TOLEDO, Ohio — Former Napoleon Councilman and current Bowling Green State University Adjunct Professor Travis Sheaffer posted a tweet Saturday night saying that Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota Ilhan Omar, "needs to be tried for treason and hanged."
Omar is the first woman elected to Congress to wear a hijab.
WTOL reporter Tyler Paley asked for an explanation from BGSU and Sheaffer, also on Twitter, on Sunday morning.
Since then, Sheaffer has deleted his Twitter account and the university answered by saying that the professor does not speak for the school and "the tweet from his personal account was inappropriate and counter to BGSU's values on diversity, belonging and civility. However, his comment is protected under the First Amendment and the University’s policy on free speech and expression. While we respect Mr. Sheaffer’s right to share his views, we will always speak out against individuals or groups that espouse intolerance or hate."
However, on Thursday, the university expanded its official statement to say the following:
"Mr. Sheaffer’s tweet on his personal account was repugnant, vile and counter to Bowling Green State University’s values. He does not speak for BGSU.
While we acknowledge that Mr. Sheaffer’s right to share his views is protected under the First Amendment, we condemn his comment. We will always speak out against individuals or groups that espouse intolerance or hate.
While Sheaffer’s employment status with the University remains unchanged, the University has addressed the matter. He voluntarily chose to delete the post and acknowledged poor judgement. He is not scheduled to teach a class next semester.
BGSU will continue to remind members of our community that hateful, hurtful, and harmful speech have no place in our community. We are also reviewing and updating the University’s policies and guidelines on employees private use of social media to better prevent and address these types of situations moving forward."
According to numerous sources, Rep. Omar's opponent in her upcoming re-election campaign was banned from Twitter earlier this week after making a similar statement.
It is unclear what sparked Sheaffer's Tweet, however. Attempts to contact Sheaffer for clarification have gone unanswered.
