Mississippi College has announced the suspension of two employees for “inappropriate statements on social media” in the aftermath of the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The Baptist school with campuses in Clinton and Jackson issued a statement Wednesday morning saying the employees will be suspended pending further review. This comes after SuperTalk Mississippi News reported Tuesday on faculty member Ashley Krason sharing a post equating Kirk’s death to a “Greek tragedy, full of irony and self-fulfilling prophecies.”
“Mississippi College is aware of inappropriate statements on social media that are wholly inconsistent with the institution’s mission and values and fall short of expectations for professional conduct of employees. MC has suspended two employees, pending further review. Mississippi College condemns all violence, political or otherwise,” the statement reads.
When asked who the second employee is, university spokesperson Jenny Tate said she could not share that information due to it being a personnel matter.
Widespread criticism erupted on social media after Krason’s post, in which she wrote, “This is the only thing I’ll share publicly on the subject,” above a post insinuating Kirk’s death was the result of political views he held. Kirk, shot and killed Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University, was an advocate for gun rights.
Krason is an assistant professor in the school’s Modern Language Department and coordinator of the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program. She is also the sponsor of a student group called the Kissimmee Tribe, in which she sent a message to its officers after the post clarifying “some very cruel rumors” being spread about her.
Before the message, a countering social media post had been shared among students and parents calling for Krason to be fired.
Krason is the latest staffer at a Mississippi university to face criticism and consequences from their employer for a social media post related to Kirk’s death. Lauren Stokes, the executive assistant for the vice chancellor at the University of Mississippi, was fired on Sept. 11 after sharing a post comparing Kirk to a Ku Klux Klan member.
