Carnegie Mellon University announced on Monday that it is taking "swift action" against professor Uju Anya after determining her recent social media posts violated university community standards. The university's president, Farnam Jahanian, and Provost James H. Garrett Jr. stated that Anya used "expletives, racial slurs and derogatory language that demeaned, dehumanized and intimidated," while implying support from university colleagues.
"Carnegie Mellon University is a place where rigorous inquiry, freedom of expression and mutual respect must coexist," the university leaders said in a statement. "We take that responsibility seriously, and we strongly reject language that is hateful and disparages or calls for the harm of others. Such rhetoric is inconsistent with the dignity, respect and responsibility that we expect from one another."
They added that Anya's language "violates our shared community standards and distracts from the seriousness and significance of CMU’s scholarship in the humanities and social sciences."
Carnegie Mellon also noted that Anya is on voluntary professional leave through summer 2027 and is not teaching classes for the university this academic year.
Anya, an associate professor specializing in language learning and Black experiences in multilingualism, reportedly posted on X (formerly Twitter) as the anniversary of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk's assassination approached. One post appeared to read, "They began already, and it ain’t even Kirkmas kirk mubarak, y’all!" Another stated, "Die first, White man, and then ask yourself why I am dancing."
Anya's X account has since been deleted. She was previously criticized in 2022 for a post about Queen Elizabeth II, which led Carnegie Mellon to publicly distance itself from her comments.
University leaders met with faculty and administrators over the weekend, where employees expressed concerns about their safety after experiencing doxxing and receiving threatening messages. Campus police are monitoring the situation but have not identified any credible threats to the university.
The Carnegie Mellon College Republicans have called for Anya's dismissal, citing her recent posts as a continuation of a pattern of behavior inconsistent with the conduct expected of a university professor.
The university leaders reaffirmed their commitment to taking "swift action in accordance with our processes" and to prioritizing support for affected community members.