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A Purdue University staff member abruptly quit Monday amid a controversy over rape threats he was accused of making on social media.
Jamie Newman, a part-time accompanist in Purdue’s Division of Dance, blasted the school for seeking his apology without attempting to talk to him first about the threats, which he denies making, according to his statement to the university, obtained by the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
Newman said allegations he threatened to rape anyone were a “complete fabrication, for which not one iota of evidence exists.” A university police investigation into the online threats found insufficient evidence to take action. Purdue, however, on Friday accused Newman of making an “outrageous and vulgar” statement and demanded an apology.
A university spokeswoman on Monday confirmed Newman’s resignation and told The Huffington Post via email and said the school “believes this is the appropriate outcome.” Newman didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The controversy erupted more than two weeks ago, when the anti-abortion group Purdue Students For Life placed fliers around the Purdue Black Cultural Center at the start of Black History Month with slogans like “Hands Up, Don’t Abort” and “Womb = most dangerous place for black kids.”
The group apologized, but Newman nevertheless excoriated the group on social media.
“You folks are vile, racist idiots, who richly deserve all the opprobrium that will be heaped on you as a result of this unbelievably thoughtless, stupid escapade,” Newman wrote on Feb. 3.
Heated social media exchanges drew the attention of the conservative college site Campus Reform and quickly went viral on conservative and anti-abortion websites.
Some of those sites also published screenshots of posts showing threats made by a user purporting to be Newman. The screenshots show someone called “jamiegnewman” wondering if another commenter would be in favor of abortion if a female relative was raped.
A follow-up post read: “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.”
The comments were purportedly made on the site LiveActionNews.org, run by the anti-abortion group behind the heavily-edited Planned Parenthood sting videos.
In his statement to the university, Newman said the comments were “an attempt to punish and discredit me — indeed, to destroy me” mounted by anti-abortion groups.
Students interviewed by local media expressed disbelief that Newman would make such comments. The university, in West Lafayette, Indiana, was less forgiving, calling the comments “obnoxious rhetoric” that embarrassed the school.
Purdue said in a statement Friday that its free-speech policy protected Newman from being fired.
“It’s fortunate for Mr. Newman that he works at a public university both obligated under the First Amendment and committed by principle to protect free speech — even speech as abhorrent as his,” the statement said. “Had he uttered such an outrageous and vulgar statement while working for a private college or other private employer, he would almost certainly have been fired on the spot.”
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