East Tennessee State University has suspended two faculty members while officials review comments they made online following the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.
University spokesperson Jess Vodden, as reported by WJHL, confirmed in an email that professors Andrew Herrmann and Russ Brown were placed on administrative leave “pending further review.” Vodden noted that complaints had been filed regarding their posts but declined to share details, citing personnel confidentiality.
Earlier in the day, ETSU responded to questions about Herrmann’s posts by explaining that speech on personal social media accounts is generally considered protected expression. That response did not address whether disciplinary action might follow.
Herrmann appeared to suggest in one post that Kirk’s death was deserved, while Brown expressed criticism of Kirk’s role in shaping political discourse in the U.S.
In a morning statement, Vodden noted that ETSU has no policies limiting personal expression online but that the institution “condemns bigotry, the use of slurs, harassment or discrimination, and the promotion of violence.”
The university’s decision to place the two professors on leave came shortly after State Senator Bobby Harshbarger announced on his campaign Facebook page that he had spoken with ETSU President Brian Noland. Harshbarger praised the university’s action, calling the professors’ remarks “reckless” and insisting that “celebrating or excusing an assassination” is “vile and unacceptable”.
“Faculty who engage in that kind of rhetoric have no place leading our classrooms or shaping the next generation,” Harshbarger wrote, adding that he intends to closely follow developments to ensure accountability.
Brown teaches in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Quillen College of Medicine, while Herrmann is an associate professor and associate chair in the Department of Communication Studies and Storytelling.
