Controversy struck the University of Texas as two teaching assistants were abruptly removed from their positions after sharing support for Palestinian students. The removed TAs, Callie Kennedy and Parham Daghighi, wrote that they wanted to acknowledge “the mental health implications of the current escalation of violence in Gaza” and clarify that they do not “support the university’s silence around the suffering many of our students, staff, and faculty are experiencing on campus.”, according to the Dallas Morning News.
In the aftermath, the two TAs received support from the student body, with more than 1,000 students walking out of their classes in solidarity. The students also drafted an open letter demanding the reinstatement of the TAs and a public apology from the university. The situation sparked a discourse around academic freedoms and the intersection of personal political beliefs with professional responsibilities, as reported by Dallas Morning News.
The email from the Dean of the Social Work School, Allan Cole, stated that Daghighi and Kennedy "lacked professional judgment" — a judgment that seems to be deeply contested by those involved, as further reflected in the outpouring of student support. The university's spokesperson, Mike Rosen, commented to The News that the TAs "unprofessionally misused" the official communication platform, yet Kennedy and Daghighi have detailed how they intended to guide their students towards resources and provide meaningful context related to their course, "Women & Madness," as per Dallas Morning News.
