AUSTIN, Texas — Two University of Texas at Austin teaching assistants (TAs) say they were fired after they provided students with mental health resources in response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The TAs' message was sent through a student portal, which the university argues was "unprofessionally misused."
The TAs were part of a course called "Women and Madness," which focuses on mental health. They say they sent the message to students over the school's communication portal, Canvas.
The message read in part, "We wanted to send a message to acknowledge the mental health implications of the current escalation of violence in Gaza. As your teaching assistants, we feel it is important to be clear that we do not support the university's silence around the suffering many of our students, staff, and faculty are experiencing on campus."
The message went on to share mental health resources for anyone troubled by the conflict.
The TAs say they then received "reassignment letters" from the dean of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, calling their message inappropriate and unprofessional. The letters also stated that the TAs will not be reappointed as TAs next semester.
On Friday, UT told KVUE that the TAs used a platform meant for coursework to send a personal political message.
University administrators sent students a message saying, "We strive to address these topics with a balanced perspective, with empathy, and with respect for the diverse viewpoints and experiences that are part of understanding those issues. We also strive not to inject controversial issues into a course that are unrelated to the academic area of study. The posted message fell short of these standards."
Groups supporting the TAs are now calling on the university to reinstate both TAs and apologize. UT told KVUE on Friday that both TAs were offered employment for the spring 2024 semester.