Trevor Tomesh is an assistant professor in Computer, Information, and Data Science at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. A post he wrote on the Charlie Kirk assassination went viral after Wisconsin Right Now posted it. We believe Prof. Tomesh is very courageous. Here is his follow-up to the viral post. He notes that his views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Universities of Wisconsin or UW-River Falls (which is also the case with everything on this site).
I met again with the Dean of Students a month after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, to continue our conversation on how to support conservative students (and faculty).
I am so grateful to have administrators who genuinely care.
Over the past month, I have been working tirelessly to identify opportunities for change—so that conservative thought can be heard on campus and that civil dialogue about difficult issues is given a proper platform.
More importantly, I am exploring ways to re-humanize people. The outrage-engagement economy has short-circuited something fundamental in our collective psychology. It has become all too easy to see a one-dimensional caricature of a person instead of the genuine human being created in the image of God.
This is what killed Charlie. This is what will kill society if we do not act. We need to disrupt this.
I am considering doing tabling events through student organizations, where students can talk with an openly conservative professor and/or openly conservative students. The goal isn’t to debate—it’s to offer an opportunity to ask questions, have good-faith conversations, and break down the caricature. I may test the idea online first before bringing it to campus, but I believe this could be a way forward.
There are still many areas that need work if we are going to save the universities—but this is a start.
I’ve also been in touch with various legislators from around the state and in D.C. There are some exciting potential developments there—but we shall see, in the fullness of time.
Meanwhile, I have a couple of speaking engagements in the works and have been blessed to share my views in several local publications. I was contacted by national media early on, but I declined. I don’t want to fuel outrage culture (and if I regret anything, it’s that I may have done just that in the past).
In the weeks following my initial post that went viral, I received over 300 letters and DMs. Only one was remotely negative—and it was a valid criticism. Thank you all. I have responded to approximately half so far and will continue to reply. Please note that I am replying via my Hotmail account, not my university email.
Finally, I am happy to say that my job is, as far as I understand, not in any danger. In fact, not even a hint of disciplinary action has been brought against me. I was asked to add a disclaimer to my social media posts, but that’s simply protocol.
There have been calls for my termination, specifically over my lecture about free speech and Charlie Kirk in my Cyber Ethics class. However, the topic was well within the scope of the curriculum as listed in the syllabus, and the University has lived up to her 131-year-old affirmation that:
“In all lines of academic investigation, it is of the utmost importance that the investigator should be absolutely free to follow the indications of truth wherever they may lead,”
And that,
“Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
This is why, after having spent a decade abroad—where I repeatedly faced sanctions and persecution as a conservative academic—I chose to completely upend my life and return to my alma mater. I knew that God had a plan for me here in Wisconsin. I didn’t know what it was or how it would manifest, but I knew that this was fertile ground—faithfully tilled and stewarded by the University of Wisconsin since our great state’s founding.
I am so grateful.
