Wind Advisory
from SAT 12:00 PM MST until SAT 10:00 PM MST, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, White Mountains of Graham and Greenlee Counties including Hannagan Meadow, Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains including Mount Graham, Chiricahua Mountains including Chiricahua National Monument, Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains including Bisbee/Canelo Hills/Madera Canyon, Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains including Mount Lemmon/Summerhaven, Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak, Kofa, Central La Paz, Aguila Valley, Southeast Yuma County, Gila River Valley, Northwest Valley, Tonopah Desert, Gila Bend, Buckeye/Avondale, Cave Creek/New River, Deer Valley, Central Phoenix, North Phoenix/Glendale, New River Mesa, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, Rio Verde/Salt River, East Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Superior, Northwest Pinal County, West Pinal County, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Tonto Basin, Mazatzal Mountains, Pinal/Superstition Mountains, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, San Carlos, Dripping Springs, Globe/Miami, Southeast Gila County

GCU professor suspended after controversial comments about Black Lives Matter

A professor at Grand Canyon University is under fire for some controversial comments he made about Black Lives Matter activists. Now local activists and the school are responding to the comments, which were made nearly a year ago, but only recently came to light.

Professor Toby Jennings has apologized and has been suspended. GCU says it places the highest value on diversity and tolerance. Some BLM members say GCU does a lot of good things, but is not satisfied with the school's response in this case.

GCU posted a link on its website to a ministry forum from last September called "God's concern for the poor: What's missing in social justice."

Jennings said the Black Lives Matter movement has different voices and some of them are not good.

"You have folks that participate in it on one side that are very thoughtful about the matter and then on the other side, you have people on the opposite side of that who frankly should be hung and I did say that on video.. they are saying things that are not helpful in any shape or form or human dignity or flourishing."

GCU says its College of Theology told Professor Jennings his statements were offensive, but didn't bring up the matter to the school's top executives.

Black Lives Matter took up the cause and last week, GCU suspended Jennings for the rest of the semester, but some BLM members in Phoenix say that's not enough.

"My heart is broken, not because GCU is our enemy, but they claim to be our brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters please stop avoiding talking about ways racism.. makes us uncomfortable," said Pastor Warren Stewart, Jr.

The president of Grand Canyon University, while acknowledging he values the contributions of Black Lives Matter, says the critics in this case are wrong.

Should Black Lives Matter be sensitive to what was said?

"Yes, it was wrong, but it is an isolated incident and it does not represent who our faculty is and it does not represent who our students are," said Brian Mueller, GCU's president.

GCU statement regarding September 2016 Ministry Forum:
http://news.gcu.edu/2017/08/gcu-statement-regarding-september-2016-ministry-forum