Iowa lawmakers are calling on state universities to terminate the employment of those who have made comments about Charlie Kirk’s death online. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
State and federal lawmakers have turned their eyes toward Iowa’s institutions of higher education as the fallout from right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk’s death continues, with Iowa university employees allegedly joining others online speaking about the incident in a positive light.
Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, and Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, signed a letter directed to the Iowa Board of Regents this weekend calling for the immediate firing of employees who they said “publicly celebrated his killing online.”
“Each instance of social media posts with cheers, taunting, and vile glee is more disturbing than the last,” the letter stated. “Such behavior is sickening – no American’s death should be celebrated, especially by those charged with the honorable duty of educating Iowa’s youth.”
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Kirk was shot last week while holding a public speaking event at Utah Valley University through his organization, Turning Point USA.
Collins identified the social media posts mentioned in the letter as coming from two Iowa State University employees, though the Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to independently verify the posts.
One of the posters stated they are “pretty sure we’re all okay with political violence,” but did not mention Kirk or the shooting. The other pointed out comments previously made by Kirk as to the trade-off of gun deaths and 2nd Amendment rights, saying in their post he “got what was coming” and they are “happy he’s rotting in hell now.”
The comments referenced in the post come from a speech by Kirk in 2023, according to a Newsweek article from the time, during which he said he believes some gun deaths annually are worth having the 2nd Amendment — calling it the “cost” of getting to own guns and “protect our other God-given rights.”
ISU spokesperson Angie Hunt said in an email the university doesn’t have any comment on the employees, posts or possible investigation.
Iowa Board of Regents President Sherry Bates released multiple statements in the wake of the killing, the first reaffirming the board’s belief in free speech and that “no one should feel unsafe when sharing their views.” She stated in her second statement, released Sept. 12, that the board was aware of posts from university students and employees on Kirk, and his death “should not be celebrated.”
“These posts and others like them are offensive, insensitive, and in no way reflect the views of the Board of Regents or its universities,” Bates said in her statement on social media posts. “The comments are inconsistent with the Board’s values to create a civil and respectful environment at our public universities.”
Regents president highlights campus intellectual freedom centers
Bates also mentioned in her first statement, released Sept. 11, how efforts to form “civic and intellectual freedom centers” on public university campuses show the board’s commitment to keeping Iowa’s public colleges safe and respectful of “open dialogue.”
“These centers will provide scholarship and discussion regarding our great nation and the Constitutional principles on which it was founded,” Bates said in her statement. “Differing opinions will be heard, but threats and violence are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The board is set to approve the membership of an advisory council to the University of Iowa’s center for intellectual freedom at its meeting this week, with the center currently in formation after state law required it.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said in a post on X that the UI should name its new center after Kirk, which would honor who she described as “a true defender of free speech and open debate.”
However, Collins’s and Evans’s letter stated such statements are not enough to fix what they’ve identified as wrong on Iowa college campuses.
The social media posts referenced by Collins are proof of how far higher education has strayed from its base mission, the letter stated, and universities are no longer “the epicenter of civil debate and respectful discourse, the very pillar of Charlie Kirk’s ethos.”
“Boilerplate press releases will not solve the culture problem on our college campuses – only decisive action with a clear red line,” the letter stated. “Today, we are calling for any university employees who celebrated the death of their fellow American to be terminated immediately.”
Board of Regents spokesperson Josh Lehman said in an email he has nothing to add from the statements made by Bates last week, in response to questions sent by the Iowa Capital Dispatch about the social media posts and whether they have been verified by the board.
The board will go into closed session Wednesday morning, Lehman said in his email — a late addition to the Sept. 17-18 meeting agenda.
According to the closed session notice, the board will discuss items relating to student and employee records and “evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered as necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation.” They will also discuss topics involving current or imminent litigation, according to the notice.
Universities in Mississippi and South Carolina have already suspended or fired employees for making online comments about Kirk’s death, including Clemson University and the University of Mississippi.
PEN America, the U.S. branch of an international nonprofit dedicated to protecting free expression, released a statement expressing alarm at faculty and staff losing their jobs across the U.S. for posting about Kirk, from Florida to Tennessee and more.
PEN America Program Director for Campus Free Speech Kristen Shahverdian said in the release “knee-jerk dismissals” of faculty and staff for online comments “raises concerns about institutions responding to political pressure and social media outrage” rather than reviewing cases with due process and with the same standards.
“Faculty in particular have broad leeway to speak on issues of the day, a necessary protection for academic freedom and scholarship. However, when administrators fire faculty over social media commentary — whether that speech is offensive or topical — they set a precedent that will be used to silence scholars and students across the spectrum,” Shahverdian said in the release. “These firings reverberate beyond the campus walls, creating a culture of fear across society at large. Universities should rebuke violent rhetoric and condemn offensive speech, but they should not impose blanket firings on protected speech.”
