Wisconsin Professor Suspended, Accused of Attacking GOP Voter Operation

A Wisconsin professor was placed on leave after being accused of attacking a Republican voter operation on Tuesday.

Why It Matters

Wisconsin residents voted on Tuesday in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between liberal Judge Susan Crawford and conservative Judge Brad Schimel. The election will determine the ideological balance of the highest state court. If Crawford wins, liberals will retain their 4-3 majority; if Schimel wins, the balance of the court will shift toward conservatives.

It’s also a major test for President Donald Trump‘s popularity in a critical battleground state that narrowly voted for him in November as his approval rating dropped amid concerns of tariffs, the firings of federal workers and his administration’s use of the Signal application to discuss military plans.

What To Know

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) Republicans posted about a political incident on social media Tuesday, showing video of a man flipping over a table displaying political buttons and other merchandise.

Wisconsin voting university political incident — A Wisconsin resident participates in early voting in Kenosha on March 26.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Tatiana Bobrowicz, chair of the UWEC College Republicans, told Newsweek in a written statement on Tuesday that the man came up to the table about 8:30 a.m. and asked why they were so close to the polls. She said she began to explain to him that the table had been approved by the university and was in compliance with requirements, when he said, “the time for this is over,” and flipped the table.

“This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. A professor attacking a student organization is an unethical abuse of authority,” she said.

She said the man has been identified as Jose Felipe Alvergue, chair of the university’s English Department.

A university spokesperson declined to confirm reports of his identity when reached by Newsweek Tuesday night, but local media reports, including by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, have identified him as Alvergue.

Newsweek reached out to Alvergue for comment via email Tuesday night. Court records show that he has been charged with disorderly conduct.

UWEC has just under 9,000 undergraduate students. Eau Claire County, home of the university, backed Democratic former Vice President Kamala Harris by about 10.5 percentage points in last year’s presidential election.

What People Are Saying

UWEC interim Provost Michael Carney, in a statement provided to Newsweek: “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 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. We are working with the Universities of Wisconsin and the Office of General Counsel, which is conducting a comprehensive investigation of this matter. The faculty member involved has been placed on administrative leave pending that investigation.”

Former Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker, on X: “Outrageous. Yet sadly what many conservatives students deal with every day on so many campuses.”