Governor: Click should have no affect on M-U budget

Governor Jay Nixon says the behavior of the University of Missouri assistant professor involved in the November protests should have no bearing the university’s state funding.

Melissa Click is the assistant professor who was caught on camera apparently trying to impede journalists from doing their jobs during the recent MU protests.

Dr. Click used to also work with the journalism school, but ties were severed there. She still works with the Department of Communication. That department, as well as, more than 100 faculty and staff have stepped up in her defense, after more than 100 lawmakers called for the university to fire Click.

On Friday, ABC 17 News asked Governor Nixon about the issue. He said personal and political feelings on the Click controversy, or any other personnel matter, should have nothing to do with the way MU gets its funding. He said, “I thought the conduct was unacceptable, but that’s, that’s me talking. Whether the conduct was unacceptable or not, we certainly have the First Amendment rights to talk about it, but this institution is far too important to the future of our state, far too vital to the mission, economic mission for people to talk about fiscal punishment for personnel decisions. That is not the proper way to do it.”

On Thursday, a member of the University of Missouri System Board of Curators spoke out on the issue. David Steelman said Click should lose her job for her actions.

In a prepared statement from the communication department on November 10th, Click issued an apology for her actions in the Carnahan Quad.