MA Democratic Congressional Candidate Alex Morse has been accused of inappropriate conduct with students Up: Accusations Possibly Orchestrated

[jack_package_200]

UMass students allege improper behavior by Holyoke Mayor Morse

The congressional candidate is an instructor in political science at UMass - Amherst.

www.masslive.com

The UMass College Democrats have disinvited Holyoke Mayor and congressional candidate Alex B. Morse from future events, alleging he had inappropriate sexual relations with college students even while running for Congress, according to the Daily Collegian.

According to the student-run newspaper, Morse, 31, who teaches political science at UMass, matched with students as young as 18 on dating apps like Tinder and Grindr.

In a written statement, Morse apologized saying he needs to be more mindful of his own position of power.

The young men included members of the College Democrats of Massachusetts, UMass Amherst Democrats and other groups in the state, according to the Daily Collegian.

The UMass group also said Morse used College Democrats events to meet college students and add them on Instagram to his "Close Friends" story, which is a less general means of communicating, and then direct messaging them.

UMass Amherst Democrats said the messages from Morse made the students feel uncomfortable.

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Justice Democrats candidate accused of inappropriate sexual behavior

Three different groups of Massachusetts College Democrats have disinvited Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse from future events.

www.politico.com

Three groups of college Democrats in Massachusetts disinvited left-wing congressional primary challenger and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse from all future events alleging that he showed a pattern of using "his platform and taking advantage of his position of power for romantic or sexual gain, specifically toward young students."

The email, sent on Thursday and signed by College Democrats of Massachusetts, U-Mass.-Amherst Democrats, and Amherst College Democrats alleged that Morse, who is challenging House Ways and Means Chairman Richie Neal, had "sexual contact" with students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he is a lecturer on political science.

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"Numerous incidents over the course of several years have shown that it is no longer appropriate to encourage interaction between College Democrats and Alex Morse," they wrote.

In a letter sent back to the groups on Thursday and obtained by POLITICO, Morse wrote, "I want to be clear that every relationship I've had has been consensual. However, I also recognize that I have to be cognizant of my position of power." He continued: "Navigating life as both a young gay man and an elected official can be difficult, but that doesn't excuse poor judgment."

In a statement, Morse acknowledged relationships with college students and said the relationships were consensual. Asked if the allegations of "sexual contact" with students at the college he teaches, Morse's campaign did not respond.

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Kind of an eleventh hour revelation but if these allegations are true, the voters need to be aware of them.

Really gross to use that power imbalance of being in a teaching position and pursuing students.

Edit:



The allegations have taken a sizable hint in credibility after leaked dms show a student conspiring against Morse

 

[Joshua]

Just looked this race up, a few things I noticed:

• The Dem primary hasn't happened yet, it looks like it happens Sep 1
• There is no Republican opponents here, they didn't bother to run anyone, so the race is really just this guy vs. Richard Neal
• The incumbent, Richard Neal, has served this district for 31 years

 

[GrapeApes]

 

[Antrax]

I really don't like Yglesias' take on this. When I was teaching in a small college town, it sucked, but I would never break my rule and date someone who was a student at the college. What if they become your student later? What if their friend is a student of yours? Siblings? What if they ask you about attendance records, or disability policies for specific students?

The whole thing is just sketchy as fuck, and I personally give massive side-eye to every professor or instructor who wanted to skirt that line and date students.

 

[Blader]

Just looked this race up, a few things I noticed:

• The Dem primary hasn't happened yet, it looks like it happens Sep 1
• There is no Republican opponents here, they didn't bother to run anyone, so the race is really just this guy vs. Richard Neal
• The incumbent, Richard Neal, has served this district for 31 years

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Neal is also terrible. He has spent this entire term dragging his ass on Trump's taxes because he never really cared about it in the first place. Which wouldn't be so a much problem if he wasn't the chair of Ways and Means!

 

[Stooge]

Neal is also terrible. He has spent this entire term dragging his ass on Trump's taxes because he never really cared about it in the first place. Which wouldn't be so a much problem if he wasn't the chair of Ways and Means!

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One of these kinds of terrible is policy related, the other is inappropriate sexual conduct with students at a university you teach at.

Let's not whataboutism bad behaviour

 

[Blader]

One of these kinds of terrible is policy related, the other is inappropriate sexual conduct with students at a university you teach at.

Let's not whataboutism bad behaviour

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I wasn't? I didn't say anything about Morse, just saying Neal is shit. Morse's conduct is certainly pretty disappointing because of that though!

The timing on this is unfortunate as I'm sure there are people who have already cast early mail ballots.

 

[Sordid Plebeian]

That is fucked up to try to use student organizations as dating pool

 

[GoldenEye 007]

Was he in a relationship with students he was teaching? Or students in general.

I agree it isn't a great look either way, but one is still quite different than the other. And if it was students he was not teaching or had any responsibility for, I'm not sure that warrants having to drop out of a political race. It appears the school policy prohibits relationships were that power dynamic is direct, which is reasonable.

 

[TorianElecdra]

Grindr was a mistake.

 

[Deepwater]

I really don't like Yglesias' take on this. When I was teaching in a small college town, it sucked, but I would never break my rule and date someone who was a student at the college. What if they become your student later? What if their friend is a student of yours? Siblings? What if they ask you about attendance records, or disability policies for specific students?

The whole thing is just sketchy as fuck, and I personally give massive side-eye to every professor or instructor who wanted to skirt that line and date students.

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we're so used to criminal allegations being the litmus to extract punitive measures on an individual that someone "suffering" public or social consequences for Noncriminal-yet-unethical behavior is hard to comprehend.

people see "consensual" and their brains stop working because nobody apparently has ever suffered consequences for things that are morally or ethically inappropriate

 

[Jeremy]

There is literally nothing immoral or wrong about him being on Grindr or Tinder. To suggest otherwise is puritanical or even homophobic.

Having relationships with students once he's aware that they are students is gross, though. If that happened, he should face consequences.

 

[GrapeApes]

There is literally nothing immoral or wrong about him being on Grindr or Tinder. To suggest otherwise is puritanical or even homophobic.

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Who was suggesting this?

 

[Jeremy]

Who was suggesting this?

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Two posts above mine.

 

[jph139]

That's tough. He's definitely a rising star in MA politics - he was elected mayor at 22 and has generally been really popular in that role. On the right side of all the issues and generally likable, probably positioned to be a national figure if he could pull off the primary win. This coming out a few weeks early is going to kill that momentum pretty dead. And I mean, for good reason. It's not the most egregious thing an elected official has ever done, but it's the sort of attitude toward power that you don't want to see in a candidate.

Chips in on Robbie Goldstein, then!

 

[Deleted member 11413]

we're so used to criminal allegations being the litmus to extract punitive measures on an individual that someone "suffering" public or social consequences for Noncriminal-yet-unethical behavior is hard to comprehend.

people see "consensual" and their brains stop working because nobody apparently has ever suffered consequences for things that are morally or ethically inappropriate

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Pretty much. Just because it isn't illegal doesn't mean it isn't unethical and inappropriate. The power imbalance between a professor and undergrads is a huge issue.

 

[Deleted member 31817]

Well that's unfortunate. A girl I know posts about him all the time on Facebook and knows him personally.

 

[Deleted member 11413]

Was he in a relationship with students he was teaching? Or students in general.

I agree it isn't a great look either way, but one is still quite different than the other. And if it was students he was not teaching or had any responsibility for, I'm not sure that warrants having to drop out of a political race. It appears the school policy prohibits relationships were that power dynamic is direct, which is reasonable.

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Any professor dating undergrads is extremely problematic, fullstop. Doesn't really matter the department or if they actually had them in class, the power imbalance is too vast, it's unethical any way you slice it.

 

[GrapeApes]

Two posts above mine.

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Read like a joke to me. 🤷🏾‍♂️

 

[Instro]

Sounds like a fucking creep.

 

[Nox]

This is like what, 2 JD's being exposed as creeps in less than a month?

(Him and Buttar)

 

[SolidChamp]

It never fucking ends. Ever.

 

[red13th]

Dude dated students he met on an app, they weren't his students, doesn't seem like a big deal tbh.

 

[Damaniel]

Dude dated students he met on an app, they weren't his students, doesn't seem like a big deal tbh.

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Perhaps weren't, but could have been. If they were students at his school then he absolutely shouldn't be dating them, and I don't like the idea of minimizing the bad behaviors of Democratic politicians just because they're on 'our' side.

 

[ephexia]

Sounds like a fucking creep.

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Not really. Just unethical.

 

[madame x]

yeah theres a conversation to be had about this!

but this is a smear piece which leads a lot of people to infer that he was sleeping with his own students - which is factually not the case. so ill just leave it at that and not give credence to a smear campaign against a progressive.

 

[mugurumakensei]

yeah theres a conversation to be had about this!

but this is a smear piece which leads a lot of people to infer that he was sleeping with his own students - which is factually not the case. so ill just leave it at that and not give credence to a smear campaign against a progressive.

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I read as you saying it's perfectly okay to sleep with students at a university you give lectures at so long as you're a progressive leftist. All students at a university you lecture at are your students.

 

[madame x]

I read as you saying it's perfectly okay to sleep with students at a university you give lectures at so long as you're a progressive leftist. All students at a university you lecture at are your students.

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i mean i personally would not encourage it but i dont think that its worthy of a scandal?

umass has 30k students? if you go on a date/hook up with someone on grindr who goes there i really dont see how we can derail someones' campaign for that.

im not defending him because hes a progressive leftist. hes being smeared before hes a progressive. so im not giving into that by trying to nuance the situation. i dont think what he did is worthy of a scandal and im not going to grant people the muddying of the waters by equating it to dating his OWN students whose grades he's in charge of.

 

[mugurumakensei]

i mean i personally would not encourage it but i dont think that its worthy of a scandal?

umass has 30k students? if you go on a date/hook up with someone on grindr who goes there i really dont see how we can derail someones' campaign for that.

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There's an easy to way to avoid sleeping with students on Grindr. Don't use Grindr near the university and try to stick to older profiles. Barring a few edge cases with older students (30+), it's pretty easy to tell if they're a student.
Even without dating his own student, if he interacts with any lecturer or professor that teaches that student, it opens the door up for gross abuses of power.

from what's being reported by the UMA college Dems, he knew they were students because he'd give his public social media and then direct them to his Grindr if he wanted sex.

 

[jack_package_200]

He is accused of adding students he met at student events on Instagram and trying to slide into their dms. He knew they were students.

How do you not see that as a gross abuse of power from an instructor?

 

[madame x]

There's an easy to way to avoid sleeping with students on Grindr. Don't use Grindr near the university and try to stick to older profiles. Barring a few edge cases with older students (30+), it's pretty easy to tell if they're a student.
Even without dating his own student, if he interacts with any lecturer or professor that teaches that student, it opens the door up for gross abuses of power.

from what's being reported by the UMA college Dems, he knew they were students because he'd give his public social media and then direct them to his Grindr if he wanted sex.

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you can't give people your Grindr profile only the other way around.

he was an older guy he was in his late 20s. I think this is a nothing burger meant to tangentially imply he was having sex for grades or something. That didn't happen. I'll leave it at that

 

[GrapeApes]

he was an older guy he was in his late 20s. I think this is a nothing burger meant to tangentially imply he was having sex for grades or something. That didn't happen. I'll leave it at that

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Blame him for keep that train of thought alive. Today seems like the first time he denied that and he just said he didn't violate policy.

 

[ReturnOfThaMack88]

So, these were not his students, he had no connection to them, and they were random guys he'd hook up with through Grindr? Like he's not even meeting them on campus or through school? They're just random Grindr hookups who happen to be students there? If I'm understanding this right, then this seems more homophobic than predatory. I just don't see it.

 

[SubvertedTrope]

Straight ppl always doing the most lol

 

[mugurumakensei]

So, these were not his students, he had no connection to them, and they were random guys he'd hook up with through Grindr? Like he's not even meeting them on campus or through school? They're just random Grindr hookups who happen to be students there? If I'm understanding this right, then this seems more homophobic than predatory. I just don't see it.

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In the letter, Morse is accused of having sexual contact with college students and using dating apps to match with students. The letter also alleges Morse took advantage of events hosted by College Democrats to add students to his Instagram account and contact them.

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Note this is referring to events at his own university University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He wasn't just using Grindr to hook up. He was also meeting students at events then sliding into their DMs to sleep with them. In other words, he knew they were students at his university.

 

[GrapeApes]

So, these were not his students, he had no connection to them, and they were random guys he'd hook up with through Grindr? Like he's not even meeting them on campus or through school? They're just random Grindr hookups who happen to be students there? If I'm understanding this right, then this seems more homophobic than predatory. I just don't see it.

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You missing the whole

The UMass group also said Morse used College Democrats events to meet college students and add them on Instagram to his "Close Friends" story, which is a less general means of communicating, and then direct messaging them.

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Cruising for dates during a college function don't sound too good if you're not in college.

 

[jack_package_200]

Do you all not read articles in the OP?

 

[ReturnOfThaMack88]

Note this is referring to events at his own university University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

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You missing the whole


Cruising for dates during a college function don't sound too good if you're not in college.

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okay, thank you both for that very important context. I read his letter on twitter and should be read more in depth about the allegations. That's pretty fucked up.

 

[Mezentine]

Was he in a relationship with students he was teaching? Or students in general.

I agree it isn't a great look either way, but one is still quite different than the other. And if it was students he was not teaching or had any responsibility for, I'm not sure that warrants having to drop out of a political race. It appears the school policy prohibits relationships were that power dynamic is direct, which is reasonable.

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He was apparently a mentor at the organization, which is actually sort of worse. It put him in a position where he could be viewed as a figure who's favor could lead to connections or advancement

 

[Nerokis]

amazing seeing the usual "anti-woke" crowd come out in full force in defense of this guy - like, years of people getting smarter about power dynamics, about men seeing those in lower/dependent positions as sources of validation and sex, immediately melt away and suddenly the idea he did anything wrong is the return of Victorian morality

fuckin hell

 

[Mezentine]

Their latest statement is worth reading also

 

[Tuxedotank]

I think it's questionable that the claims are coming from a political group instead of a reporter directly (the articles only seem to reference a letter provides by these groups). Is there another source with more info on this?

Edit: post above clarifies. This is an ethical issue with his behavior in the group. The articles linked include a variety of details that seem unrelated to this claim.

 

[Mezentine]

I think it's questionable that the claims are coming from a political group instead of a reporter directly (the articles only seem to reference a letter provides by these groups). Is there another source with more info on this?

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Its not clear that the group wanted to go public period, I honestly don't know who leaked this out, I'm not sure if anyone does

 

[moblin]

amazing seeing the usual "anti-woke" crowd come out in full force in defense of this guy - like, years of people getting smarter about power dynamics, about men seeing those in lower/dependent positions as sources of validation and sex, immediately melt away and suddenly the idea he did anything wrong is the return of Victorian morality

fuckin hell

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yep, although the rot is more widespread than just among those folks

It will be both sad and interesting to watch how few people care about abuse of power (and credible rape allegations) and choose to instead fawn over personality and brand loyalty when Bill Clinton speaks at the DNC in a few weeks.

 

[jack_package_200]

Their latest statement is worth reading also

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Its icky that people thought Rep Neal paid this student group off to slander Morse as part of a hit job.

 

[Powdered Egg]

JDs need to vet their candidate's histories. They are facing people with investigatory powers and more firepower. Morse is stupid for this, how hard is it to date outside of the school you lecture as a professional?

 

[RastaMentality]

You missing the whole


Cruising for dates during a college function don't sound too good if you're not in college.

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this isn't what cruising is lol

 

[Cotton McKnight]

The power dynamic being described in the letter from the College Democrats was a good add to situation as a reminder as why this wasn't a good idea by Morse.

 

[dlauv]

Why is this situation the one that implodes the check marks?

 

[jack_package_200]

Why is this situation the one that implodes the check marks?

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Its sadly unsurprising. Katie Halper is still defending Shahid. Glenn Greenwald is raging against the "woke libs" for caring about Morse's relationships with students.

Lee Fang is such an ass, feels like a natural progression for him from his usual contempt for black women

The Intercept is trash