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Professor’s posts spark battle between free speech defenders and conservative watchdogs
Carnegie Mellon University is facing mounting criticism over its handling of Associate Professor Uju Anya as administrators review what the university condemned as “hostile and threatening” social media posts regarding the death of Charlie Kirk.
As campus leaders remain silent, a debate has emerged over whether the professor’s controversial social media posts are protected under academic freedom or represent severe workplace misconduct that justifies institutional discipline.
It’s been nearly a month since a statement on the professor was released to the campus community by CMU leaders and there have been no updates since.
In mid-September, President Farnam Jahanian and Provost James Garrett Jr. wrote that they are “aware of hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr. Uju Anya, a faculty member in the department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics.”
Professor Anya is currently on voluntary leave through summer 2027.
The administrators noted that Anya referenced her “connection to Carnegie Mellon and implied support from university colleagues” in her posts, which also “used expletives, racial slurs and derogatory language that demeaned, dehumanized and intimidated.”
Jahanian and Garrett condemned the posts, which they said violate “community standards.”
“While university policy prohibits us from sharing information about personnel matters, we are taking swift action in accordance with our processes,” they wrote.
Around the anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s death, Anya wrote, “They began already, and it ain’t even Kirkmas kirk mubarak, y’all!” from her now-deleted X account, according to Fox News.
In another post, she wrote, “Die first, white man, and then ask yourself why I am dancing.”
The College Fix reached out to CMU via email and phone call for more information on the school’s review of the matter. It did not respond.
In response to the school’s statement, a free speech group is raising concerns about academic freedom. Reached for comment, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression spokesperson Alex Griswold directed The Fix to a post on X from the group.
While people are free to take offense to Anya’s comments, Carnegie Mellon’s response shows a bigger issue at the school, FIRE wrote.
“Its departmental policy ‘does not tolerate harassment, discrimination or disrespect in any form,’ including some off-campus communications,” the group wrote.
“‘Disrespect in any form’ is an insane standard for a university. Disagreement, criticism, protest, satire, and even harsh language can all be labeled ‘disrespectful.’ None of that is misconduct,” it wrote.
It added that the policy essentially gives administrators “a blank check to investigate almost anything controversial.”
FIRE also criticized campus leaders for calling the professor’s posts “hostile and threatening,” as campus police declared there was no credible threat on campus.
“Offensive speech does not become a threat just because a university labels it ‘threatening,’ and CMU cannot evade its free speech promises that way,” the free speech group wrote.
“If this investigation concerns nothing more than ‘disrespectful’ speech, CMU must end it and fix its departmental policy,” FIRE wrote.
Others, however, don’t believe the school has done enough to hold the professor accountable.
Corey DeAngelis, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told The College Fix via email that the school “is running the same playbook it used in 2022, when Anya celebrated the death of Queen Elizabeth and faced public backlash.”
He said that it’s now been nearly a month after the professor’s latest post, and CMU has not provided a “substantive update.”
“Officials are not answering questions by email, social media, or phone. The media-relations line goes straight to a full voicemail box. Posts are being deleted, replies hidden, and critics blocked,” DeAngelis said.
“The institution is going into hiding and waiting for the storm to pass so it can return to business as usual without holding her accountable, just as it did last time,” he added.
DeAngelis clarified that this case is not a dispute over academic freedom, as the professor was not punished for unpopular research or a political disagreement.
“Everyone has freedom of speech. Employers also have freedom of association. Anya’s comments were hateful and racist, and they had nothing to do with advancing knowledge or debating ideas in her field,” he said.
“Her speech implied the university shared her views and violated CMU’s standards against hostile conduct,” he said.
He added that it is no longer reasonable for conservative or white students to feel safe in her classroom.
“She is free to say what she wants. But she should not be paid to mold the minds of students any longer,” he said.
DeAngelis has consistently called on CMU to hold the professor accountable in posts on social media.
“It has been 25 days now, @CarnegieMellon, and you still haven’t done anything to hold your racist professor accountable,” he wrote on X.
“She needs to go. You promised us ‘swift action,’ you liars,” he wrote.
Another X user pointed out that “CMU has been named a top 20 university by U.S. News & World Report and “received the largest single private donation in U.S. history from @Citadel.”
The professor is also scheduled to speak at a University of Pittsburgh event next month. The event is called “Reimagining Black placemaking through multilingual and multicultural exchange in the AfroMetaverse Project.”
