MADISON, Wis. (NEWSnet/AP) — Joe Gow, former chancellor at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, said Thursday the school’s governing board fired him because members were uncomfortable with him and his wife producing and appearing in pornographic videos.
Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents, which oversees UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse and 11 other regional campuses, voted unanimously Wednesday to fire Gow.
After the vote, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and regents President Karen Walsh issued statements saying the regents had learned of specific conduct by Gow that subjected the university to “significant reputational harm.” Neither offered details of the allegations.
Gow had planned to retire as chancellor at the conclusion of the spring 2024 semester and make a transition into teaching communication courses. But Rothman said Wednesday he plans to file a complaint with UW-L’s interim chancellor, Betsy Morgan, seeking a review of Gow’s tenure.
Rothman said in an email to AP on Thursday that Gow failed to act as a role model for students, faculty and the community and mistakenly believes the First Amendment equates to a “free pass to say or do anything that he pleases.”
“Good judgement requires that there are and must be limits on what is said or done by the individuals entrusted to lead our universities,” Rothman wrote.
Rothman added that Gow served at the pleasure of the regents and is not entitled to a specific process.
Gow took heavy criticism in 2018 for inviting porn actor Nina Hartley to speak at UW-La Crosse. He paid her $5,000 from student fees to appear. Ray Cross, then UW system president, reprimanded him and the regents refused to give him a raise that year. Gow said then that he was exercising the system’s free speech policies.
Gow and his wife star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors. Their biographies on Amazon contain links to their videos on X and a pornographic website.
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