Update: ECU seeks permission to release Isom's personnel information

GREENVILLE, N.C. - A new turn of events involving ECU and the university's former student adviser who was recently fired.

East Carolina University is seeking permission from Paul Isom, former Director of Student Media, to release his confidential personnel information.

The university's attorney says the information will be used for further inquiries into the school's decision to fire Isom after uncensored nude images of a football game streaker were posted on the front page of The East Carolinian back in November.

ECU Director of Public Affairs released the following statement today, "A fuller knowledge of the facts at hand will help distinguish between any personnel matter and the First Amendment."

We also learned today, one of the groups supporting Isom, “The College Media Association” or CMA, has started an inquiry into Isom's firing and the impact it might have on First Amendment rights of student journalists at ECU.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. - A spokesperson for East Carolina University has released a statement on the change of leadership in its director of student media.

"It doesn't deny the cause and effect connection between my firing and the photos," said Paul Isom.

The statement released by ECU fell short of many people’s expectations, saying it wasn't about the First Amendment, it was a personal matter.

Now free speech groups who say ECU may have been attempting to quell Isom’s First Amendment rights are more fired up than ever.

"Unless ECU can come up with a non-constitutional reason for firing Mr. Isom, I think we're going to have to make sure this stays in the public eye," said Robert Shibley, Senior Vice President.

The statement is from Dr. Virginia Hardy, vice chancellor for student affairs:

East Carolina University is concerned that a decision to change leadership in its director of student media role has been connected to a First Amendment issue without full knowledge of the facts at hand.  It is important to distinguish between any personnel matter and the First Amendment.

We ask all advocacy groups and the public to trust our internal process, which has been deliberate, correct and legal, as we move forward to address these two separate issues.

The First Amendment demands public universities provide student journalists the opportunity to make their own news decisions and learn from them without interference. ECU puts that principlefirst. It has upheld it, especially in this instance.

We support The East Carolinian fully. Students have been the central focus of what we have done and the decisions that have been made. We have involved them openly when it wasconstructive and useful for their education, including holding open, informational discussions with the editorial staff to talk about the impact of news decisions.

Regarding editorial decisions in student media, we have respectfully allowed the student journalists to take their own course. We have and will continue to support their right to make decisions in publishing a newspaper for their fellow students.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. - A spokesperson for East Carolina University says a statement will be issued later today.

Mary Schulken, the Director of Public Affairs say the university will issue a statement at 4 p.m. today to discuss its record and its responsibilities in regards to the First Amendment and the East Carolinian, its student-run newspaper.

The university's action follows yesterday's announcement by The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education or "FIRE," which has contacted the university over the firing of Paul Isom, an adviser to The East Carolinian.

Isom was fired last week, nearly two months after the student-run newspaper published full-frontal nude photos of a streaker at an East Carolina football game back in November.

The university has so far declined to comment on Isom's firing, noting it is a personnel matter.

We'll have more details as they become available.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Just when you thought the ECU football streaker was fading from memory, it's back in the news and gaining momentum.

Last week, 9 On Your Side told you about the student adviser for the ECU student run newspaper being let go from his position.

He says it's over the publishing of the uncensored naked photos of the streaker.

Now several national organizations are backing him up. It's becoming a fight over the First Amendment.

“I’m proud to be a flag bearer for the first amendment. I didn't expect to be, but I will be if it's given to me,” said Paul Isom, former ECU student adviser.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education or "FIRE" is first national organization of several that have contacted or will be contacting East Carolina University over the firing of Isom.

9 On Your Side asked, “Do you believe at this point ECU violated the first amendment?”

“It certainly looks that way. We've written ECU and asked them for their response.  Nobody can come up with a different reason why this adviser should have been terminated and ECU really has a burden to explain, give some reason that's not unconstitutional for doing that.  I suspect they can’t,” answered Robert Shibley with FIRE.

“My performance reviews are positive. There's nothing negative in my personnel file. So it has nothing to do with that.  I was told they were going in a new direction but I never had any discussions with anybody about the need for a new direction,” said Isom. 

Isom said after the editors of The East Carolinian published the uncensored photos, his relationship with his superiors was never the same.

Both he and other media organizations say it is law that he, as a faculty paid adviser, cannot interfere with what is legally published.

Organizations like FIRE feel he's been wronged and they will explore all options to get him his job back.

“We hope that ECU makes the right decision and understands that while having a streaker run across the football field might be embarrassing, it might be embarrassing to see it in the newspaper, it's certainly far more embarrassing to be caught violating the first amendment,” said Shibley.

9 On Your Side contacted ECU today.

They said they would not comment further on Isom because it is a personnel issue and because of that they cannot comment.

However they say they will be releasing a statement in response to FIRE's letter, but it may not be today because their attorney's are working on it.

We are looking out for that response and as soon as we get it we will pass it along to you.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Many of you remember the full-frontal naked pictures of the ECU football streaker printed and published online by The East Carolinian, which is the ecu student run newspaper.

Almost two months to the day, the paper's faculty student adviser was let go.

And his dismissal has many people crying foul.

Journalism is about finding the truth and at times pressing the envelope to do that.

College is where you can tip-toe that line and make mistakes while with less of a consequence than had it happened in the real world.

But that might not be the case here.

“Personally I was stunned,” said Dr. Cindy Elmore, ECU Journalism Professor.

Paul Isom's dismissal from East Carolina University was the talk of the journalism department.

On his facebook page, Isom said he was fired and that the published streaker photos started that process.

“Being a personnel decision, I don't know everything that went into it, but it certainly seems aimed at intimidation, punishment over the streaker photos and maybe other things that have been in the student newspaper,” said Elmore.

For their part, the university released a statement confirming Isom's release and avoiding any further comment.

That lack of comment fueled the speculation.

“I think it is an unfortunate situation.  Paul is a wonderful person. I think he was in a difficult position apparently caught between the administration and the legalities of advising a student newspaper,” said Dr. Brian Massey, ECU Journalism Professor.

If that is indeed the case, ECU could have some legalities on their hands.

“At a public university, the first amendment absolutely prohibits employee of the university including the adviser from overruling a lawful decision by the student editor,” said Frank LaMonte. “To fire someone for failing to stop the students from publishing a particular photo is firing someone for refusing to break the law.”

LaMonte says the student press law center will write the university chancellor and board of governors in an effort to get Isom his job back.

Isom talked to 9 On Your Side's about the surprise dismissal.

“I asked them specifically what their reason was and they were purposefully vague. They didn't want to give me a specific answer so they said we're looking to go in a different direction,” said Isom.

The unexpected dismissal Wednesday came almost 2 months to the day after the full-frontal nudity pictures of a college football game streaker were published.

“There's a great misunderstanding about what the role of the adviser is among the administrators at ECU sadly,” said Isom.

Isom said, and the Student Press Law Center confirms, as a student adviser, he cannot tell the students what and what not publish if it is legal.

Although distasteful for some, questionable for many, the published naked pictures were indeed legal.

“Everything I do as an adviser is in the best interest of the university.  If I get involved in making editorial decisions for the newspaper I open up the entire university for liability if someone did sue,” said Isom.

While the student East Carolinian staff's actions may have ultimately cost him his job, Isom said he supports their decisions, “The real issue is they have the right to do that and it sets a really bad precedent when someone is punished because the students made a decision to express themselves that way.”

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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Officials at East Carolina University are not making any comment on the firing of the adviser of The East Carolinian.

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Virginia Hardy said, “We will not make any additional comment because this is a personnel matter.”

Paul Isom, the director of student media, says he was fired, following the football streaking incident in November. He's been with ECU since 2008.

Isom says on his facebook page that the streaker pictures started it all.

You may remember The East Carolinian posted a full frontal picture of the streaker running across the field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

21-year-old John Sieglinger of Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh was charged with indecent exposure and 1st degree trespassing. ECU Police arrested Sieglinger for streaking at the football game that Saturday.

At the time the article was published in The East Carolinian, a statement was released by Hardy that said, “The decision by The East Carolinian to publish a photo of a streaker that showed full frontal nudity was in very poor taste. The leadership at East CarolinaUniversity does not agree with that decision and does not support it.”

ECU says that Isom oversaw all campus student media outlets and directly advised three of them. That includes the student-run The East Carolinian newspaper, The Rebel and the Buccaneer yearbook.

We are continuing to work on this story and will have much more tonight at five.