An arbitrator ordered reinstatement with a reduced penalty for a tenured San José State University professor fired in 2025 after participating in pro-Palestinian student protests, in a case framed by faculty advocates as retaliation and an academic freedom violation. Sang Hea Kil was removed from her position after what the California Faculty Association described as excess punishment. The arbitrator concluded the termination was “excessive,” recommending conversion to a one-month unpaid suspension. The arbitrator cited interference with another faculty member’s lecture and Kil’s alleged misadvising of students on rules she “could or should have known,” according to CFA’s announcement. The CFA said the case is the first instance of a tenured full professor being fired for pro-Palestinian advocacy. San José State declined to comment due to the personnel matter, and Kil did not respond to a request for comment.