Sacramento State is investigating possible violations of the university’s honor code after a professor posted a Sept. 10 Instagram story of an image allegedly celebrating the assassination of right-wing activist and public speaker Charlie Kirk.
“Libs of TikTok”, an X account with over 4 million followers, shared several screenshots of an Instagram story allegedly belonging to Sac State sociology professor Anne Luna and tagged the university, asking for comment from Sac State.
Our university values and Honor Code strongly denounce violence of any form, including acts of gun violence, and condemn any endorsement of political violence and loss of life. We take reports of our professors violating these values and our Honor Code seriously and are…
— Sacramento State (@sacstate) September 11, 2025
Sac State responded to “Libs of TikTok” with a statement via its X account hours after the initial post.
“Our university values and Honor Code strongly denounce violence of any form, including acts of gun violence, and condemn any endorsement of political violence and loss of life,” Sac State said. “We take reports of our professors violating these values and our Honor Code seriously and are conducting a review of any allegations.”
RELATED: BREAKING: Charlie Kirk, CEO and founder of Turning Point USA, fatally shot at Utah Valley University
President Luke Wood in a Sep. 11 message encouraged students, faculty and staff to make use of support services.
The following message was shared with the campus community: pic.twitter.com/DuG5TaduWM
— Sacramento State (@sacstate) September 11, 2025
Luna, an associate sociology professor, was allegedly removed from the CFA Sacramento Chapter Executive Board Representatives as a Secretary after the post was made public. Their web page that Luna was listed on no longer exists, CFA has confirmed this was due to the “Libs of Tiktok” post.
The CFA Director of Strategic Communications Kenyon Farrow said that while several faculty members have been criticized following Kirk’s murder, Luna is the only one who has been placed on leave.
Farrow said they may provide time for CFA members to discuss digital security tips in case of future actions against faculty and students. These discussions will also include information on how to respond to anyone asking about Luna’s situation, including students.
“We are also providing some messaging and digital security support to members who are also being harassed and doxxed,” Farrow said. “Of course [we] are in touch with Sac State members to be monitoring the campus climate, as well as continuing to monitor social media.”
Sophomore political science major Mike Nadra said he feels the issue is a clash between academic freedom and institutional accountability.
“On one hand, memes and social media posts are often hyperbole or dark humor, especially in polarized times like these,” Nadra said. “Celebrating an assassination attempt on someone like Charlie Kirk—who’s a lightning rod for conservative activism—might just be her venting frustration in a crude way, not a literal call to violence.”
Nadra said this situation is an example of shock value getting likes and shares. Turning Point USA, a right-wing organization founded by Kirk, created the Professor Watchlist in 2016 as a means to compile information on professors who have spoken out against Kirk and his political views. As of publication, no Sac State professors have made the list.
Some professors on the watch list have received death threats or were harassed online after Kirk’s death.
On Sept. 25, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum instructing The National Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate entities and organizations that instigate political violence, including “hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.”
“Professors aren’t robots; they’re humans with biases, and if we’re serious about free expression on campuses,” Nadra said. “Punishing every edgy post could chill legitimate discourse.”
Nadra said that there is a line when it comes to threats or glorifying violence against public figures. He said that he believes Luna’s situation veers into potential legal territory.
“She’s in a leadership role, so the Honor Code review makes sense. It’s about maintaining trust and professionalism.” Nadra said. “If the university’s worried about backlash or safety, its pragmatic politics—damage control to avoid broader scrutiny on faculty conduct.”
Nadra said he has seen similar cases with professors getting checked for controversial tweets, saying it highlights how social media amplifies everything into a national story overnight.
“I think the university’s reviewing it fairly, but I hope it doesn’t spiral into a full firing without due process,” Nadra said. “Universities are supposed to be places for tough ideas, right?”
