Texas State University Fires History Professor Tom Alter

The Texas State Employees Union CWA Local 6186 (TSEU) condemns the abrupt termination of Dr. Tom Alter, a respected historian, educator, and active member of the Texas State University community, for statements he made as a private citizen.

Without a hearing or any meaningful opportunity to respond, university administrators under the leadership of President Kelly Damphousse removed Dr. Alter from his position in response to an online smear campaign led by Karlyn Borysenko. Borysenko has publicly called for embracing fascism, stated that Jewish people chose to die in the Holocaust, and refers to herself as an “anti-communist cult leader.” She recorded a talk that Dr. Alter gave at the Revolutionary Socialism Conference on Sunday, September 7th and began calling for his firing on social media on Monday, September 8th. The transcript of the talk can be viewed here.

“This is exactly what the First Amendment protects against,” said TSEU President Ilesa Daniels Ross. “No public employee should fear losing their job because they expressed personal views outside of work. Texas State University’s decision sends a chilling message to every faculty member, staff member, and student: your job can be taken away if political actors don’t like what you say on your own time.”

Dr. Alter, a beloved professor known for his scholarship in U.S. labor and social movement history, received no due process. He gave the talk in question at a conference on Sunday, September 7th and learned that he had been terminated in a public statement from Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse on Wednesday, September 10th.

TSEU calls on Texas State University to:

1. Reinstate Dr. Alter immediately.
2. Publicly affirm the constitutional right of all employees to speak as private citizens without retaliation.
3. Establish clear policies guaranteeing due process before any termination related to off-duty expression.

“This isn’t just about one professor,” added Daniels Ross. “It’s about protecting every Texan’s freedom to speak their mind without government interference. If a university president can cave to an extremist YouTuber today, what stops the next attack on free expression tomorrow?”

TSEU urges students, faculty, and community members to stand together and demand that Texas State University live up to its First Amendment obligations.

There is a petition circulating for Alter. For more information, contact Catarina Kissinger – Texas State Employees Union CWA Local 6186 (TSEU) at 610-568-0971 or ckissinger@cwa-tseu.org.

Opinions expressed in signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of the editors or the Tempest Collective. For more information, see “About Tempest Collective.”
Featured Image credit: Texas State Employees Union; modified by Tempest.