Kirk was 'no friend of' academic freedom, UMich professor claims
University of Michigan Faculty Senate Chair Derek Peterson criticized Charlie Kirk in a faculty-wide email, claiming he opposed academic freedom and endangered faculty members through his Professor Watchlist.
After Kirk’s assassination, several university-affiliated individuals faced backlash for social media posts mocking his death, prompting firings and formal reviews.
Derek Peterson, the chairman of the faculty senate at the University of Michigan, criticized Charlie Kirk in a faculty-wide email, accusing him of being unfriendly to “academic freedom.”
Peterson sent the email to Michigan faculty on Sept. 16, and The Washington Free Beacon obtained a screenshot of it.
“In life, Kirk was no friend of academic freedom,” Peterson wrote. “Twenty members of the faculty are included on his ‘Professor Watchlist,’ which targets faculty who (in his partisan definition) ‘promote anti-American values.’ His demagoguery has endangered a great many people.”
In comments made to Campus Reform, Peterson emphasized that his “purpose was to call for peace and civility, not to condemn the late Mr. Kirk.” Peterson added that Kirk “may have been a likeable person,” but that he “was no saint, and reasonable people can disagree about his politics.”
Professor Watchlist, a Turning Point USA nonprofit project, aims to identify and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students or promote leftist views, compiling information from published news reports on radical behavior in the classroom.
Peterson, a historian, focuses on African intellectual and religious history, post-colonial identity, and pan-Africanism, according to an online biography. His fields of study include “gender history,” “nationalism,” and “ethnicity.”
After Kirk’s assassination, several university-affiliated individuals faced backlash for social media posts mocking or celebrating his death, leading to firings, account deactivations, and formal reviews.
For instance, a University of Mississippi staff member was fired after reposting online comments about Kirk’s assassination that described him as a KKK member and expressed no sympathy for his death.
Chancellor Glenn Boyce condemned the remarks as “hurtful, insensitive” and inconsistent with the university’s values of civility, fairness, and respect, emphasizing the campus’s commitment to a respectful environment.
Similarly, a Clemson University professor, Melvin Earl Villaver Jr., appears to have deactivated his social media after posting messages mocking Kirk.
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Screenshots show Villaver reposting comments like “no one mourns the wicked” and joking about Kirk’s views, while also sharing original posts.
The president of St. Bonaventure University’s student government, Emma Gavazzi, also shared a social media selfie appearing to smile about the assassination. Critics have called for her expulsion, citing her comments as “careless” and “abhorrent.”
University President Jeff Gingerich confirmed a formal review is underway, while disciplinary action remains under consideration, with the campus community expressing widespread disapproval.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Michigan for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
