An East Carolina University official said it is seeking consent from Paul Isom, former director of student media, to release confidential personnel information to describe the process that led to Isom's firing.
Isom was dismissed from his role as student media adviser last week, two months after The East Carolinian newspaper published nude photos of a streaker at an ECU football game. Free press and student rights groups have come to the defense of Isom in the past week.
A statement from ECU's attorney, Donna Gooden Payne, said ECU continues to disagree with statements by advocacy groups that connect the decision with a First Amendment issue.
"A fuller knowledge of the facts at hand will help distinguish between any personnel matter and the First Amendment," said Mary Schulken, ECU's director of public affairs.
Isom said he was not informed about the consent request before ECU released it to the media. Isom has said that when he was fired, he was given the vague explanation that ECU wanted to move in a different direction.
"If they have an explanation to provide to the rest of the world, show it to me first," he said in an e-mail. "I'll decide whether or not I'll waive my rights after I see their explanation....This is an insulting way to treat a member of the ECU community."
Isom still teaches a class at ECU as an adjunct faculty member.
Several national groups have called for ECU to reinstate Isom, including the Student Press Law Center, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and the National Press Photographers Association.
Comments
The worst of the UNC system gets carried out at ECU
January 11, 2012 - 6:18pm — GreedbusterWhy is the UNC system micromanaged by Chapel Hill alums. These ECU attornies are all from Chapel Hill law school and when one resigns they get replaced with a duplicate. In my experience, ECU was never good with keeping student confidentiality. It would take 100 lawyers, 10 years and 1,000 court dates to get Chapel Hill to give up student records (while protecting the university). On the other hand, the Chapel Hill alums working on the other 16 UNC campuses will work against the university itself. This micromanagement exists so no loyalty can be built up outside of the cheaterville flagship. Everything about the tarheel education conglomerate was built on fraud and extreme lack of freedom. I am also living proof that ECU doesn't like free speech. And John Edwards was free to make a sex tape with a mistress.