Student Poll Said To Show Support For Mount St. Mary University President

EMMITSBURG, Md. (WJZ) -- Mount Saint Mary's University faculty wants the president gone but students want him to stay.

Alex DeMetrick reports it's just the latest twist in an ongoing campus controversy.

Snow and a President's Day holiday made for a mostly quiet day at Mount St. Mary's University.

Mostly.

A student video caught a rally supporting university president Simon Newman.

"First, may I thank you all for coming here and for all of your support," Newman said.

This after the student newspaper quoted Newman telling professors to encourage low-performing students to drop out. When some objected, Newman said, "This is hard for you because you think of the students as cuddly bunnies. You just have to drown the bunnies. Put a Glock to their heads."

"So often in the media the past couple of months, it's been bashing the Mount and all this negative news. That's not what we are; we're a positive family," said student Andrew McCarthy.

Student government polled the 1,600 students at the western Maryland campus.

"Sixty-one percent of the students responded and I think around 75% showed their support for President Newman," said student Stephen Witkowski.

"You do what you think is right and you live with the consequences," said fired professor Ed Egan.

Egan and a fellow professor were fired by Newman last Monday---and re-hired Friday.

"It was a roller coaster, a ferris wheel and a tilt-a-whirl all in one," he said.

The student support follows a faculty vote of 87-3 demanding President Simon Newman resign Monday. That didn't happen.

"Working with you, with the faculty and the board of trustees to continue to move the Mount forward," Newman said.

It's reported Newman apologized for his choice of words and said they were taken out of context.