State Rep. Jared Patterson, who represents House District 106, seems to be the only Republican representative who has not asked for the University of North Texas to be held accountable after a professor dismissed a student for criticizing another student for celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death.
On September 10, Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and prolific Conservative activist, was viciously killed at Utah Valley University by a single gunshot to the neck. Kirk’s assassin was eventually turned in to the authorities by his family two days after the shooting.
Following the footage being released of his murder, a UNT student was recorded in a classroom showing her peers and celebrating that Kirk had been shot.
Another student in the class recorded their reactions and criticized them for cheering on his death. Shortly after the student spoke out about the other students’ depraved behavior, the professor overseeing the class dismissed the student who objected to the reactions.
According to a letter sent to Gov. Greg Abbott by State Representatives Andy Hopper, Mitch Little, Ben Bumgarner, and Richard Hayes, no action has been taken to correct the professor for kicking the student out of class.
The letter states that the student who stood up against the despicable behavior by her other classmates has been advised by the Dean of Students to “avoid offending the other student, offered to allow her to switch classes, and indicated that a uniformed officer could accompany her to class.”
The student has also reported that she has received hate, harassment, and threats of violence as a result of her standing up to the other students’ behavior.
The representatives have also stated that the professor who removed the student from the class has been involved in promoting the LGBT agenda in the classroom beyond normal instruction.
All four of the representatives are urging Gov. Abbott to “investigate and demand swift action from the University of North Texas to ensure that there are consequences for egregious violations of the student code of conduct and expectations upon faculty to require civilized behavior in classrooms.”
However, while Hopper, Little, Bumgarner, and Hayes signed on to the letter, one representative was not listed. Rep. Patterson, who also represents parts of Denton, was the only one not to sign on.
This raises questions as to why he is not speaking out against the heinous behavior taking place on college campuses. However, in his past, Patterson has appointed 30 Democrats to vice chairmanships and blocked Texans for criticizing his actions.
Earlier this month, the Denton County GOP voted to censure Patterson in a vote of 25-11. It will now be passed to the State Republican Executive Committee for a vote.