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Former UW-La Crosse chancellor argues to keep teaching job
Joe Gow argued Friday for keeping his tenured teaching position even as he faces removal for unethical behavior.
LA CROSSE, Wis. — In a closely watched First Amendment rights case, a former University of Wisconsin campus chancellor who was fired after making pornographic films with his wife argued Friday for keeping his tenured teaching position even as he faces removal for unethical behavior.
Joe Gow, who had served as chancellor of UW-La Crosse for nearly 17 years, hoped to convince a personnel committee of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents to recommend he be allowed to retain tenure and return to teaching communications courses.
Gow has been on paid leave from his faculty position since the regents fired him as chancellor in 2023, shortly after university leaders became aware of the videos that were posted on pornographic websites.
Gow’s behavior has been “unethical, hypocritical and unacceptable,” university attorney Wade Harrison told six regents who form the personnel committee on Friday.
“Enough is enough,” he said. “Dr. Joe needs to go.”
A UW-La Crosse faculty committee unanimously recommended in July that Gow lose his faculty position, saying he exploited his position to generate more interest and revenue from the videos. University attorneys argued Friday that he should lose his tenured teaching position because he harmed the university’s reputation and interfered with its mission.
Gow has established that he is unable to recognize his own poor judgment, university attorneys argued in filings ahead of the hearing.
The regents personnel committee discussed the case behind closed doors after taking testimony Friday. Its recommendation, also secret, will then be taken up at a meeting of the full Board of Regents as soon as next week.
The case has garnered national attention both for the salaciousness of a high-profile university official making pornographic movies and publicly talking about it and the questions it raises about free speech rights.
Gow argued that his videos and two e-books he and his wife, Carmen, have published about their experiences in adult films are protected by the First Amendment.
“You don’t need the First Amendment to protect ‘The Star Spangled Banner,'” Gow’s attorney, Mark Leitner, told the committee. “You don’t need the First Amendment to protect easy and comforting speech. It’s exactly the opposite. We need the First Amendment precisely when the danger of stifling, controversial, unpopular speech is at its highest. And that’s what we have here.”
Harrison, the university’s attorney, countered that the videos themselves are legal, but they are not protected speech under his employment contract.
“Gow’s pornography videos are not protected by the First Amendment,” Harrison said.
Gow has gotten what he wants, which is attention on his books and videos, Harrison said.
The regents asked no questions.
“It was a very ominous sign that no regent asked a question,” Gow said after the hearing. “That to me indicates that this has all been preordained.”
When asked if he would consider filing a lawsuit if his tenure is revoked, Gow said, “Would you blame us if we did?”
The school is pushing to fire Gow for unethical conduct, insubordination for refusing to cooperate with an investigation and violating computer policies. The UW-La Crosse employee handbook requires faculty to “exhibit a level of behavior supporting the university mission.”
Gow has maintained that he and his wife produced the pornographic materials on their own time. He insists the videos and the books never mentioned UW-La Crosse or his role at the university.
However, Gow was criticized in 2018 for inviting porn actor Nina Hartley to speak on campus. She was paid $5,000 out of student fees to appear. He developed the idea of bringing her to campus after shooting a pornographic video with her, the university said.
Gow and his wife’s e-books were written under pseudonyms: “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enriches Our Relationship” and “Married with Benefits — Our Real-Life Adult Industry Adventures.” But they also star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors.
Gow’s hope to return to teaching in the classroom is opposed by his department chair, Linda Dickmeyer. She said that because Gow has not taught for 20 years, he would be assigned general education courses, but she opposes allowing him to return to teaching in any role.
MINNEAPOLIS — The YMCA of the North let go of dozens of workers as they seek to “be more sustainable.”
President and CEO of YMCA of the North Glen Gunderson said 59 full-time and 10 part-time workers are being laid off. Factors in making the decision include “participant trends, changing consumer behaviors, and rising expenses and inflation.”
“We are prioritizing and adjusting to meet the changing needs of our communities,” Gunderson said in a press release. “This includes a reduction in force across our organization, totaling approximately 1.8% of our full-time and part-time workforce. We value the contributions of team members being impacted and are providing them with transition support.”
Gunderson did not specify which locations the workers are being laid off from, or what their jobs were.
The YMCA of the North has 23 sites across the metro area, and more than a dozen camps.
The Republican on the ballot for the State Rep. District 23A race is mistakenly listed as a DFLer, while the DFLer is listed as a Republican.
FARIBAULT COUNTY, Minn. — Voters in Faribault County may have been confused to see candidates for State Representative in District 23A mistakenly listed as belonging to a different political party.
The error was acknowledged by the Minnesota Secretary of State Office Friday evening. In a press release, Secretary Steve Simon said the misprint is limited to ballots in Faribault County, and 17 ballots were “issued in error.”
On the ballot, Joe Staloch, a DFLer, is listed as a Republican. Incumbent Rep. Peggy Bennett, a Republican, is listed as a member of the DFL.
Secretary Simon said county officials will be “pursuing corrective action through the courts.” The corrective action will include instructions being sent to voters who received and returned an incorrect ballot to ensure their vote is counted correctly, he said.
“In every election, despite the best efforts of our hard-working county election officials, mistakes happen. Our office is thankful for the swift action of Faribault County officials after learning of the error and is committed to partnering with them where appropriate to ensure this mistake is remedied for all impacted voters as soon as possible,” Simon said in a press release.
Rep. Bennett expressed disappointment Friday, saying she is “already losing votes” due to the “blunder.”
“It is just disappointing that these ballots weren’t doubled checked for errors by the Secretary of State’s Office before being printed. Election integrity matters, and distributing inaccurate ballots to the county certainly undermines election integrity in our state,” she said in a press release.
Staloch said in a Facebook post that the error is “unfortunate” but it is “important to remain calm.”
“I’m proud to be a Democrat but, as I understand it, our founding fathers weren’t to keen on parties themselves. If I haven’t done enough or my opponent hasn’t done enough to get elected on our own merits without the benefit of a D or an R next to our names then WE have failed you not someone sitting at a desk at a print shop in St. Paul,” he said in the social media post.
The error is limited to Faribault County, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State Office. Ballots in Freeborn, Steele, and Waseca counties are not impacted.
Renewing the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund requires voting yes on a statewide constitutional amendment.
MINNEAPOLIS — If you’ve ever played a Minnesota Lottery game or watched a commercial, chances are you know that a portion of the proceeds are invested back into Minnesota’s environment and natural resources.
You might not realize that the constitutional amendment that made that funding possible is up for renewal, and anything short of a yes vote could put future environmental and outdoor projects in jeopardy.
In 1988, Minnesota voters first approved a constitutional amendment that dedicated a portion of lottery proceeds to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Each year since, the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) has worked to help disperse that funding.
“In the last 36 years we’ve provided about $1.1 billion of funding to 1,700 projects all over the state, so literally we have provided support within every county of the state,” said Becca Nash, director of the LCCMR.
Those projects have included research on drinking water, wastewater, and air quality to name just a few. They have also helped fund new parks, trails and campsites; supported loon and bison populations; and fostered outdoor activities in many different ways.
Nash: “Whether it’s research to help protect our waters from invasive species, getting kids out on canoes to explore the boundary waters or creating parks and trails, however people experience the outdoors and nature, we’re providing funding to support that.”
Erdahl: “We’re standing on a fishing pier, which have received a lot of support in the last few years, right?”
Nash: “Absolutely, we’ve been providing funding for the Department of Natural Resources and local communities to create and maintain fishing piers and make fishing and experiencing the outdoors more accessible to everyone.”
While the legislature and governor have final say on spending, Nash said the commission has worked hard to earn their trust through its vetting of proposals and continued oversight after projects are awarded.
“I think in our 36-year history there has maybe been 100 projects out of 1,700 that have been adjusted in some way by the legislature,” she said.
With that track record, it’s no big surprise that the constitutional amendment has overwhelming, bipartisan support.
“I haven’t heard of any opposition to it,” said Representative Athena Hollins, who authored the amendment and is a member of the LCCMR.
Though amendment one certainly isn’t controversial, Hollins said voting ‘yes’ is still critical.
“That’s the most important thing that I have been trying to tell everyone about,” she said. “Because it’s a constitutional amendment provision, if you decided to skip it or you feel like maybe you don’t understand, well-enough, what it’s about, then that counts as a ‘no’ vote.”
If the amendment fails, all that money would go into the state’s general fund instead, and while the legislature could still decide to spend it on our natural resources, Hollins said she’d rather put her trust in the trust fund.
“When it really comes down to it everyone agrees that our natural resources are important,” she said. “And so making sure that there is this continued source of funding for the next 25 years, is really essential.”
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YMCA of the North announces layoff of 69 workers
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New York confirms its first case of EEE since 2015. Here’s what to know about the mosquito-borne virus.
YMCA of the North announces layoff of 69 workers