A Columbus State University professor is still employed after making comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk on social media. Dr. Allen Gee retains his teaching position in the Department of English but has resigned his endowed professorship and responsibilities for the CSU Press according to Michael Tullier, Executive Director, Office of Strategic Communication and Marketing.
Dr. Gee made the following comment on a Facebook story posted by the Columbus Ledger:
“Charlie Kirk was worth over $12 million. He spewed hate constantly and used any tactic he could-interruption, talking loudly and over students-to humiliate students. He never sought unity and reveled in putting down younger people. His debates were filled with falsehoods, racism, homophobia, and white supremist rhetoric. There was very little that was brave about how he spread hate. His shooting was extremely sad, though, with him dying as a victim of the gun violence that he sanctioned, defending the second amendment after a school shooting in which children were killed. Sadly he received death threats all the time and his children will not grow up with their father, and his wife has lost her husband.”
While she did not mention the professor by name, Columbus State University’s president Stuart Rayfield issued the following statement:
“I want to address recent social media posts by a member of the Columbus State University community about the recent tragic shooting and death of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
While individuals—students, faculty and staff alike—are entitled to their own personal views under the First Amendment, those views do not represent the university. Nor do they necessarily reflect our values. I regret that these comments have become associated with Columbus State and that they have caused anger online and pain in our community.
Columbus State stands for respectful, civil discourse. As Chancellor Perdue said last week, our role as educators is to prepare students for citizenship in a democracy grounded in both free expression and mutual civility.
In moments like these, our community should not be defined by what divides us, but by how we come together with empathy and respect.”
