Texas State University threatened to call police on a fired professor who joined a campus protest, according to a recording shared with The Chronicle. The administrator leading special projects said the professor could remain on campus but could not protest in the space in question, raising due process and First Amendment concerns. The fired professor, Thomas Alter, had been dismissed after comments about a “government overthrow” during a 2025 online socialism conference, despite a court ordering reinstatement of salary and position while limiting teaching duties. The new confrontation centers on whether Texas State’s “time, place, and manner” policy can be enforced against non-students who participate in protests. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is contesting the policy in court, arguing it is unconstitutional. The dispute will likely influence how other public institutions craft expressive-activity spaces and whether enforcement becomes content- or viewpoint-dependent. For campus climate, the case heightens risk of chilling effects on faculty participation in protests and may prompt universities to re-audit protest rules, documentation, and training for administrators and public safety staff.