COLUMBIA, Mo. (CN) - The University of Missouri-Columbia assistant professor who was fired for threatening a student reporter during a campus protest has appealed her firing.
Melissa Click ordered some "muscle" to intimidate a student journalist covering a protest on public property on Nov. 9 last year, as students gathered to celebrate the ouster of several university officials after several racial incidents on campus.
The video quickly went viral and a second video surfaced in February showing Click cursing at police officers during a protest at the University's Homecoming Parade.
Click accused the University of bowing to conservative voices "that seek to tarnish my stellar 12-year record at MU," in a statement Tuesday.
Among Click's research projects were "50 Shades of Grey" readers and the impact of social media in fans' relationship with Lady Gaga during her career at the University of Missouri.
More than 100 Missouri Republican lawmakers wrote a letter demanding Click's termination after the videos surfaced.
Decisions to fire personnel by the University's board usually come after a formal complaint from a party within the university. In this case, Click was fired after a closed-door meeting after pressure from state lawmakers.
The university has declined comment, calling it a personnel issue.
Prosecutors charged Click with assault after the Nov. 9 incident. She agreed to perform 20 hours of community service to satisfy that charge.
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