A Purdue University staff member recently took to Facebook with his pro-choice opinions, but in the process he landed himself under investigation over threatened rape and hate-type speech.
Jamie Newman, an accompanist and composer for the Division of Dance in Purdue’s Visual and Performing Arts Department, expressed his outrage against Purdue Students for Life’s posting flyers about the high number of abortions in the African-American community around the West Lafayette, Indiana, campus.
‘Vile, racist’
In the Facebook post Feb. 3, Newman called the pro-life group “vile, racist idiots.”
On StudentsforLife.org, Newman also posted, “And that you should have pulled this stunt at the beginning of Black History Month suggests that you are epically clueless or profoundly malicious. So which is [it] — embarrassingly dumb or simply evil?”
Later Newman posted on Live Action News, the media arm of the pro-life group Live Action, that he would rape the wife, daughter and great-grandmother of a pro-life commenter on the site.
In response to a comment by another user, Newman said, “Oh, I’m sorry. So, let me make my intentions quite explicit: I did in fact offer to rape Tom’s wife/daughter/great-grandmother. Free of charge, even. I’m generous that way.”
By Feb. 11, Purdue had closed the case. Brian Zink, university spokesman, reported that police had not found “sufficient evidence to take action” against Newman.
“As far as the university is concerned, the speech was repugnant and inconsistent with Purdue values,” a Purdue statement read. “We don’t condone it, but at this time no personnel action is intended.”
Newman told the Lafayette Journal & Courier that his comments were taken out of context and that the idea that he would rape anyone was “false and defamatory” and “a complete fabrication.”
According to Indiana law, “A person who communicates a threat to another person, with the intent … that the other person engage in conduct against the other person’s will” has committed a class-D felony by making the threat.
On its Facebook page, Purdue itself saw backlash for having Newman on staff and not firing him immediately. The university also received countless calls from students, parents and alumni, according to jconline.com.
Julia Rosa, university spokeswoman, said a group of students filed a complaint Feb. 10 with the Purdue University Police Department.
At press time university officials were not available to comment on details of the investigation. (TAB)
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