Controversial Comments By Mt. St. Mary's President Create Outrage

EMMITSBURG, Md. (WJZ) -- Outrage is not normally a condition at Mount Saint Mary's University but statements by its new president are generating just that.

Alex DeMetrick reports it all broke in the school's student newspaper.

Mt. St. Mary's University is small and tucked into the Catoctin Mountains in Emmitsburg. On its website, the president introduces himself.

"Hello, I'm Simon Newman, the 25th president of Mount Saint Mary's University and I'm honored to be entrusted with the leadership of our mountain home," he said.

That leadership took a hit in the student newspaper when it reported a plan to weed out under-performing fresshmen to bolster graduation rates. The Mountain Echo quoted Newman as saying that those students should not be compared to "cuddly bunnies. You just have to drown the bunnies; put a Glock to their heads."

"The students I think acted responsibly and I'm proud of them," said Ed Egan, the paper's advisor.

But Egan was fired by President Newman.

"Talked about being disloyal to the university and bringing harm to the university," Egan said.

In a statement, the university says Egan was "terminated for violations of the university's code of conduct...he was not terminated for expressing differing views from those of the administration."

"I saw myself as advisor serving two things: Mount Saint Mary's and the truth and I don't think those two things should be inconsistent," Egan said.

Another professor has also been fired and a third demoted.

There has been outrage from some students and alumni. Thousands of professors across the country have signed online petitions supporting the fired faculty.

"It's been very overwhelming and very humbling. I love Mount Saint Mary's," Egan said.

Newman comes from a business background He has reportedly apologized for his choice of words and recently given a full vote of confidence by university trustees.