December 14, 2015 To: Michael J. O’Brien, Dean of the College of Arts and Science Garnett S. Stokes, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Hank Foley, Interim Chancellor Michael A. Middleton, Interim System President Ben Trachtenberg, Chair of Faculty Council We, the undersigned faculty of the University of Missouri, are writing in support of our colleague Melissa Click, who is currently under fire for her actions during the protests in early November that led to the resignation of Timothy Wolfe. On November 9, the day of Wolfe’s resignation, Click was part of a group of faculty, staff, and students who temporarily sought to block journalists’ access to the students who had been protesting the administration’s handling of racial incidents on campus. Click subsequently issued a statement apologizing for her role in the incident, saying, “I regret the language and strategies I used, and sincerely apologize to the MU campus community, and journalists at large, for my behavior, and also for the way my actions have shifted attention away from the students' campaign for justice.” However, this did not end the controversy over Click’s actions. Some of the coverage has focused on the issues raised by the tension between the rights of the press and those of the protesters, and we welcome discussion of these issues, believing that fostering such discussion is one of the roles of a public research university such as the University of Missouri. However, much of the commentary in the press and on social media has gone beyond legitimate debate to ad hominem attacks on, and harassment of, Click personally, and has even included calls for her dismissal from the University. In many cases, we believe, this commentary has been driven by outside groups with agendas external to that of the University. We wish to state in no uncertain terms our support for Click as a member of the University of Missouri faculty who has earned her position through an outstanding record of teaching and research. We believe that her actions on November 9 constitute at most a regrettable mistake, one that came, moreover, at the end of several weeks during which Click served alongside other faculty and staff as an ally to students who were protesting what they saw as their exclusion from and isolation at the University. We believe that Click has been wronged in the media by those who have attacked her personally and have called for her dismissal. We affirm our support of her as a colleague, a teacher, and a scholar, and we call upon the University to defend her first amendment rights of protest and her freedom to act as a private citizen. Signed, David Kofi Amponsah, Department of Religious Studies Demetrio Anzaldo, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Aliki Barnstone, Department of English Cheryl Black, Department of Theater Jenny Bossaller, School of Information Science & Learning Technologies Wayne Brekhus, Department of Sociology Richard J. Callahan, Jr., Department of Religious Studies Nicole Campione-Barr, Department of Psychological Sciences Heather Carver, Department of Theater Elizabeth Chang, Department of English Nancy Cheak-Zamora, Department of Health Sciences Samuel Cohen, Department of English Signe Cohen, Department of Religious Studies Roger F. Cook, Department of German & Russian Studies Amalia Dache-Gerbino, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis [signature added 12/16/15] Frances Dickey, Department of English Rebecca Dingo, Departments of English and Women’s & Gender Studies Daniel B. Domingues da Silva, Department of History Carrie Elaine Duncan, Department of Religious Studies Daive Dunkley, Department of Black Studies Cornelius Eady, Department of English Julie Passanante Elman, Department of Women’s & Gender Studies [signature added 12/15/15] John Evelev, Department of English Matthew C. Farmer, Department of Classical Studies Monika Fischer, Department of German & Russian Studies Bob Flanagan, Department of Religious Studies Sean Franzel, Department of German & Russian Studies Cynthia M. Frisby, School of Journalism [signature added 12/15/15] Gabriel Fried, Department of English Scott Garson, Department of English Kent S. Gates, Department of Chemistry Maya Gibson, School of Music Elisa Glick, Departments of English and Women's & Gender Studies Sean P. Goggins, School of Information Science & Learning Technologies Matt Gordon, Department of English Rabia Gregory, Department of Religious Studies Jaber F. Gubrium, Department of Sociology Lily Gurton-Wachter, Department of English Sheri-Marie Harrison, Department of English Joanna Hearne, Department of English Cheryl Heesch, Department of Biomedical Sciences Noah Heringman, Department of English Joan Hermsen, Departments of Sociology and Women’s & Gender Studies Andrew Hoberek, Department of English Nathan Hofer, Department of Religious Studies Elizabeth Hornbeck, Department of Art History & Archaeology Seth Howes, Department of German & Russian Studies Clenora Hudson-Weems, Department of English Lois Huneycutt, Department of History Robert N. Johnson, Department of Philosophy Stephen Karian, Department of English Ilyana Karthas, Department of History Valerie Kaussen, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Dennis Kelley, Department of Religious Studies Martha Kelly, Department of German & Russian Studies Bill Kerwin, Department of English Cheehyung Harrison Kim, Department of History Theodore Koditschek, Department of History Kristin Kopp, Department of German & Russian Studies Johanna Kramer, Department of English Tim Langen, Department of German & Russian Studies Mark Langeneckert, Department of Art April Langley, Departments of English and Black Studies Elaine Lawless, Department of English Trudy Lewis, Department of English Emma Lipton, Department of English Farrah Littlepage, Center for English Language Learning Monica Marcos-Llinas, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Michael R. Marlo, Department of English Rebecca G. Martinez, Department of Women’s & Gender Studies Rebecca Meisenbach, Department of Communication Cristina Mislán, School of Journalism Nicole Monnier, Department of German & Russian Studies Megan Moore, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Christopher Morrey, Department of Art Virginia Muller, Department of English Anne Myers, Department of English Christopher Okonkwo, Department of English Tola Olu Pearce, Departments of Sociology and Women's & Gender Studies Guadalupe Pérez-Anzaldo, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Karen Piper, Department of English Michael Porter, Department of Communication Brad Prager, Department of German & Russian Studies Anand Prahlad, Department of English Amit Prasad, Department of Sociology Srirupa Prasad, Departments of Sociology and Women’s & Gender Studies Jill Raitt, Department of Religious Studies David Read, Department of English Linda Reeder, Department of History Sandy Rikoon, Department of Rural Sociology Leah A. Rosenberg, Department of Religious Studies LuAnne Roth, Department of English Jeff Rouder, Department of Psychological Sciences Michael Russo, Department of Communication Catherine Rymph, Department of History Jacquelyn Sandone, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Gordon Sauer, Department of English [signature added 12/15/15] Enid Schatz, Departments of Health Sciences and Women's & Gender Studies David J. Schenker, Department of Classical Studies Kristin Schwain, Department of Art History and Archaeology Rebecca R. Scott, Department of Sociology Stephanie Shonekan, Department of Black Studies and School of Music Alexandra Socarides, Department of English Angela Speck, Department of Physics & Astronomy Anne Stanton, Department of Art History & Archaeology Carsten Strathausen, Departments of English and German & Russian Studies Donna Strickland, Department of English Julija Šukys, Department of English Michael Ugarte, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Michael A. Urban, Department of Geography James A. van Dyke, Department of Art History & Archaeology [signature added 12/15/15] Barbara P. Wallach, Department of Classical Studies Christina E. Wells, School of Law Nancy West, Department of English Annice Wetzel, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Flore Zephir, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures