Dean at Tennessee University Fired Over Comments About Charlie Kirk

A senior university official at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) was fired Wednesday after she made callous and politically charged comments on social media following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA.

Laura Sosh-Lightsy, the Associate Dean of Students at MTSU, was terminated immediately after her posts surfaced, in which she declared she had “ZERO sympathy” for Kirk and seemed to justify the murder.

“Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy,” she wrote, according to screenshots shared by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

In a second post, Sosh-Lightsy added:

“I’m not celebrating the loss of Charlie Kirk’s life. Violence is not the answer. I’m celebrating the loss of his message of violence in an increasingly violent world, which is partially because of him.”

These disgusting remarks came just hours after Kirk was shot in the neck during a student Q&A session at Utah Valley University a political assassination that has left the nation reeling and has drawn bipartisan condemnation.

Sosh-Lightsy’s posts were first flagged by MTSU alumnus Matthew Hurtt, director of the Leadership Institute, and quickly went viral. The backlash was immediate, with lawmakers and alumni demanding accountability.

Senator Blackburn wasted no time calling for action:

“Charlie Kirk was an inspiration for so many young people to speak up and work towards a better country, and nowhere was that more true than our college campuses,” she wrote. “She should be fired tomorrow.”

MTSU President Sidney McPhee responded swiftly, announcing that Sosh-Lightsy had been “fired effective immediately” and that her comments had done serious damage to the university’s reputation.

“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,” McPhee said in a statement.

Her university profile was scrubbed shortly after the announcement, and her over 20-year career at the school ended in disgrace.

Let’s be clear: This wasn’t just poor judgment. This was celebrating the death of a young father and American patriot who was murdered for daring to speak his mind.

Sosh-Lightsy wasn’t a fringe adjunct professor spouting off in some obscure forum. She was in charge of student conduct and behavioral intervention at a major public university responsible for shaping the moral and educational environment of thousands of young adults.

That someone in that role would think it’s acceptable to publicly justify political murder reveals just how deeply poisoned America’s higher education system has become.

Republican State Rep. Jason Zachary, also an MTSU graduate, applauded the university for its swift decision:

“Thank you [President McPhee] for your leadership and decisive action,” he posted. “Our leaders in higher education must hold faculty accountable and ensure that our public institutions reflect Tennessee values.”

Tennessee values decency, faith, freedom, and respect for human life were under attack with Sosh-Lightsy’s grotesque words. And MTSU made the right call in showing her the door.

But the larger question remains: How many more “educators” in positions of power are just like her willing to quietly cheer when conservatives are silenced or eliminated?

Charlie Kirk spent his life calling out this rot in academia. He gave young conservatives a voice. And now, even in death, his enemies are exposing themselves for who they really are.

Good riddance to Laura Sosh-Lightsy. And let her firing be the first of many.

Share this article and stay informed by subscribing to our newsletter.