Texas State University faced pressure when an administrator threatened to call police on a fired professor who joined a campus protest, raising questions about whether campus protest policies override the First Amendment. The case involves Thomas Alter, reinstated via a court restraining order that returned his position and salary but not teaching duties. The March confrontation focused on whether Alter’s protest activities violated updated university rules that restrict “expressive activities” to Texas State students and employees in certain spaces. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is fighting the policy in court, arguing it is unconstitutional and could enable selective enforcement. Higher education institutions and faculty governance groups are watching for how universities apply time, place, and manner restrictions during protest activity—especially where legal reinstatement has already reshaped the underlying due-process dispute.