Laura Sosh-Lightsy #

Introduction #

Laura Sosh-Lightsy, an assistant dean at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), was fired in September 2025 after she posted a comment on Facebook expressing, per the Duke University Campus Speech Database’s summary of the incident, “zero sympathy” for the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.[] MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee described the remarks as “inappropriate and callous,” saying they were inconsistent with the university’s values and undermined trust with students, faculty, and staff. The termination, confirmed by the university to local media, made Sosh-Lightsy one of the most prominent named cases in the wave of employer firings over social-media posts about Kirk’s September 10, 2025 death.

Background Information #

Sosh-Lightsy was the assistant dean of students at MTSU, a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[] Her role was directly connected to student conduct, a fact officials emphasized when explaining why her public comment was treated as incompatible with her position. The Duke University Campus Speech Database classifies the incident as a social-media matter involving a faculty/staff member at a public university, with no litigation recorded as of the database entry.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University.[] In the days that followed, thousands of people posted about his death on social media, and employers across the country fired, investigated, or reprimanded employees over their posts.[] In the middle of that wave, Sosh-Lightsy posted a comment on Facebook expressing “zero sympathy” for Kirk’s assassination, per the Duke Campus Speech Database’s account of the incident.

MTSU confirmed the termination to local media, and President McPhee said in a Facebook post that the employee had made “inappropriate and callous comments” about Kirk’s death.[] The university framed the decision around professionalism in public service and the sensitive circumstances created by Kirk’s killing.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The firing drew attention both because of Sosh-Lightsy’s role in student conduct and because it landed in the middle of a national debate over whether public-sector employers can fire employees for off-duty social-media speech.[] McPhee released statements emphasizing the university’s commitment to free speech while noting the importance of professionalism, and he said the comments were particularly concerning given the unsettled and fearful mood among students and community members after Kirk’s death.

The Duke Campus Speech Database recorded the incident under “Incident Responses: Faculty sanctioned” and “Political Orientation: Not Clear,” and noted the firing became part of a broader discussion of social-media conduct among public employees, occurring amid similar reactions at universities and institutions across the country following Kirk’s death.

Sosh-Lightsy’s case sits within a much larger wave of terminations tied to the same week. HR Brew, an employment-law publication, reported that in the wake of Kirk’s September 2025 assassination, more than 600 workers were fired, placed under investigation, or otherwise reprimanded by their employers for posting about his killing on social media, and that the majority had posted critical commentary. It also noted that the settlements reported at the time had all been paid out by public employers — such as universities and state government agencies — where employees have First Amendment protections for privately commenting on matters of public interest, a distinction that public-sector cases like Sosh-Lightsy’s made prominent.

Current Status #

As of the reporting in September 2025, Sosh-Lightsy had been fired from MTSU, and the Duke Campus Speech Database recorded the incident’s status as “No litigation.”[] The university had not announced a replacement for her in the available coverage, and no public statement from Sosh-Lightsy about the decision was recorded in the sources reviewed.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The termination ended Sosh-Lightsy’s role at MTSU and made her a named example in the wider “Charlie Kirk post” firings, a category that, according to HR Brew’s reporting, encompassed more than 600 workers who were fired, investigated, or reprimanded for posting about Kirk’s killing. Her case is notable for the way a single, off-duty social-media comment was treated as inconsistent with the responsibilities of a public-university official charged with student conduct, and for the free-speech questions that her firing raised even as the university defended the decision on professionalism grounds.