Carnegie Mellon University has launched a review of recent social media posts attributed to Nigerian-born academic Dr Uju Anya, describing them as “hostile and threatening” and saying they are contrary to the institution’s community standards and values.
The university’s intervention came as Anya faced growing criticism over several posts attributed to her on X.
According to the PM news reports, in one widely circulated screenshot, Anya allegedly wrote: “Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing.” The post could not be independently verified from her account.
Her X account was no longer accessible after the backlash, leading to reports that it had been deactivated. However, it was not immediately clear whether Anya had deactivated the account herself or whether it had become unavailable for another reason.
Carnegie Mellon Reviews Social Media Posts
Carnegie Mellon University said Anya is currently on voluntary professional leave and will not teach courses on its campus during the current academic year.
“We are deeply concerned by recent hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr Anya and are reviewing this matter closely,” the university said in a statement.
The institution later issued a clarification, stressing that the posts should not be interpreted as reflecting the university’s position.
“To be clear: These posts incorrectly imply our university’s endorsement and are contrary to our community standards and values, as well as our commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and welcoming campus community,” the university said.
The university did not identify all the posts included in its review or confirm whether the statement attributed to Anya in the widely circulated screenshot was among the posts being examined.
No Disciplinary Action Announced
Carnegie Mellon has not announced that Anya has been suspended, dismissed or subjected to any other disciplinary action in connection with the posts.
Anya is an associate professor of second-language acquisition in Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Modern Languages.
As of the time of filing this report, Anya had not publicly responded to the university’s statements or the criticism surrounding the social media posts.
