Longtime University of Wisconsin La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow is out of a job following a unanimous decision from the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents, who called Gow’s actions “abhorrent.”
While serving as La Cross’s chancellor — a role he’s kept longer than just one of his predecessors — Gow had a side gig, it was discovered, filming pornos with his wife, Carmen Wilson, and posting the X-rated videos online.
And Gow’s videos weren’t strictly amateur, according to the New York Post. Some of them featured cameos from well-known porn stars.
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The raunchy films were then uploaded to adult sites such as OnlyFans, XHamster, and Pornhub under the public name of “Sexy Happy Couple.”
“The couple also published two books under pseudonyms detailing their experiences in the adult film industry,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. “Both books and the social media accounts feature photos clearly showing Gow and Wilson.”
The duo even hosts a cooking channel on YouTube under the same name, welcoming kinky guests such as porn stars Will Pounder and India Summer.
In a statement released on Wednesday, UW President Jay Rothman said, “In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm. His actions were abhorrent.”
“As a tenured faculty member, Dr. Gow will be placed on paid administrative leave as he transitions into his faculty role at UW-La Crosse,” Rothman continued. “However, I have filed a complaint this evening with interim Chancellor Betsy Morgan regarding Dr. Gow’s status as a tenured faculty member, asking that such status be reviewed. In addition, an outside law firm has been engaged to undertake a fulsome investigation of the matter. We anticipate the complaint will be considered in the normal course as dictated by Wis. Admin. Code Ch. 4.”
UW System Regent President Karen Walsh called Gow, 63, “reckless.”
“This Board is charged with the stewardship of our great Universities of Wisconsin,” she said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Dr. Joe Gow has shown a reckless disregard for the role he was entrusted with at UW-La Crosse to serve students, faculty and staff, and the campus community.”
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“The outrage over his behavior is evidenced by the unanimous vote by the UW Board of Regents to terminate him as chancellor,” Walsh said. “We are alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor.”
According to the press release, “UW-La Crosse Provost Betsy Morgan has been appointed interim chancellor.”
As far as Gow is concerned, his consensual pornographic proclivities are a matter of “free speech.”
While he used to hide his unconventional sex life, Gow told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he recently decided to “be a little bit more open about these free speech issues.”
“There’s nothing said about the University of Wisconsin; there’s nothing said about the chancellor (on the videos),” Gow said after being sacked. “So someone else would have to make those associations. And then someone would have to say those are problematic.”
According to Gow’s UW contract, “The Chancellor is encouraged to engage in outside activities that contribute to the Chancellor’s professional advancement or benefit the University.”
“The Chancellor may not engage in any activity that may be adverse to, or competitive or inconsistent with the interests of the University of Wisconsin System,” it clearly states.
In an interview with The New York Times, Gow accused UW of “not following their own policy on academic freedom and freedom of speech.”
“They also don’t seem to realize that the First Amendment would be critical in this situation,” he added.
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In an interview with WTMJ. Gow said he was concerned over the lack of “due process” surrounding his termination.
“These are serious works [in which] we examine consensual adult sexuality, so we would think that would be protected by the First Amendment,” Gow said. “I’m very concerned that there was no due process around this, and what that entails is having a hearing and I get to know what I’m charged with and I get to reply and make my case. That never happened.”
(Video: YouTube)
“I think the board is not upholding, A., The First Amendment, nor is it upholding its own policy on academic freedom, or is it upholding a very rich tradition at the University of Wisconsin which is called the fearless sifting and winnowing in the search for the truth,” Gow told WTMJ, “so there are some complexities here that I think people are missing.”
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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