Thread by @julialayne_

As an alumni of Oklahoma Christian University’s graphic design department, I am shocked and saddened to know that Michael O’Keefe has been fired. This thread will list the facts as I know them.

Michael O’Keefe called me around 8am on Tuesday, March 8th to tell me that he had been fired. He explained OC’s reasoning for his firing as this:

In one of O’Keefe’s classes - Business of Branding Yourself - O’Keefe brings in several guest speakers to present their stories to the class.

One particular guest speaker gave a presentation that the OC administration deemed inappropriate. This presentation is OC’s reason for O’Keefe’s termination.

OC has not publicly stated how they concluded that this presentation was inappropriate. So, here is what I know.

I know that two explicit words were used by the speaker during his presentation. However, at the beginning of the presentation, witnesses have reported that the speaker gave an intentional trigger warning explaining that explicit language would be used.

It was explained that the language used was important to the context of the story, but the students were told they could leave if they chose to do so. The words used were d**k and b***h.

An important detail to note is that the guest speaker happens to be a gay man. The guest speaker spoke about his personal journey as a Christian.

After the guest speaker had left, O’Keefe spoke with his class about what they thought of the speaker. Many students spoke positively about the speaker’s story. One or possibly several students said they were uncomfortable by the speaker’s story.

Unbeknownst to O’Keefe, the student (or possibly students) complained to the OC administration about the guest speaker. The exact nature of the complaint, apart from the student feeling uncomfortable, is unknown.

The OC administration then proceeded to investigate the incident. After an investigation, they determined that the guest speaker’s presentation was inappropriate and therefore Michael O’Keefe should be terminated.

I spoke to the Talon (OC’s newspaper) about sharing this story with the OC public, but they refused to do so due to privacy laws. Which is why I felt it necessary to share the facts myself.

I have many questions and concerns about O’Keefe’s termination. My main questions being these:

What does an investigation such as this this look like? Were faculty witnesses called to corroborate the student complaints? If so, who was called? How does OC constitute something as inappropriate?

Is it established OC policy for the consequences of the words/actions of a guest speaker to fall fully and completely onto the respective professor? Has there been a similar case to this one in OC history?

Were any alternatives to termination considered? Why were such extreme measures taken for this particular incident?

I have many more questions, but one of my top concerns is the legacy of Michael O’Keefe.

Michael O’Keefe is an amazing man and professor who has given years of his life to OC and to his students.

O’Keefe is the kind of professor who sets his students up for success in every way. I know for certain that I would not be where I am today without Michael O’Keefe.

O’Keefe changed my life for the better, and it is my hope that this thread can, not only shred light on the facts of this situation, but more so, can memorialize Michael O’Keefe as the dedicated professor and mentor that he is.

I encourage those who know Michael O’Keefe to retweet this thread, and if you feel so inclined, share what Michael has meant to you.

A Facebook post from Michael O’Keefe’s wife.