© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Fresno State could lose big donor money over leftist prof who cheered Barbara Bush death
Image source: TheBlaze

Fresno State could lose big donor money over leftist prof who cheered Barbara Bush death

The leftist professor who crassly celebrated Barbara Bush's death with a series of offensive and disrespectful tweets about the former first lady and her family may just cost Fresno State a lot of donor money.

What's the background?

The professor, Randa Jarrar, celebrated Bush's death on Tuesday in a series of tweets that are no longer public.

In one tweet, the liberal professor wrote, “Barbara Bush was a generous and smart and amazing racist who, along with her husband, raised a war criminal. F*** outta here with your nice words.”

She added, “PSA: either you are against these pieces of s**t and their genocidal ways or you’re part of the problem. That’s actually how simple this is. I’m happy the witch is dead. Can’t wait for the rest of her family to fall to their demise the way 1.5 million Iraqis have.”

Jarrar received a high level of criticism on the social media networking platform, and her remarks went viral.

“All the hate I’m getting ALMOST made me forget how happy I am that George W Bush is probably really sad right now,” she gleefully wrote, adding that she was “using [woke points] to dance happily on the grave of someone I despise.”

Jarrar apparently wasn't worried about the security of her job at the time of her fevered tweeting, because she boasted to her followers that she works "as a tenured professor."

“I make 100K a year doing that. I will never be fired. I will always have people wanting to hear what I have to say,” she bragged.

What did the university president say?

Fresno State President Joseph Castro issued a statement about Jarrar's tweeting shortly after her remarks hit viral status.

“On behalf of Fresno State, I extend my deepest condolences to the Bush family on the loss of our former First Lady, Barbara Bush,” Castro wrote. “We share the deep concerns expressed by others over the personal comments made today by professor Randa Jarrar, a professor in the English Department at Fresno State.”

“Her statements were made as a private citizen, not as a representative of Fresno State,” the statement added. “Professor Jarrar’s expressed personal views and commentary are obviously contrary to the core values of our University, which include respect and empathy for individuals with divergent points of view, and a sincere commitment to mutual understanding and progress.”

Castro later told the Fresno Bee that while Jarrar's remarks may have been made as a private citizen, and not as a representative of the school,“a professor with tenure does not have blanket protection to say and do what they wish.”

The school launched an investigation after the outcry.

Jarrar’s Twitter account remains set to private, and Jarrar appears to be on leave from the school.

What's happening with the money?

In response to Jarrar's tweets, and the outcry that ensued, several school donors have come forward in admitting that they were reluctant to continue funding the school.

Fresno Bee report noted Thursday that some donors are waiting for the school's investigation of Jarrar to be completed before they make the decision to continue donating money into the institution.

One donor, Ed Dunkel Jr., said, "I admire and have a lot of respect for President [Joseph] Castro and huge affection for Fresno State. But I have huge concerns. This represents such an embarrassment to the university and the community. It’s hard to believe this is an isolated thing that just happened. I have to imagine people previously knew of this person’s character and what she’s about.”

Dunkel said that friends of his also made donations to the school and are also considering withdrawing their monetary support as a result of Jarrar's conduct.

Some are even reportedly considering avoiding sending their children to Fresno State.

“[Donors are] outraged, and I’m outraged as well,” Castro said according to the Fresno Bee. “This is behavior that is unacceptable as a university that models the development of leaders. We just cannot tolerate it.”

Castro also told the Fresno Bee that he is in talks with donors to help quell their concerns over Jarrar's remarks.

"I have to wait and see how it's going to be handled," Dunkel later told the Fresno Bee. "I'm a huge supporter of Fresno State, but at the end of the day, we have to take a look at this and see who's teaching our kids, and what the university is all about."

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?