LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Faculty members at Kansas State University want the Kansas Board of Regents to repeal a social media policy devised after criticism about a Kansas journalism professor’s anti-NRA tweet.

The regents approved the policy last week allowing university officials to fire faculty and staff who post social media messages that conflict with the institution’s best interests and efficient operations.

The policy was partly a response to a tweet by a KU professor after the September Navy Yard shootings that killed 13 people in Washington.

More than 40 distinguished Kansas State professors signed a letter saying the regents should withdraw the policy, calling it an affront to academic freedom.

Regents Chairman Fred Logan says the policy was carefully drawn to protect First Amendment rights and academic freedom.