Montana professor still sidelined for Kirk comments

A criminal justice professor at Montana State University-Northern remains on leave for her social media comments about Charlie Kirk, the conservative figure who was assassinated earlier this month. Nearly two weeks after the university took action, faculty have yet to be notified how the administration is handling the situation, according to a local union representative.

Mark Seiffert, a MSU-Northern professor and president of the campus faculty union, told Montana Free Press on Tuesday that the situation leaves questions about what kinds of speech are permissible on social media for faculty members.

“Some faculty have asked, ‘Well if they’re going over the line, where is the line?'” Seiffert said.

The university’s response has also caused him to consider his own online activity.

“It certainly had a chilling effect on me, and I tend to be a rabid free speech advocate,” he said. 

The university placed the professor, Samantha Balemba-Brownlee, on leave Sept. 12, and she remained on leave as of Tuesday, according to a school spokesperson. In a statement, the school said it would evaluate the situation.

The situation in the Hi-Line town of Havre played out as one of multiple cases nationwide in which Kirk supporters seek to identify social media comments that they deem callous or hateful in the wake of Kirk’s death. Supporters aimed to have people fired for their comments, and in the case of MSU-Northern, multiple Kirk supporters said on Facebook this month they were emailing university Chancellor Greg Kegel about the professor’s comments.

Balemba-Brownlee is an associate professor of criminal justice and earned a doctorate from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, according to MSU-Northern’s website. She teaches courses related to violent crime, forensic science and victimology, among others.

Balemba-Brownlee wrote Facebook posts saying Kirk was a “misogynistic, racist, homophobic, xenophobic asshole. He spread hate. He harmed society. He cut down women at every turn.” Reacting to the shooting, she wrote, “Holy shit! Someone shot Charlie Kirk in the neck! Not condoning violence, but maybe people are sick of the garbage he spews, perhaps?”

In another post that has been shared across social media, Balemba-Brownlee wrote, “Update: He died. Aw shucks. Thoughts and prayers.”

The Billings Gazette reported that the comments were initially private, but Havre city councilwoman Sarah McKinney screenshotted and shared the comments publicly on Facebook. McKinney did not respond to an MTFP inquiry.

On Sept. 12, Kegel, the university chancellor, issued a statement that addressed the Balemba-Brownlee situation, according to the initial report from KRTV. 

“The comments this faculty member made are the opinions of that individual. They do not represent the opinions of MSU-Northern or reflect our institution’s values,” the university’s statement said in part. “MSU-Northern has placed the faculty member on leave while we evaluate the situation. As a public employee, this individual has rights and protections, and the university will follow established processes as we determine any appropriate steps to take.”

Through a family member, Balemba-Brownlee declined to comment for this story.

Seiffert said that the campus faculty union sought the help of its statewide labor organization, the Montana Federation of Public Employees. A spokesperson for MFPE declined to comment to MTFP on this case.

Jim Potter, director of university relations at MSU-Northern, declined to comment on the professor’s case in detail. It’s not clear how long Balemba-Brownlee’s leave will last.

“We do have policies that we follow,” Potter said. “They are online, you’re welcome to follow them. That’s about what we’re doing.”

The university’s discipline policy outlines a review process in which the school’s human resources officer determines whether or not an employee should be fired. The university spokesperson didn’t comment on what specific actions administrators have taken.

There are other guidelines that may determine the outcome for Balemba-Brownlee. The Montana Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s university system, approved a free speech framework that places no restrictions on “personal political speech” done outside of a university setting. The policy framework does not explicitly mention social media use.  A 2023 bill from the state Legislature prevents employers from terminating an employee “solely based on the employee’s legal expression of free speech, including but not limited to statements made on social media.”

Kelly Benjamin, a spokesperson for the American Association of University Professors, told MTFP on Wednesday that the MSU-Northern case is among many across the country that target the views of academics. He said that university professors should be afforded the same speech rights as any citizen and views the attention to Balemba-Brownlee’s posts as part of an unprecedented wave of attacks on higher education institutions.

“We’re certainly seeing a climate of fear permeate throughout our both public and private colleges and universities nationwide,” Benjamin said. “There are some who feel like this is an opportunity to clamp down on free expression, free speech, academic freedom.”

This isn’t the first time MSU-Northern administration has taken action related to someone’s speech. After a student made derogatory remarks against Indigenous peoples during a class in 2017, the university banned the student from campus. But Steven Wise, the dean of students who oversaw student discipline, invited the student to live at his personal home while the case proceeded.

That incident happened under Kegel’s time as university chancellor. Potter, the university relations director, called the situation “a nothing thing,” though the university fielded reports from Indigenous students who felt unsafe. Around the same time, an Indigenous student group pushed back against MSU-N administrators after the school painted over the group’s message that protested a North Dakota oil pipeline during a campus event.

That same year, the university paid $35,000 to settle a racial discrimination complaint filed by an Indigenous professor.

At MSU-Northern, union president Seiffert said that he and others are rethinking their social media presences.

“I admit that I went through and rechecked all of my Facebook settings so there wasn’t anything that went out to the public,” he said.

MTFP business contractor and former deputy director Kristin Tessman is married to MSU President Brock Tessman. MTFP business staff do not have input into editorial coverage.