By Our Reporter
Carnegie Mellon University in the United States has placed Dr Uju Anya on voluntary professional leave following a series of controversial social media posts that the institution described as “hostile and threatening.”
The university said Anya, a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon, would not be teaching courses on its campus during the current academic year while the institution reviews the matter.
In a statement posted on its social media account, Carnegie Mellon said it was “deeply concerned” by Anya’s recent posts and stressed that the comments did not represent the university’s position.
“To be clear: These posts incorrectly imply our university’s endorsement and are contrary to our community standards and values as well as our commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and welcoming campus community,” the university said.
The development followed a series of posts by Anya on social media platform X on September 11, including one in which she wrote: “Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing.”
In another post, she referred to conservative American political activist Charlie Kirk in highly derogatory terms, writing that she had called him a “shitbag who should rot in piss.”
Anya also responded defiantly to criticism of her online activities, claiming that her department chair had told her that emails being sent by critics were being discarded.
In another post directed at her critics, she said Carnegie Mellon knew “exactly who they have,” adding that the university had recruited her from a previous position with what she described as a “massive salary and stellar benefits.”
The controversy has generated considerable reaction online, with some users calling for disciplinary action against the academic, while others have defended her right to express her views.
Carnegie Mellon, however, said the posts were inconsistent with the standards expected within its campus community and that it was reviewing the matter closely.
The university’s announcement does not state that Anya has been dismissed, but confirms that she is currently on voluntary professional leave and will not teach at the university during the 2026-27 academic year.