Straws in the Wind - Part 222

From the NY Times: A tenured professor who was briefly fired by Austin Peay State University in Tennessee in September for what the school’s president said was an insensitive social media post about the killing of Charlie Kirk will get a $500,000 settlement and his job back. The abrupt firing, which the university acknowledged soon afterward had violated the professor’s due-process rights, was made after the professor’s post drew a backlash from conservatives, including Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee. The institution, which is a public school based in Clarksville, Tenn., about 45 miles northwest of Nashville, backtracked less than two weeks later, placing the professor on a paid suspension for the rest of the fall semester while it pursued his termination.

The professor, Darren Michael, 56, who teaches acting and directing, was reinstated on Dec. 30 as part of the settlement with the university, which ended a more than three-month dispute over his employment... Weighing in on Mr. Kirk’s assassination in a Facebook post on Sept. 12, Professor Michael shared a Newsweek article from 2023 that included a quote from Mr. Kirk about the importance of upholding the right to bear arms. The article was published about a week after a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville left six people dead, including three children. The headline read: “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth It to Keep 2nd Amendment.” ...

Full story at: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/us/austin-peay-professor-charlie-kirk-settlement-reinstated.html.

Straws in the Wind - Part 117

From Clarksville Now: CLARKSVILLE, TN – At [last] Thursday’s Austin Peay State University Faculty Senate meeting, an unexpected resolution was proposed in response to the termination-turned-suspension of tenured theater professor Darren Michael. Michael was originally terminated for resharing a post on social media about the Charlie Kirk shooting that displayed a 2023 headline, “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment.” In response, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn shared Michael’s post, along with his university bio, and stated, “What do you say, Austin Peay State University?” tagging APSU.

Michael’s status was later shifted to suspension after the administration found that it had not followed due process when firing him, specifically APSU’s Policy on Academic Tenure and Termination of Faculty Members for Adequate Cause. The policy states that any termination requires convening a hearing committee with six tenured faculty members – three appointed by the Faculty Senate and three by the president.

At the Sept. 18 Faculty Senate meeting, University President Mike Licari admitted that due process had not been followed, according to member Bill Rayburn...

Full story at https://clarksvillenow.com/local/apsu-faculty-senate-responds-to-actions-against-tenured-professor-in-charlie-kirk-case/.