The University [/b]of Wisconsin-La Crosse Chancellor, Joe Gow, has been terminated from his position by the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. This decision, effective on Wednesday, December 27, comes in the wake of revelations about Gow's involvement in the production and online posting of explicit content alongside his wife, Carmen Wilson.
The Board of Regents justified the termination, pointing to Gow's "abhorrent" conduct, which they believe caused significant reputational harm to the university. UW President Jay Rothman stated, "In recent days, we learned of specific conduct by Dr. Gow that has subjected the university to significant reputational harm. His actions were abhorrent."
The controversy surrounding Gow initially surfaced when it was revealed that he had paid a porn star [/b]thousands of dollars to speak to students on campus. However, the situation took a more serious turn with the revelation that Gow himself was actively involved in creating explicit content, posted on platforms such as OnlyFans and Pornhub under the account name “Sexy Happy Couple.”
The films, featuring some well-known adult film stars, resulted in accusations of a “reckless disregard for the role he was entrusted with” by UW System Regent President Karen Walsh. She expressed, "We are alarmed, and disgusted, by his actions, which were wholly and undeniably inconsistent with his role as chancellor."
The Board expressed both alarm and disgust at Gow’s actions, deeming them inconsistent with his responsibilities as a university chancellor. Despite being La Crosse’s second-longest serving chancellor, Gow will be placed on paid administrative leave as he transitions into his faculty role due to his tenured position.
However, UW President Jay Rothman announced that a complaint has been filed to review Gow’s status as a tenured faculty member. To ensure a thorough investigation, an outside law firm has been hired to delve into the matter further.
In his defense, Gow argued that he never explicitly tied his university position to the explicit videos. He emphasized that the content was produced using personal funds and fell within his right to free speech under the First Amendment. "There’s nothing said about the University of Wisconsin; there’s nothing said about the chancellor (on the videos)," Gow told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after his firing. "So someone else would have to make those associations. And then someone would have to say those are problematic."
Gow raised concerns about due process, stating that he was not contacted before the decision to terminate him was made. Notably, Gow and his wife had recently launched a YouTube cooking channel named “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” where they invited adult film stars to cook vegan meals. The channel, seemingly an attempt to diversify their online presence, occasionally ended with suggestive scenes featuring Gow and his wife.
