A private Facebook post by the dean of a Virginia university that described Biden voters as 'ignorant, anti-American and anti-Chris...
A private Facebook post by the dean of a Virginia university that described Biden voters as 'ignorant, anti-American and anti-Christian' has sparked outrage after the posting went public.
Paul Ewell, who is the head of Virginia Wesleyan University's business school and dean of the university's Global Campus, asked any such Facebook contacts to 'unfriend' him accusing them of corrupting the election and 'our youth … our country,' in the wake of the election.
'Please, please help me with something. If you voted for Joe Biden, please unfriend me. Or, reply that you are a Democrat and I will unfriend you. If you were ignorant, anti-American, and anti-Christian enough to vote for Biden, I really don’t want to be your social friend on social media. I wouldn’t hang out with you in real life, I don’t want to hang out with you virtually either,' the abrasive post began.
Ewell said Democrat voters were 'ignorant, anti-American and anti-Christian' and asked for anyone who voted for Biden to unfriend him on Facebook
'You have corrupted the election. You have corrupted our youth, you have corrupted our country. I have standards and you don’t meet them. Please remove yourself.'
Although the post was originally posted just to Ewell's page, the entire text was then screen grabbed and spread around.
It has left university bosses red faced as they scrambled to distance themselves from the professor's remarks.
'The University is aware of a recent comment made on social media by a member of the campus community. These views and opinions are expressly the individual’s own. Civic engagement and religious freedom are at the core of the University’s values, and we remain an inclusive and caring community that empowers meaningful relationships through listening, understanding, and communication.'
Virginia Wesleyan University has attempted to distance itself from Ewell's post but that only served to increase outrage
The campus of Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Ewell joined the full-time staff of the university in 2008 and is a professor of management, business and economics, director of the school's MBA program, and dean of the VWU Global Campus.
But the response by the school, a private liberal arts and sciences school in Virginia Beach, it does not appear to have gone down well with commenters now demanding Ewell's resignation.
'How is Professor Ewell supposed to gain the trust of his students when they now know he considers most of them anti-American and anti-Christian?' asked Ben Abrahamse.
'Simply put, if this is your staff, then inclusiveness is not what you practice. This was not a political statement. It was a statement based in hate and it is hatred for the students,' added Hayden Christopher Jones.
'He leads your business school for God’s sake! He needs to go,' wrote Scott Nassl.
Almost a thousand similar comments peppered the University's Facebook page on Sunday night with the majority questioning how such a.'high-ranking, high-profile member' of the university's administration could remain in his post calling his original post 'unacceptable' and 'embarrassing.'
President Trump seemed to agree with the sentiments of the posting and retweeted the story calling it 'Progress!'
President Trump seemed to agree with the sentiments of the posting and retweeted the story calling it 'Progress!'
The outrage on both Facebook and Twitter over Ewell's posting came thick and fast
Although Ewell's post was made on his personal Facebook page, it has since been taken down
Although Ewell's post was made on his personal Facebook page, it has since been taken down.
Stephanie Smaglo, a VWU spokeswoman, has said 'while the university cannot speak to personnel matters, this incident is being addressed through our internal processes and policies.'
Ewell joined the full-time staff of the university in 2008 and is a professor of management, business and economics, director of the school's MBA program, and dean of the VWU Global Campus.
VWU's social media policy reminds staff to be aware of what they post even on personal sites.
'Keep in mind nothing is truly private in social media. Consider your comments, photos or shared content carefully before posting. If it's something you wouldn't want shared or re-posted for a broad audience, it is best not to share it in the first place,' the handbook warns.
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