Iowa State fires employee who posted: Charlie Kirk ‘got what was coming’

AMES — A week after the Board of Regents met for three and a half hours in closed session to discuss university employees who made inflammatory social media posts about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, at least one Iowa State University employee has been fired for what she wrote.

ISU financial aid adviser Caitlyn Spencer was terminated Tuesday — nearly two weeks after her Sept. 10 social media post in which she wrote: “Given Charlie’s previous comments about their ‘necessity’ to protect 2nd amendment rights though, this (expletive) got what was coming and I’m happy he’s rotting in hell now.”

In a Sept. 23 termination letter, provided to The Gazette in response to an open records request, ISU President Wendy Wintersteeen accused Spencer of violating the Board of Regents’ “freedom of expression” policy.

“Iowa State University has determined that your conduct and continued employment has caused, and is reasonably likely to continue to cause, significant disruption, harm, and adverse impact to the efficient and effective operations of the university,” Wintersteen wrote in the letter. “Accordingly, effective Sept. 23, 2025, your employment with Iowa State University is terminated.”

In the letter, Wintersteen also accused Spencer of violating her “ethical obligations as a financial aid professional, as set forth in the Financial Aid Code of Conduct that you acknowledged when you accepted employment with the university.”

Spencer in the letter was told she can appeal her termination to the Board of Regents, which last week ordered Iowa State to investigate her and anyone else who made or in the future makes inflammatory social media posts.

“Posts like the ones we saw last week are offensive, inappropriate, and above all, unacceptable,” board President Sherry Bates said in a statement after directing the campuses to investigate employees. “We expect more from those who work at our institutions.

“Freedom of speech is a bedrock principle of American society, particularly on university campuses. Violence is never the answer to solving problems, no matter how much people disagree, and supporting a violent act is as bad as the act itself.”

‘Much faster than two weeks’

Spencer’s post — among others made by public employees in the wake of Kirk’s Sept. 10 death — caught fire on social media, attracting millions of views and shares and calls for termination.

“Call (Iowa State) and demand that this enabler and supporter of MURDER be immediately fired as a clear and present danger to the students and everyone around her,” former Donald Trump attorney and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani wrote on X on Sept. 13, demanding her “removal and referral for criminal investigation” by the start of Iowa State’s football game that day.

Another employee who captured some attention for a social media post following Kirk’s death was ISU associate professor of religious studies George Archer, who wrote: “Yeah sorry pretty sure we’re all OK with political violence. Every. One. Of. Us.”

He was among the 2025-2026 faculty recently promoted to associate professor with tenure, and ISU spokeswoman Angie Hunt on Wednesday confirmed he’s still an Iowa State employee.

Last week, as regents convened at the University of Northern Iowa for a previously-scheduled meeting, the board added a closed session to its agenda to discuss the employees’ Kirk-related social media comments.

After debating for hours whether to take immediate action against the employees, regents returned to open session and directed all three campuses “to conduct an immediate investigation of all alleged violations of board policy including but not limited to Chapter 4.2, governing usage of social media, to be completed within two weeks.”

The board at that time also directed the campuses to place on leave any employees under investigation — or have them removed from the classroom. And regents authorized university administrators to fire anyone found in violation.

“It's my expectation that in at least some cases, action will be much faster than two weeks,” regent David Barker said during the meeting. “I certainly hope that that happens.”

‘Free to express personal opinions’

The board’s Chapter 4.2 policy governs free expression on its campuses, affirming its “fundamental commitment is to the principle that debate or deliberation must not be suppressed merely because the viewpoints presented are considered by some or even most members of the campus community to be unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive.”

Under its social media section, the policy states, “The universities shall not take action in such a way as to require or unduly pressure members of the campus community, in their personal capacities, to express or adopt a particular viewpoint on a political, social or public policy matter.”

While the policy bars the campuses, including through institution-affiliated social media accounts, from making official political or social statements — except when aligned with and approved by the Board of Regents — the policy does state, “Employees are free to express personal opinions on their personal social media accounts, consistent with the First Amendment and its application to public employees.”

It’s the employee’s responsibly to make clear they’re speaking in a private and personal capacity. And, “under certain circumstances, the university may be obligated to act to prevent harm to the university, our campus community, and its mission,” according to the policy.

“For instance, when an employee’s personal expression violates university policy, such as engaging in threatening or intimidating speech toward a co-worker, the university may be compelled to intervene to maintain a safe or efficient work environment.”

In a statement following Spencer’s original post, Board of Regents President Sherry Bates on Sept. 12 issued a statement.

“These posts and others like them are offensive, insensitive, and in no way reflect the views of the Board of Regents or its universities. The comments are inconsistent with the Board’s values to create a civil and respectful environment at our public universities.”

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‘Harmful, incendiary rhetoric’

The Gazette could not reach Spencer for comment for this story.

In November of 2020, following the election of former President Joe Biden, Spencer signed an open letter to ISU administrators condemning them for not taking disciplinary action against the ISU College Republicans for a tweet that, “having nothing to do with the political nature of the organization, incites violence and creates a campus that feels threatening to and isolates students, faculty, and staff of marginalized and historically oppressed populations.”

The tweet in question, dated Nov. 7, 2020, read: “Everyone, you must arm up, expect these people to attempt to destroy your life, the elites want revenge on us.”

According to the letter supported by 30 pages of signatures, including Spencer’s, that tweet was “cause for alarm due to its implied threat of violence.”

“When considered in the context of other tweets on the College Republicans’ Twitter feed — which includes tweets and retweets using derogatory language toward undocumented immigrants, racist calls to deport naturalized immigrants of color, calling members of the LGTBQ community mentally ill, and more — it is clear that marginalized populations on the Iowa State University campus and in the Ames community have reason to feel threatened by this harmful, incendiary rhetoric that culminated in the tweet from Nov. 7 to ‘arm up’.”

Despite the letter’s call for a temporary ban on the ISU College Republicans — along with the Iowa Federation of College Republicans’ decision to strip the ISU chapter’s affiliation — Iowa State administrators assured the student organization it would not face discipline.

“Perhaps out of fear of litigation, the Iowa State University administration has essentially told the people who feel unsafe on campus as a result of the College Republicans’ tweets that they do not matter,” according to the letter, which went on to demand Iowa State show its “commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion” by — among other things — increasing the campus’ diversity-course requirement and making sure those courses are centered on diversity issues.

“Should the university choose not to discipline the ISU chapter of College Republicans, we demand that the administration provide a clear, direct response to this event in which they explain its decision not to provide an immediate statement addressing those who felt and continue to feel threatened by the organizations’s escalation of harmful rhetoric.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com