Stone Gateway to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a photograph by Ken Wolter which was uploaded on January 20th, 2020.
EAU CLAIRE, WI (WSAU) – Police in Eau Claire are reportedly looking into a university professor after students alleged that they attacked a group of College Republicans and flipped their table, supporting former state Attorney General Brad Schimel on Tuesday morning.
According to the group, the UW-Eau Claire high-ranking department chair and professor has been identified by the university as Jose Felipe Alvergue, who is allegedly under investigation after he was seen on a video on X walking away from the incident with the group’s table flipped, with their papers, belongings, and materials scattered on the ground.
The UWEC College Republican Chair, Tatiana Bobrowicz, spoke about the matter in a posted statement on X regarding the incident, saying, “This morning around 8:30, we had just finished setting up our table for election day when a professor came up and flipped our table in a violent attack towards us. This is unacceptable, and the university has since confirmed that this attacker was the chair of the university’s English Department. Once again, this kind of violent attack will not be tolerated.”
In an interview with Wisconsin Right Now, Bobrowicz stated she was at the table when the incident occurred and that Alvergue had claimed they were too close to the university’s polling location before he said, “The time is over,” and flipped their table, which led the group to file a police report and speak to the university’s community relations liaison.
The outlet also received a statement from UW-Eau Claire Interim Provost Michael Carney on the incident, who said, “I am deeply concerned that our students’ peaceful effort to share information on campus on election day was disrupted. UW-Eau Claire strongly supports every person’s right to free speech and free expression, and the university remains committed to ensuring that the campus is a place where a wide variety of opinions and beliefs can be shared and celebrated. Civil dialogue is a critical part of the university experience, and peaceful engagement is fundamental to learning itself,” and continued by confirming that “The faculty member involved has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.”
Interim Provost Carney did not officially confirm the identity of the professor, and more information regarding the incident is expected to be made public by university officials and law enforcement in the coming days.
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