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Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) terminated its assistant dean on Wednesday after she made disrespectful social media posts indicating she was “celebrating” the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Laura Sosh-Lightsy, the assistant dean of students, reportedly shared two Facebook posts concerning Kirk’s assassination, which occurred on a college campus in Utah.
In one post, Sosh-Lightsy wrote, “Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy,” a statement later shared by Twitter user Matthew Hurtt.
In a subsequent post, she expressed agreement with a meme about Kirk, stating, “Yep. Hate begets hate. Still no sympathy. You get back what you put into the world tenfold.”
Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn shared Hurtt’s screenshots on Twitter and called for Sosh-Lightsy’s removal from her position, stating, “This person should be ashamed of her post. She should be removed from her position at @MTSU.”
Later that evening, MTSU President Sidney McPhee issued a statement confirming the dismissal, saying, “An MTSU employee today offered inappropriate and callous comments on social media concerning the horrific and tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. The comments by this employee, who worked in a position of trust directly with students, were inconsistent with our values and have undermined the university’s credibility and reputation with our students, faculty, staff, and the community at large. This employee has been fired effective immediately. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Kirk family.”
University spokesman Jimmy Hart later confirmed that Sosh-Lightsy was the employee in question, according to The Tennessean.
In a follow-up statement to the campus community, McPhee emphasized the need for staff to be supportive and caring during stressful times, expressing shock at the insensitive comments made by Sosh-Lightsy. He stated, “Speech can have consequences and her thoughtlessness and lack of empathy mean that no one walking into her office can see her as an objective arbiter of facts.”
