SPOKANE, Wash. --- Gonzaga students are reacting to the new hire of former University of Missouri professor Melissa Click.
She was fired after video surfaced of her yelling at a student during a protest.
Students said the hire was a shock at first.
Micaela Meadows is a senior at Gonzaga and the Opinion editor for the Gonzaga Bulletin, the student newspaper.
“Initially I was a little bit disappointed,” Meadows said.
She said the hire was a head scratcher.
“Why would we hire someone in communication department who, in my mind at that point, didn’t enjoy freedom of the press as much as I do,” Meadows said.
But she also said she believes Click would add value to the university with her recent experiences.
“Having her on board is going to be a great opportunity for our students and if she proves that she can be part of our university and embody our mission, then I would see really no problem keeping her on board for longer,” Meadows said.
Gonzaga administration released a statement throwing their full support behind the hire saying "we are confident she has learned much form her experiences at the University of Missouri and believe she will uphold the rigorous standards of academic excellence demanded of Gonzaga faculty and students."
Andy Buhler wrote an article for the Gonzaga Bulletin announcing Click's hire.
He says that the story received a lot of disappointed reactions from students and alumni who read it.
But, when he spoke to Click for the article regarding her firing at Missouri, he said she was very confident in herself.
“My main question was did you expect to have a job this soon in academia?, And her response was a very quick yes,” Buhler said.
In a statement she gave to the bulletin she said, "I learned much from the events of Fall 2015 and MU and continue to use that experience to become a better teacher, scholar and community member.
She goes on to say, "I am pleased to be teaching this year at Gonzaga University.”