Greg Laden's Blog

Gary Morgan, director of Central Florida University's Lead Scholar Program and the administrator who lead the prosecution of Webster Cook, has, according to rumors I am hearing from sources close to the events, been fired.

You will remember Webster Cook because he and his friend Benjamin Collard were involved in the infamous Crackergate Event, which led initially to Cook's impeachment from his position in student government and the Catholic League's unbridled attack on PZ Myers. Eventually, Cook was aquitted charges connected with him not swallowing The Eucharist (in appeal) and PZ Myers' scored a significant victory over religion, generally.

(During the course of events, it is true that Jesus appeared on a cracker in a waste basket in Morris, Minnesota.)

Morgan joined the Lead staff after having been Associate Dean for Student Development of Graduate Student Life at Boston University.

My understanding is that Morgan was asked to run the prosecution of Webster Cook by Patricia MacKown, the director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, because MacKown, who would have normally carried out this duty, felt she could not be fair since she is a practicing catholic.

More recently, a source close to the incident tells me that Morgan fired, or removed, a student from the position of "Student Director" of that program. The director of the Lead program (Morgan, in this case) does not have the constitutional power to remove a Student Director (a board decides such matters). There was an ensuing maneno which lead to a nasty fight and scandal.

It is not at this point clear that this is the reason that Morgan was fired. Indeed, this may end up being quite complex. Apparently Morgan or his office was involved with problems linked to a campus fraternity (the Zeta Psi chapter of Beta Theta Pi) which has been suspended from campus for a two year period.

Everything I've seen regarding Morgan's career indicates that he is active, progressive, and generally a positive influence on campus. This is based on a half dozen snippits in the UCF newspaper. My contact on campus is busy looking into this more closely as we speak, and I will ask him to write something up (or at least pass on more info) over the next day or two.

The following is a chronological listing of posts related to Cracker Gate, for those of you who were living, say, in an Iranian Prison for the last few years:

• IT'S A FRACKIN' CRACKER!


• How can you tell a Christian is lying? His mouth is moving.


• The Great Desecration


• 24 hours of silence (This is the post with the revelation of Jesus, on the cracker, in the trash can.)


• Webster Cook Acquitted


• Benjamin Collard Speaks out on the Webster Cook Eucharist Ordeal


• The Impeachment of Webster Cook (Crackergate)


• Breaking News: Webster Cook Impeachment Overturned!


• Webster Cook Second Impeachment Trial Is Over!