Former Texas State University history professor Tom Alter has filed an appeal after being fired following a review of his case during a due process hearing. The university alleged that he made inappropriate statements with his comments at the online Revolutionary Socialism Conference in September, a charge that Alter continues to deny in a letter to the Texas State University System Board of Regents.
As stated in the letter, dated Oct. 16, Alter’s lawyer Amanda Reichek has requested that the letter serve as his appeal.
“This embarrassing and avoidable outcome was caused by President Damphousse’s ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ approach to Dr. Alter’s termination as a whole,” according to the appeal. “Dr. Alter urges this Board to inquire into the circumstances of how Dr. Alter’s termination was handled and implement appropriate corrective action.”
Reichek states at the end of the letter that although Damphousse has indicated that Alter can appeal, he does not specify how long this option will be available.
“Accordingly, Dr. Alter will assume this appeal is overruled if a decision is not rendered by December 1, 2025, and will proceed with his claims in court,” according to the appeal letter.
On Sept. 10, Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse announced on Facebook that Alter was fired for “serious professional and personal misconduct” after the University reviewed a video of his comments during the conference posted on the social media platform X.
On Sept. 22, Alter filed a lawsuit against the University alleging that his first amendment rights were violated and that the reasons for firing “were false and give every appearance of politically motivated discrimination.” Alter claims that the comments were made as a member of the Socialist Horizon organization and not as a representative of Texas State.
Hays County District Judge Alicia Key granted an injunction in Alter’s favor on Sept. 26, when Texas State temporarily added him back to the payroll (although he was not allowed to teach) pending the outcome of a review of the case. However, on Oct. 13, the University doubled down on the initial charge, with University President Kelly Damphousse confirming the firing in a letter to Alter which was effective immediately.
For the complete letter sent by Damphousse to Alter detailing the reasons the University decided to fire him, see the Daily Record story sanmarcosrecord.com/article/31556,txst-confirmsalter-firing-after-dueprocess-hearing. This story also includes a link to download the full letter from Damphousse.
In the appeal, Reichek expands on Alter’s reactions to the allegations made by Damphousse.
Regarding the context of the video which led to Alter’s firing: “President Damphousse continues to rely on edited footage of Dr. Alter’s conference talk platformed by a self-described ‘fascist,’ and claims that Dr. Alter withheld material from the hearing by not providing a written copy of his speech, even though his conference talk is available through the URL provided, and a transcript generated by the University Star. … As Dr. Alter has previously made clear, he participated in this conference on a Sunday, from his home office, and took pains to avoid identifying himself as a professor at Texas State University at the outset of his presentation.”
Regarding the comments Alter made which Damphousse previously claimed advocated for violence: “President Damphousse claims that Dr. Alter “refer[s] to the criminal actions of anarchist insurrectionists as ‘laudable’ in their attempt to ‘disrupt the normal functioning of government and business.’” But at no point does Dr. Alter refer to a single ‘criminal action’ on the part of this group.
“President Damphousse displays a remarkable disregard for the expertise Dr. Alter brings to bear on present day social movements. … Dr. Alter is regularly contacted by journalists seeking his expertise in labor history to comment on present day labor struggles. This Board should be alarmed that Dr. Alter’s recognized expertise in working-class and social movement history has been turned against him as a basis for his termination.”
Regarding what Alter views as Texas State University’s lack of integrity in giving in to government pressure.
“President Damphousse has capitulated to external political pressure in terminating Dr. Alter, and is now attempting to manufacture a pretextual reason for his discharge. These efforts are unavailing and will be disproved in court.”
Should Texas State University System fail to respond to the letter, Alter intends to continue with his lawsuit, according to the appeal letter from Reichek.
“This appeal is the System’s last chance to avoid a lawsuit it is sure to lose, a lawsuit that is already filed thanks to President Damphousse’s inexcusable rush to judgment in this case.”
