Middle Tennessee State University has fired an employee who reportedly made “insensitive comments on Facebook” following the fatal shooting of conservative political activist and media personality Charlie Kirk.
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee issued a statement Thursday (9/11/2025) saying the dismissed employee “had a leadership role in the Office of Student Care and Conduct. In that role, she oversaw the adjudication of student behavioral matters, a position that requires students to see her as fair and even-handed, a professional without agendas. Simply put, this employee’s actions make her ineligible to work with students on their conduct. Speech can have consequences and her thoughtlessness and lack of empathy mean that no one walking into her office can see her as an objective arbiter of facts. This action has badly disrupted and undermined the university, so we have taken the appropriate steps.”
East Tennessee State University has also placed at least two faculty members on administrative leave for their social media comments about Charlie Kirk pending investigation.