周五，在有报道指责大学校长Jerry Falwell Jr.有令人反感的行为之后，学生们在自由大学抗议。
此次示威是在Politico公开宣称Falwell吹嘘自己与员工的性生活，向朋友和家人签订大学合同，在夜总会参加派对以及为唐纳德·特朗普总统进行过度激烈竞选之后举行的。
约有35名学生聚集在弗吉尼亚州林奇堡的私立福音派大学校园里，举着“我们想要变化”的标语和“如果是基督徒，它应该更好”，引用了已故大学创始人和Fallwell Jr.的父亲，杰里法尔威尔。
“我不能再保持沉默，”20岁的自由少年伊丽莎白书籍，他主要从事政治和政策，他告诉美联社。“我希望看到法尔威尔总统亲自解决这个问题，并对这些指控进行调查，看看他们是否属实。”
在ABC 13记者Intinease McMiller拍摄的视频中，可以看到抗议者与不同意他们的学生交谈。
“如果你不喜欢他在做什么，你为什么还在这里？” 一名学生问了一名示威者。
“如果我不喜欢美利坚合众国总统，我会离开美国吗？” 抗议者回答说。“或者我是否能够对抗施虐者？”
作家布兰登·安布罗西诺（Brandon Ambrosino）撰写的Politico文章引用了现任和前任自由官员的观点，他们将该大学描述为“独裁统治”。有些人声称他们害怕与Falwell说话。“我们不是一所学校;我们是一家房地产对冲基金，”一位不愿透露姓名的高级大学官员告诉安布罗西诺。“我们不是在教育;我们每年都在购买房地产，并拿学生的钱去做。”
一个路透社的文章回顾几十个自2008年以来福尔韦尔发送的电子邮件，声称福音派领袖侮辱了学生，家长和工作人员。据报道，他称一名学生“情绪不平衡，身体迟钝”。校园警察局长理查德欣克利被称为“半智慧且容易操纵”，不应该被允许公开发言。
为了应对这一争议，自由大学发布了一份长达19页的文件，其中包括“通常是私人商业事务，试图直接创造记录”。
标题为“自由大学关于最近在媒体上质疑商业交易的声明”，据称详细信息提供给Ambrosino，路透社记者Aram Roston和华盛顿邮报记者Sarah Pulliam Bailey，这些信息未包括在他们的文章中。
声明称，“所有人都选择不报告自由大学的一面，留下不公平的公共叙述。”
它分为九个部分，反对不正当金融交易的逐点指控，从出售Crosswhite运动俱乐部到在自由大学开始时出售的特朗普竞选商品，以及向各种可疑企业提供的贷款。
福尔韦尔告诉美联社，与记者分享电子邮件的官员试图诋毁他作为“未遂政变”的一部分，部分原因在于他对特朗普总统的热情支持。
Falwell说他已联系联邦调查局调查这些官员的电子邮件。
“自由拥有这些电子邮件中的每一封电子邮件，”他告诉美联社。“这是我们的财产。他们在使用我们的服务器时为我们工作。我们的政策明确表示我们服务器上发送的每封电子邮件都归Liberty所有，如果有人与Liberty之外的任何人共享，那就是盗窃。这就是潜在的犯罪。“
周五下午，福尔韦尔赞扬了争议双方的学生。
“我对@ LibertyU学生今天在抗议活动中的表现印象深刻！” 他发推文。“那些有顾虑的人和那些支持我的人既尊重又不生气 - 他们的行为就像基督一样。我们的学生就是这个世界可以学习的榜样！”
STUDENTS PROTEST ON LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AMID FALWELL SCANDAL
Students protested at Liberty University on Friday in the wake of reports accusing university president Jerry Falwell Jr. of objectionable conduct.
The demonstration comes after a Politico exposé alleging Falwell bragged about his sex life with employees, dealt university contracts to friends and family, partied at nightclubs and overzealously electioneered for President Donald Trump.
About 35 students gathered in the rain at the private evangelical college's Lynchburg, Virginia, campus, holding up signs reading "We Want Change" and "If it's Christian, it ought to be better", a quote from late university founder and Fallwell Jr.'s father, Jerry Falwell.
In a video taken by ABC 13 reporter Intinease McMiller, protesters can be seen talking with students who disagreed with them.
"If you don't like what he's doing, why are you still here?" one student asked a demonstrator.
"If I don't like the president of the United States of America, do I just leave the United States?" the protester replied. "Or do I stand up to the abuser?"
The Politico article, by writer Brandon Ambrosino, cites current and former Liberty officials, who describe the university as a "dictatorship." Some claim they felt scared to speak out against Falwell. "We're not a school; we're a real estate hedge fund," one unnamed senior university official told Ambrosino. "We're not educating; we're buying real estate every year and taking students' money to do it."
A Reuters article reviewing dozens of emails sent by Falwell since 2008, claimed the evangelical leader had insulted students, parents and staff. He reportedly called one student "emotionally imbalanced and physically retarded." Campus police chief Richard Hinkley was referred to as "a half-wit and easy to manipulate" who shouldn't be allowed to speak publicly.
In response to the controversy, Liberty University released a 19-page document, including "what would typically be private business matters, to attempt to set the record straight."
Titled "Omitted statements of Liberty University regarding business transactions recently questioned in media," it purportedly details information provided to Ambrosino, Reuters reporter Aram Roston and Washington Post reporter Sarah Pulliam Bailey that was not included in their articles.
"All chose to not report Liberty University's side, leaving an unbalanced public narrative in place," the statement claims.
Broken into nine sections, it counters point-by-point allegations of improper financial dealings, from the sale of Crosswhite Athletic Club to Trump campaign merchandise being sold at Liberty University commencement, as well as loans to various questionable businesses.
Falwell told the AP that the officials who shared emails with reporters were attempting to discredit him as part of a "attempted coup," partially motivated by his ardent backing of President Trump.
Falwell says he has contacted the FBI to investigate the emails from those officials.
"Liberty owns every single one of those emails," he told the AP. "It's our property. They were working for us when they used our server. And our policies make it clear every email sent on our server is owned by Liberty and if anybody shares it with anybody outside Liberty, it is theft. And so that's the underlying crime."
On Friday afternoon Falwell praised students on both sides of the controversy.
"I'm so impressed with how@LibertyU students conducted themselves today at the protest!" he tweeted. "The ones who had concerns and the ones who supported me were both respectful and not angry-very Christ-like in their behavior. Our students are an example the world can learn from!"
