John Gauger has been accused of rigging polls for the 2016 Presidential Election.

If Liberty University wants to retain Christian credibility in the academic field, their Chief Information Officer John Gauger needs to resign.

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, The Wall Street Journal released a report detailing how former attorney Michael Cohen paid off Gauger to rig poll data in favor of Donald Trump for the 2016 presidential election. Cohen hired Gauger through his private marketing business, Redfinch Solutions.

There are bizarre details involved in the story, such as Gauger being promised $50,000, but by his claims only receiving $13,000 and a boxing glove in a Walmart bag. The poll rigging went disastrously, with Trump performing extremely poorly.

Through his involvement with poll rigging and being paid off for it, Gauger has exhibited explicit moral flaws, making him unfit for any position of authority in a school that claims to have a Christian foundation.

Unfortunately, Liberty has not only left Gauger in his position, but praised him in their response to the article. The response not only ignores the claims that Gauger rigged polls, but praised him as one of “many outstanding LU employees who have made great contributions in their official roles and also enjoyed success as independent entrepreneurs.”

Gauger’s reputation has been completely tarnished by this report, and that reflects extremely poorly on Liberty University. As a student of Liberty, I do not want this man representing me in any way.

I hate to have to explain this to a Christian university, but rigging poll data and getting paid under the table for it does not set a good precedent for the students at the university and the outside world seeing this embarrassing situation unfold.

I also hate having to explain the code of conduct set by Liberty to Liberty, as they seem to have forgotten it in their endorsement of Gauger. It says in Liberty’s employee handbook that they are “expected to conduct themselves in matters of language and morality in a manner compatible with the Mission of the University and The Liberty Way. Unsuitable conduct may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination.”

If this is not a gross infringement on language and morality as far as the code of conduct is concerned, I don’t know what is.

And the outside world is seeing this, too. I can’t begin to describe my dismay at seeing how many people are questioning the academic integrity of the school as reports like this come to light.

People can see this kind of practice is not biblical and does not promote truth. Proverbs 11:1 says, “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” If Liberty is truly a Christian university, it should be condemning false balances, not condoning them.

I don’t want the integrity of my morality, education and political beliefs questioned because the school I attend has failed to uphold its own standards and practice basic and logical Christian morality in the face of controversy.

For Liberty to even pretend they value Christian principals over politics in any way, Gauger needs to resign.

Panyard is the Editor-in-Chief