In a now deleted Instagram post, Michigan State University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Society called for the university to provide security for their faculty advisor, who they say faced harassment, threats and doxing after being featured on Turning Point USA’s MSU Professor Watchlist.
In the post, uploaded Oct. 30, the student organization claimed that James Madison College Professor Rashida Harrison has faced harassment since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, which they attributed to her inclusion on the watchlist. Since the alleged harassment, Harrison has repeatedly canceled classes, the post said.
Harrison is listed on the site for her work with the educational program "Advancing White Anti-Racist Education."
Both Harrison and the W.E.B. Du Bois Society did not respond to The State News for comment.
"Faculty must be able to pursue teaching, research and public engagement without fear of intimidation," JMC communications manager Jane Deacon said.
The W.E.B. Du Bois Society demanded that MSU provide "concrete security measures and public support" for Harrison. The post reported that Harrison’s personal information had been doxed and she had received threatening phone calls. It is unclear why the post was deleted from the group's Instagram page.
Harrison was added to the list in 2022. She is one of nine current or former MSU professors currently listed on the site, which purports to protect students from professors that discriminate against conservatives. Critics, meanwhile have said it creates a chilling effect on open classroom discussion.
MSU Turning Point’s President Alex Bitzan, said the chapter condemns any acts of harassment and that "violence is never acceptable," but that it continues to see value in the professor watchlist.
"College should teach students how to pursue what is good, true and beautiful, not train them to believe in culturally Marxist social theory," Bitzan said.
MSU spokesperson Amber McCann said she could not speak to any individual instance but added that MSU Police is available to talk with faculty or staff who have safety concerns.
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