UNCW professor apologizes for “Blow up Republicans” post
July 1, 2021
A UNCW professor’s Facebook post that came under fire in the campus community this week caused the professor to issue an apology in a statement given to The Seahawk on Thursday.
Recreation therapy professor Dan Johnson posted “Blow up Republicans” on his Facebook account on May 17. The post and Johnson’s account have since been deleted.
“I posted a poorly worded expression of political frustration on my now-deleted personal Facebook page. I profoundly regret it. This statement does not reflect my personal values or UNCW’s culture of civil and respectful discourse. My attempt to ‘blow off steam’ understandably caused concern among many students, parents, alumni and other members of the UNCW community,” said Johnson in his statement.
The post resurfaced when the conservative website CampusReform.org published a story on the situation on June 24. On Monday, Johnson decided to resign from his position on the board of directors at Accessible Coastal Carolina Events Sports and Services (ACCESS) of Wilmington, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities gain access to sports and athletic programs.
UNCW board of trustees member Woody White, who previously accused The Seahawk and Port City Daily of media bias against conservatives, called on Chancellor Jose Sartarelli to investigate the incident.
“The problem at UNCW, and at nearly every other university across the nation, is the double standard,” said White in email discussions provided to The News & Observer. “Free speech is tolerated—even celebrated—when it condemns conservative thought and speech. When it goes the other way, conservatives are shamed, canceled and bullied.”
UNCW determined that Johnson’s post was protected by free speech.
“No matter how upsetting and distasteful such comments may be, they are expressions of free speech and protected by the First Amendment unless they represent a true threat … We have determined that the conduct and now-deleted post at issue do not contain any evidence of a true threat toward any members of our community,” said the statement from an Office of University Relations spokesperson.
The rest of Johnson’s statement reads:
“I deeply care about the students, faculty, and staff at UNCW, and I apologize to them and the university and Wilmington community. I am not a person who advocates for any kind of violence toward others. Instead, I have spent my career dedicated to helping others as an educator and advocate in the field of recreational therapy, including adults and children with disabilities. I won’t soon forget the wisdom I have gained from this experience, and I humbly ask the Seahawk community to accept my apology. I only want to move forward, support the mission of UNCW, and continue my teaching, research, and service for students, staff, faculty, and the Wilmington community.”
robert wiltshire • Jul 13, 2021 at 7:47 am
Sir,
You should resign your position as an educator at UNCW. You are compensated wholly, or impart from tax payers dollars of which a significant portion of North Carolinians are Republican.
While, as a citizen, you do have freedom of speech and that right should never be encroached upon. However, your freedom of speech should occur outside of your place of employment and any social media account that lists your place of employment. Unless, of course, you are willing to “own” the comments and any repercussions’. In my humble opinion you should be thankful you have not been fired from UNCW.
Your actions and thoughtless rhetoric have consequences, regardless of your apologies. Additionally, I would suggest that you focus on simply teaching the students of UNCW the course work prescribed and forgoing any personal commentary on anything other, including the use of social media accounts that list your nature of employment, especially when its a state supported entity.
Fred Van Nostrand • Jul 3, 2021 at 10:54 am
So we’re just supposed to forgive and forget a passive aggressive statement that could be interpreted as a call for violence by some irrational persons? Does this mindset apply to all or just the ones you identify with? No CancelCultureForAll? May I mock your hair style skin tone and individual taste in clothing Professor?
Ricky • Jul 2, 2021 at 2:07 pm
Apparently you don’t have to be good looking to get a job as a professor at UNCW.