An arbitrator ruled that a tenured San José State University professor fired in 2025 after participating in pro-Palestinian protests should be reinstated, though the termination was reduced to a one-month unpaid suspension. The decision, announced by the California Faculty Association, applies to Sang Hea Kil. The arbitrator found the dismissal was an “excessive” punishment, citing interference concerns involving a lecture and “misadvising students” about rules related to the protest activity. CFA said Kil was the first tenured full professor fired for pro-Palestinian advocacy and argued the termination violated academic freedom. San José State declined to comment on ongoing personnel matters, and Kil did not respond to a request for comment. The ruling intensifies attention on how institutions apply disciplinary standards to faculty activism, especially where students’ rights to engage are implicated.