WEBER COUNTY, Utah, June 17, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Weber State University professor Scott Senjo has rescinded his resignation following tweets about the death of George Floyd that officials described as “abhorrent.”
Senjo, a criminal justice professor who taught at WSU for some 20 years, sent the following email statement to Gephardt Daily June 3:
“The university has ordered me to resign my position due to my irresponsible tweeting activity over the last several months. I agree that my tweets were far beyond the realm of acceptable university policy as well as acceptable social norms. I made those tweets in the oftentimes vulgar, extreme back-and-forth that can occur on Twitter and they were simply wrong. I apologize for my irresponsible behavior and resign my position, effective immediately.”
WSU officials said on June 2 that the “abhorrent” social media posts were under investigation. On June 3, the university issued a statement that reads, in part: “Criminal justice professor Scott Senjo has tendered his resignation, effective immediately.” For WSU’s full statement see below.
On Tuesday, WSU announced Senjo had rescinded his resignation.
A statement from the university said: “Weber State University can confirm that criminal justice professor Scott Senjo has rescinded his resignation, which was tendered June 3. Per university policy, tenured faculty members have five business days to rescind a resignation.
“With his resignation withdrawn, professor Senjo returns to being on leave, while Weber State conducts a review of the impact of his tweets on university operations. The sentiments expressed in his tweets are abhorrent, and the university condemns them. This remains an ongoing personnel matter, and the university cannot comment further.”
In addition, WSU President Brad Mortensen sent the following letter to faculty, staff and students.
June 16, 2020
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:
It is the long-standing practice of Weber State University that we do not comment on:
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personnel matters,
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disciplinary action (for students or employees),
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ongoing investigations, or
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pending litigation.
The exception to that rule is when the individual involved shares information with the media that can reasonably be corrected or the university is asked to confirm a matter of public record.
Weber State University is confirming that criminal justice professor Scott Senjo has rescinded his resignation, which was tendered June 3. As outlined in our Policies and Procedures Manual, a tenured faculty member has five business days to rescind a resignation.
With his resignation withdrawn, professor Senjo returned to being on leave and the appropriate parties on campus were notified. He remains out of the classroom while the university conducts a review of the impact of his tweets on university operations.
I recognize that this development will confuse and upset many members of our greater campus community, and understandably so. Because this case continues to evolve over time, we will not be updating individuals at every stage. The sentiment in those tweets is abhorrent, and we strongly condemn it.
We value safety for our WSU family. I acknowledge the fear, disruption, and threat to personal safety that many have shared. Language that promotes violence, diminishes individuals or makes people feel unsafe undermines our desire to create a diverse and inclusive environment where all feel welcome. Given this new information, I want to remind you of the resources we have on campus to help us all to feel Safe@Weber.
We also value due process and an individual’s right to freedom of expression for all members of our community whether or not we agree with perspectives they share. These values are not intended to conflict; however, in this instance, it certainly feels that they do for many members of our community, and I want you to know that we hear you.
Weber State has a long history of shared governance, and the current policies and procedures regarding faculty conduct were established by the Faculty Senate working in collaboration with the university administration. We owe it to every member of our campus community to follow the processes outlined.
We cannot, and should not shy away from difficult discussions. I remain committed to improving our campus culture and our conduct by making Weber State a place where everyone truly feels valued, supported and included. This commitment has not wavered, and I will continue to provide updates regarding our inclusion efforts to our WSU family in future communications and town halls.
Respectfully,
Brad
Senjo posted a series of tweets after the death of George Floyd on May 25 sparked heated protests across the country when video emerged that shows the unarmed 46-year-old black man handcuffed and on the ground saying, “I can’t breathe,” as a Minneapolis police officer held him down with a knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. Floyd had been arrested outside a deli on suspicion of forgery. He died later at a hospital. Worldwide protests followed.
Senjo responded to a tweet by Wall Street Journal reporter Tyler Blint-Welsh, who tweeted that he lost his glasses and his ankle “was in searing pain” after NYPD officers hit him in the face multiple times with riot shields and pushed him to the ground, even though he was wearing press credentials and holding his hands up.
Senjo, whose Twitter handle is @ProfSenjo, responded: “Excellent. If I was the cop, you wouldn’t be able to tweet.”
In another tweet, Senjo said: “Nothing about this makes me happy but there’s this tiny sense of rightness in the burning of the CNN headquarters.”
Still another tweet said: “Come by my neighborhood. I won’t just display firearms, I’ll show you how they work.”
Senjo’s Twitter account has since been taken over the Black Lives Matter movement.
They pinned a tweet on June 7 which reads: “We claimed this account in the name of social justice and Black Lives after the racist professor Scott Senjo got kicked off Twitter. If anyone wants access to use this account for Black Lives Matter positivity, we’ll add you to the team and you can tweet from it. LMK.”
WSU’s original statement reads, in full:
Weber State University criminal justice professor Scott Senjo has tendered his resignation, effective immediately.
The resignation comes days after the university was made aware of several tweets Senjo sent from his personal Twitter account that promoted violence and caused safety concerns.
The university had placed Senjo on paid leave June 2, in order to conduct a review of the situation. The university did not ask him to resign.
In an email sent to his department chair and college dean on June 3, Senjo wrote: “I studied the situation and the public fury is too great. I have to resign immediately. There’s no other option.”
The Twitter posts in question were hurtful and inconsistent with the values of Weber State University and our work to create an inclusive and welcoming environment. We know the views expressed in these tweets make many of our students and members of our campus community feel isolated or unsupported.
We appreciate the outpouring of emails and social media posts from our students, alumni and colleagues who shared their concerns.
We remain committed to creating a campus environment where all are welcome, heard, valued and supported.
A Change.org petition was started June 1 to demand that Senjo be removed from his position at WSU. A total of 2,445 people signed that petition.
