NC professor Chris Schulte dismissed for referring to Charlie Kirk as racist in recorded comments

A college professor in North Carolina recently lost his job after he was recorded calling Charlie Kirk a “racist.” Chris Schulte, who had been teaching psychology at Coastal Carolina Community College since 2008, was dismissed for remarks made in an audio recording. In the recording, Schulte expressed that while he did not believe Kirk deserved to die, he viewed him as part racist and deemed Turning Point USA partially racist as well.

Following his termination, Schulte refrained from apologizing and stated that he is a Democratic candidate for the North Carolina General Assembly. He described an incident where campus security had to escort him to his car due to feeling threatened at work. Schulte explained that he was advocating for academic freedom and spoke passionately against racism and censorship, claiming this situation highlighted the importance of protecting constitutional rights, particularly the First Amendment.

Schulte mentioned that he was secretly recorded by a student intending to expose the censorship of faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill. He expressed concern about the current climate in the country, noting it was disheartening that his comments could lead to threats against both his career and personal safety.

This isn’t an isolated incident; many academics have faced repercussions over critical remarks following the death of Turning Point USA’s founder, Charlie Kirk. Some have since returned to work after facing short-term disciplinary actions. For instance, at Austin Peay State University, an associate professor named Darren Michael was reinstated after being fired shortly after Kirk’s assassination. Michael publicly documented Kirk’s controversial comments regarding gun deaths and the Second Amendment, and the university eventually acknowledged its failure to follow proper firing procedures, awarding him a significant settlement.

Similarly, Michael Hook, an art professor at the University of South Dakota, was dismissed for his comments about Kirk’s murder. Hook had criticized Kirk less than a day after the incident by questioning the outrage directed at Kirk while pointing out the absence of similar concern during other violent acts. After a legal dispute, Hook was temporarily reinstated, and subsequently, the South Dakota Legislature chose not to remove him from his position.