KNOXVILLE, Tenn — An anthropology professor's social media post deriding conservative Charlie Kirk undermined the University of Tennessee's "mission" and put campus safety at risk, UTK lawyers contend in a court response to her federal lawsuit.

"First, (Tamar Shirian's) speech posed reasonably predictable disruption to the University’s ongoing operations and impeded her ability to effectively carry out her responsibilities as a faculty member, which justified Chancellor Plowman’s decision to place (Shirian) on administrative leave and initiate steps to terminate (Shirian's) employment on an expedited basis," the response states.

Shirinian is asking the federal court in Knoxville for emergency intervention so she can come back to work. UTK opposes that as indicated in its filing this week

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