{"id":15643,"date":"2025-11-17T17:05:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T00:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/former-fort-lewis-college-professor-confronts-turning-point-usa-supporters-after-chapter-vote\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:49:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:49:03","slug":"former-fort-lewis-college-professor-confronts-turning-point-usa-supporters-after-chapter-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/former-fort-lewis-college-professor-confronts-turning-point-usa-supporters-after-chapter-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Fort Lewis College professor confronts Turning Point USA supporters after chapter vote"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Retired
Retired Fort Lewis College Professor Emeritus David Kozak was recorded on video using profanity and gestures around Turning Point USA supporters after a student government\u2019s decision to grant Turning Point club status on campus. (Via safe.campus on Instagram)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A retired Fort Lewis College professor was caught on camera using strong language \u2013 and the middle finger \u2013 around students and community members after the student government approved a Turning Point USA chapter on campus.<\/p>\n

David Kozak, who formerly taught in the anthropology department, appears to call chapter supporters \u201cfascists\u201d and \u201cNazis\u201d in a video circulating on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kozak retired in 2022 and retains the honorary professor emeritus status at the college.<\/p>\n

The video was recorded immediately after a Nov. 7 student government meeting<\/a> that reversed its earlier denial<\/a> of the Turning Point chapter.<\/p>\n

Turning Point USA is a nonprofit that promotes conservative politics on high school and college campuses. It was founded in 2012 by political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed Sept. 10 <\/a>on the Utah Valley University campus.<\/p>\n

\"Retired
Retired Fort Lewis College Professor Emeritus David Kozak was recorded on video using profanity and gestures around Turning Point USA supporters after a student government\u2019s decision to grant Turning Point club status on campus. (Via safe.campus on Instagram)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The minute-long video begins with Kozak saying, \u201cYou\u2019re (expletive) Nazis. Come on, Nazis. Come on, Nazis,\u201d while apparently addressing a group of Turning Point USA supporters in the Student Union lobby.<\/p>\n

Someone off screen begins to object, and a woman onscreen interjects, \u201cNo, kindness \u2013 kill \u2019em with kindness. Don\u2019t take his bait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several people, including some off camera, urge Kozak to \u201cbe calm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m totally calm. I\u2019m totally calm,\u201d he responds. He then puts his middle finger in front of a camera and repeats, \u201c(Expletive) the Nazis. (Expletive) the Nazis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone off screen can be heard saying, \u201cJesus loves you,\u201d to which Kozak responds, \u201cOh he does, huh? He loves Nazis, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

A woman onscreen responds, \u201cJesus loves everybody,\u201d to which Kozak says, \u201cHe loves fascists, he loves Nazis, he loves haters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a very blessed day, sir,\u201d the woman says. The video ends with Kozak responding, \u201cI\u2019m glad you fascist lovers \u2013 Nazi lovers \u2013 are having (unintelligible). Have a great night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kozak did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

FLC spokesperson Nardy Bickel declined to comment on the former professor\u2019s behavior. She noted that Kozak has not been employed by the college since his retirement in 2022.<\/p>\n

Bickel said the broader TPUSA discourse on campus has prompted thoughtful dialogue among students about civil discourse, free speech and free expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollege is a place for learning, and these discussions \u2013 while sometimes challenging \u2013 are part of that educational experience,\u201d Bickel told The Durango Heral<\/em>d. \u201cFort Lewis College remains committed to fostering an environment where complex issues can be explored with respect, curiosity and care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lively debate has sprung up across campus in response to Turning Point\u2019s presence on campus.<\/p>\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis College senior Jonah Flynn advocated for instating a Turning Point USA chapter as an official student group during a packed Associated Students of Fort Lewis College board meeting on campus Oct. 29. (Elizabeth Pond\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

More than 30 students spoke against granting club status to Turning Point at an Oct. 29 student government meeting, where the board voted 5 to 2 to deny the application. Amid backlash, an emergency meeting was held Nov. 7, and the decision was reversed.<\/p>\n

The student board did not explain its change of heart at the Nov. 7 meeting.<\/p>\n

Kozak\u2019s confrontation with students and community members occurred just outside that meeting.<\/p>\n

Bickel reiterated that the conversation surrounding Turning Point\u2019s status has offered valuable lessons for students in freedom of speech, civil discourse and free expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that students are very engaged in that conversation is a good thing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

epond@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis College senior Jonah Flynn spoke before the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College emergency board meeting Nov. 7 to reconsider the Turning Point USA chapter at the school. (Elizabeth Pond\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Retired employee uses profanity, gestures in video after board decision<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[132,28],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-fort-lewis-college","tag-headlines"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15643"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19765,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15643\/revisions\/19765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15643"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}