Illinois State University graduate student who flipped TPUSA table fired from teaching assistant position
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A graduate student at Illinois State University has been arrested and dismissed from his teaching assistant role after a video captured him overturning a Turning Point USA table on campus, a university spokesperson confirmed on Monday.

The incident involved Derek Lopez, 27, who was filmed last week approaching the table where members of Illinois State University’s TPUSA chapter were promoting an event featuring conservative comedian Alex Stein, scheduled for October 20.

In the video, Lopez is heard saying, “Well, you know, Jesus did it, so you know I gotta do it, right?” before he attempted to pull the tablecloth and ended up flipping the table over.

This act references a well-known Biblical scene from Matthew 21:12, where Jesus overturned the tables of money changers and sellers in a Jewish temple, accusing them of transforming a “house of prayer” into a “den of robbers.”

Following the incident, the university confirmed on Monday that Lopez has been dismissed from his position as a graduate teaching assistant.

“While Illinois State University does not comment specifically on personnel matters, we can confirm Derek Lopez has been relieved of his duties as a graduate teaching assistant pending further investigation,” the school wrote.

Teaching assistants at the public university, like many resident assistants nationwide, are paid through a monthly stipend instead of an hourly wage. The minimum a graduate teaching assistant in the master’s program could be paid was boosted to $1,510 a month in August, according to the school’s graduate assistant handbook.

Assuming a student works the estimated 20 hours a week, that stipend would roughly translate to $19 an hour — $4 higher than Illinois minimum wage.

Lopez was arrested on Friday and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.

The Illinois State University Police added that Lopez was also involved in a second reported incident where he disrupted a separate informational table hosted by a student group.

University officials and the campus police force reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the community’s First Amendment rights in the wake of Lopez’s scandal.

We encourage all members of our community to learn more about free speech rights and responsibilities at Illinois State University, including constructive ways to respond when encountering speech they may disagree with,” University Police Department Chief Aaron Woodruff said in a statement.

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