 6:46 PM, Feb 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-27 18:46:04-05

NEW YORK — Melissa Click, the University of Missouri professor who was filmed trying to intimidate journalists during a campus protest, has been fired.

At an executive session Wednesday, the school’s Board of Curators voted 4-2 to terminate Click’s employment. Click has the right to appeal the decision.

“The board believes that Dr. Click’s conduct was not compatible with university policies and did not meet expectations for a university faculty member,” board spokeswoman Pam Henrickson said in a statement on Thursday.

Courtney Fitzpatrick, a spokesperson for Click, said, “She is not taking interviews and has no comment at this time.”

Last fall, as the Mizzou campus was gripped with protests over charges of racism at the school, Click, an assistant professor of communications, was recorded aggressively confronting a video journalist.

“Hey, who wants to help me get this reporter out of here?” Click could be heard saying on the video. “I need some muscle over here.”

The footage quickly went viral, and Click faced an onslaught of criticism. Following the outcry, Click resigned from her courtesy appointment at the Missouri’s journalism school. Last month, Click was charged with third-degree assault by the city prosecutor in Columbia, Missouri. The charge is punishable by a fine of up to $300 and up to 15 days in jail.

Mark Schierbecker, the University of Missouri student who captured the incident, originally filed the complaint against Click, but he had suggested an extralegal resolution.

In December, Schierbecker told CNNMoney that he would have been willing to “just drop the whole thing” if Click discussed the kerfuffle with him on a local radio station.