Barri Brennan, a lecturer at Fresno State University, has been reinstated to teach during the spring semester after she was formerly placed on leave by the university for making negative statements about Charlie Kirk in the moments before he was pronounced dead.
According to Campus Reform, after hearing from a student that Kirk had been shot, Brennan said, “You want to know what I think? It’s too bad he’s not dead.”
The statement was captured on video and spread about the campus. Shortly thereafter, Brennan was placed on administrative leave for the remarks.
“The lecturer has been placed on leave effective immediately while we investigate this incident,” the university stated at the time. “Fresno State condemns, in the strongest possible terms, any language that celebrates or condones violence. Such remarks are antithetical to our values at Fresno State.”
Brennan wrote in a piece for the The Fresno Bee that she will not defend what she said, though admitting it was a private statement made in an “off the cuff” manner.
“It was never intended to mean anything beyond an opinion; however distasteful some might find it. It was said to one student between classes in a classroom,” Brennan wrote. “It was said as a private interaction between me and the student. While the classroom is considered a private space, it’s illegal to record someone without their permission in a private space.”
Fresno State University did not provide any reason for reinstating Brennan, who is under a contract until 2027, according to The Fresno Bee.
