BOCA RATON, Fla. — Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is now at the center of a growing national debate over political speech.
Students on both sides of the political aisle tell WPTV’s Michael Hoffman that they denounce political violence. Still, the assassination of Charlie Kirk is dividing people, including over comments made by an FAU professor now under investigation.
Tenured professor, Dr. Karen Leader, was placed on leave after sharing multiple posts on X that described Kirk as “racist, transphobic, homophobic and more.”
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Michael Hoffman speaks with FAU students on the investigation of Dr. Karen Leader
Nick Coyte, president of FAU’s Turning Point USA chapter, the group Kirk founded, said the issue comes down to free speech.
“The point is free speech,” said Coyte.
“We stand for free speech. You have a right to speak. But of course, your employers, if you're in a private institution or even a public institution, if you're not doing the job they've hired you to do, then you could wind up in trouble with them.”
In a statement by Nicholas Ostheimer, president of the FAU College Democrats, he called the move by the school “unjust and un-American.”
“To see this retaliation by right-wing institutions and university leadership, it's totally the wrong response,” said Ostheimer.
“We should be coming together and saying now is the time to have the hard conversations just like we're supposed to on a college campus, instead of coming out and punishing professors for what they're saying online.”
Read the FAU College Democrats' statement below:
An employment attorney tells WPTV that professors at public universities are state employees, which gives them more protections under the First Amendment compared to the private sector.
“Threats of criminal activity would be another one,” the attorney said.
“And if it does interfere with the person's job, you know, it's not so much the speech as it is that they would not be able to perform their job. For example, if a nurse said, I don't believe in giving medicines, I'm no longer going to give any patient medicine. Okay, that's probably a problem, whether she's public sector or private. I think that would require some discipline; if not discharged, you know, because obviously her job is related to that.”
FAU President Adam Hasner did not specify which policies were violated. When asked by Hoffman, a school spokesperson said it will not comment on personnel issues, but President Hasner said in a previous statement:
“It is our expectation that all employees consistently pursue the university’s mission and values to promote higher education, cultivate academic excellence, and support the personal growth of our students.”
Hoffman reached out to Dr. Leader for comment and is still working to get her response.
Boca Raton
