BY: ANNA KAMINSKI
Kansas Reflector
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas lecturer who suggested men who refuse to vote for a woman president solely because she is a woman should be shot resigned Friday after a video of his comments went viral, inciting widespread backlash.
Barbara Bichelmeyer, KU provost and executive vice chancellor, announced Friday in a statement that the lecturer, Phillip Lowcock, “left the university.” The announcement came two days after a conservative pundit posted a video to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that showed Lowcock addressing a classroom of students and making what the university dubbed an “inappropriate reference to violence.”
“There are going to be some males in our society that will refuse to vote for a potential female president because they don’t think females are smart enough to be president,” Lowcock said in the video. “We could line all those guys up and shoot ‘em. They clearly don’t understand the way the world works.”
He continued: “Did I say that? Scratch that from the recording. I don’t want the deans hearing that I said that.”
The university met with Lowcock upon learning about the video and immediately placed him on administrative leave, Bichelmeyer said. She said Lowcock apologized to her and other university leaders, saying his intention was “to emphasize his advocacy for women’s rights and equality.” Bichelmeyer said the university is attempting to find another instructor to cover his classes. He was on staff in KU’s department of health, sport and exercise sciences.
The video on X has more than 3.5 million views. It was first posted Wednesday morning by Ned Ryun, the son of former Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun of Kansas. A slate of politicians, media personalities and X users condemned Lowcock’s comments and called for his resignation.
A national free speech organization, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, defended Lowcock’s comments, saying his speech was hyperbole and protected under the First Amendment.
Bichelmeyer condemned violent rhetoric, but she acknowledged the tangled nature of academic freedom and free expression.
“It’s no secret that higher education and, more broadly, our society continue to grapple with issues of free speech, care and respect for others, and civic engagement,” she said. “The world is what we make of it. Please use this unfortunate event as an opportunity to reflect on these topics and the role each of us plays in our academic community.”