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OGDEN — Scott Senjo, the former criminal justice Weber State University professor involved in a Twitter controversy earlier this month, officially no longer works for the school, university officials confirmed Tuesday.
Senjo originally resigned on June 3 after being placed on administrative leave while an investigation into what school officials called “abhorrent” tweets Senjo wrote about the George Floyd protests was conducted.
Floyd, a Black man from Minneapolis, died on May 25 while in police custody. Former officer Derek Chauvin has since been charged with murder and manslaughter, and three other officers have been charged as well. Senjo later rescinded the original resignation on June 16 but sometime after that he again resigned, school officials said.
"Weber State University can confirm that criminal justice professor Scott Senjo has permanently separated from the university after resigning," Weber State officials wrote in an emailed statement. "He is no longer employed. The university considers this matter resolved, ending processes that were set in motion on June 1."
One of the now-deleted tweets read was a reply to a Wall Street Journal reporter who said he was injured in a confrontation with New York City police, despite wearing a press credential and holding his hands up.
“Excellent. If I was the cop, you wouldn’t be able to tweet,” Senjo wrote.
In another tweet, Senjo replied to a video of a New York Police Department car driving into a crowd of protesters. “That’s not how I would have driven the car into the crowd,” he wrote.
Earlier this month, a petition with nearly 2,500 signatures was created with the goal of Senjo’s resignation.
In a statement sent Tuesday, school officials said they realize this incident has had an impact on the campus community.
"The developments surrounding this case have understandably caused a variety of emotions for many members of our campus community," the statement reads. "Weber State University is committed to improving our campus culture and our conduct, making our university a place where everyone truly feels valued, supported and included.
In an email sent to students, faculty and staff on Tuesday, WSU President Brad Mortensen said the Senjo’s separation from the school is permanent.
“I recognize that the emotional toll of the last several weeks lingers,” Mortensen wrote in the email. “This situation has also provided an opportunity for self-reflection; to consider who we are, what we stand for and what we value.”
“As we move forward together as one Weber State family, I encourage all of us to reflect on what we can learn from one another, and how we can all make a difference in the lives of others, as we work to identify and eradicate systemic racism and transform our university to a better place,” he continued. “We condemn language that promotes violence, diminishes individuals or makes people feel unsafe. At the same time, we value an individual’s right to freedom of expression whether or not we agree with perspectives they share.”
