
Key Takeaways
- Two Ball State University employees are under investigation for controversial social media posts regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
- The university administration has stated that the posts do not represent the campus culture, and they are reviewing the situation to determine appropriate disciplinary action under First Amendment rights.
Two Ball State University employees are under investigation for their online social media posts regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“The administration at Ball State is aware of social media posts by two university employees. Both posts were on the employees’ personal accounts, and the posts do not reflect the culture of our campus nor the enduring values of the university,” the university said in a statement on the controversy.
“The administration is gathering additional information about the posts in order to determine what discipline, if any, is appropriate and permissible under the First Amendment to the Constitution,” according to the statement, posted on X Sept. 12.
According to the Muncie Star Press, the two employees under investigation are Suzanne Swierc, Ball State’s director of health promotion and advocacy, and Felicia Gray, assistant lecturer of elementary education.
The two did not immediately respond to The College Fix’s request for comment Monday.
Screenshots of Swierc’s post show it stated:
Let me be clear: if you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can’t be friends.
His death is a tragedy, and I can and do feel for his wife and children.
I believe in the Resurrection, and while it’s difficult, I can and do pray for his soul.
Charlie Kirk’s death is a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed. It does not excuse his death, AND it’s a sad truth.
The shooting is a tragedy, and I can and do feel for a college campus experiencing an active shooter situation.
The deaths of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the children shot and killed in Minneapolis last month, and the children shot in Colorado today are all tragedies that also deserve your attention.
Charlie Kirk excused the deaths of children in the name of the second amendment.
As for Gray’s comments, the Muncie Star Press reports that in “response to another person’s posting, Gray said Kirk’s killing ‘feels like karma paid a visit.'”
“I mean he condoned killing immigrants and trans people,” she wrote. “He was quoted as saying mass shootings are the process you pay for the second amendment and it was worth it. Don’t go clutching your pearls… what the hell do you people expect?”
MORE: Middle Tennessee State dean fired after saying she has ‘ZERO sympathy’ for Charlie Kirk’s death