Panel recommends removing ex-chancellor from Wisconsin college faculty post for making porn videos
A faculty committee has recommended removing a former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse from his tenured position over his involvement in adult entertainment.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the unanimous decision of the committee regarding Joe Gow leads the Board of Governors of the University of Wisconsin to decide to fire him.
Gow is on paid leave because he has a permanent position and wants to return to teaching. The regents dismissed Gow as chancellor in December 2023 for making pornographic videos that are posted on adult websites.
At a hearing last month, the school argued for Gow to be fired for unethical behavior, refusing to cooperate with an investigation and violating computer policies.
A report on the faculty committee’s decision obtained by the newspaper said that it was not unethical to make pornographic videos, but Gow’s response to the publicity raised concerns. It said that instead of responding “in a manner that supports the best interests of the university,” he exploited his position on the La Crosse faculty to generate more interest and revenue from the videos.
Gow was not surprised by the decision, saying his videos and two books he and his wife Carmen have published about their experiences in pornographic films are protected by the First Amendment.
“Carmen and I remain steadfast in our commitment to defending freedom of speech and expression,” he said, adding that he would be prepared for a public hearing before the Board of Regents. No date has been set for the hearing.
The committee cited three instances of alleged unethical behavior. First, in 2018, Gow invited adult film star Nina Hartley to speak on campus without disclosing that Gow and his wife had made a sex tape with her. The committee was unimpressed by Gow’s argument that it was not a business relationship that required disclosure.
The committee also questioned Gow’s “intellectual honesty” as he described the couple’s two books as true stories, despite acknowledging the authors had taken “creative liberties”.
And it reprimanded Gow for allegedly failing to cooperate with the investigation despite being off-duty while on paid leave. Gow had offered to answer questions in writing and said he was unaware of the investigation’s completion.
The panel rejected one allegation, finding insufficient evidence that Gow had deleted information from his computer to obstruct the investigation.