Audio obtained by 1819 News featured in a report earlier this week revealed Dr. J. Harold Pardue, dean of the University of South Alabama's Graduate School and associate vice president for Academic Affairs, urging Ethan Kaiser, the president of the university's Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter, to consider the "negative impact on the university's funding" when releasing videos of the student group's interactions with professors on its campus.
Pardue's comments came as Ethan Kaiser, the president of the university's TPUSA chapter, filed a formal complaint for harassment and targeted harassment against the professor, identified as Department of Mathematics and Statistics assistant professor Joshua Lioi.
SEE ALSO: 'Dog sh-t grifters': TPUSA student group harassed by University of South Alabama professor (Video)
In the audio, Pardue referenced unspecified comments from the "chair of Ways and Means" in a radio interview about his university's funding.
Friday on Huntsville radio WVNN's "The Dale Jackson Show," State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), the chairman of the Alabama State Senate's Education Ways and Means Committee, reacted to host Dale Jackson's account of the 1819 News report.
Orr called it "troubling" that Pardue would use such tactics with a student and suggested the University of South Alabama "get a handle" on that professor.
"I think that's man bites dog," Orr said. "I mean, he's going after the wrong person and wrong entity with the students. He needs to be controlling his own people that are getting hired and have these positions. So that's troubling that he would go after the students themselves — pointing to the obvious and saying what the school employees is doing to them, harassing them for expressing their political beliefs on government property, which last time I checked, is pretty darn well protected by the First Amendment."
"Well, you and I did talk about if they don't get a handle on it, and the handle would be, you better get a handle on this professor," he added. "You better. He's got a right to have an opinion for sure, but if he's out there harassing students, now that changes the equation."
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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