Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative youth activist group Turning Point USA, was assassinated on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University as part of his “American Comeback Tour.” Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump and helped shape the hard-right movement among young conservatives.  

Students and professors raised concerns about free speech and violence on college campuses. They discussed how colleges and universities can guarantee a safe environment for ideological discourse amidst a deeply polarized and increasingly hostile climate nationwide.  

A statement from Vanderbilt College Republicans in an email to The Hustler expressed shock and sadness regarding Kirk’s passing.  

“We join, and encourage everyone to join, his friends and supporters at TPUSA in prayer for his soul and for his wife and two kids,” the statement reads. “Additionally, we pray for our nation and for the spirit of hatred that has captured her to be no more.” 

VCR and Vanderbilt College Democrats posted a joint statement on Instagram following the assassination. 

“The Vanderbilt College Democrats and Vanderbilt College Republicans are deeply horrified by Charlie Kirk’s assassination. We are especially thinking about his wife and two young children, who will now grow up in a world without their father,” the statement reads. “Political violence has no place in America, especially on our college campuses. Political dialogue is a cornerstone of our democracy and Kirk’s death marks a profoundly troubling moment for our nation.” 

In an email to The Hustler, VCD co-presidents senior Melanie Gerko and junior Drew Spiegel shared additional remarks about the assassination.  

“The Vanderbilt College Democrats would like to additionally, independently note that the political violence and gun violence crisis are heavily intertwined. Empty words are not enough — we must pass laws to make our communities safer,” the statement reads. 

Jonathan Metzl, professor of sociology and medicine, health and society, is one of four Vanderbilt professors listed on TPUSA’s Professor Watchlist, which identifies professors who they claim discriminate against conservative students. Metzl was put on the watchlist in 2015.  

“I saw [being on the watchlist] as an opportunity. It changed much of the way I write about guns, in particular, trying to understand and engage with conservative points of view,” Metzl said. “Nobody likes to be on a watchlist like that, but for me I saw it as a challenge to think more deeply about my own assumptions and how they might impact how my work was being read. I’m a liberal person, but I do appreciate some of the ways that Turning Point mobilizes around and gives voice to conservative ideas in academic settings.”  

Metzl said he wants the assassination to lead to an increased emphasis on safety across college campuses. Although he acknowledged progress has already been made toward achieving this goal, he believes this event presents an opportunity to fortify this objective and emphasize commitment to civic dialogue.   

“I was shocked and horrified and incredibly sad [about the assassination]. It felt like a tragedy on many levels. Obviously, [it was] the killing of a young, vibrant person who meant a great deal to many people in this country, but it was also a killing in a college setting where someone was debating using concepts and language,” Metzl said. “Universities should be where people feel safe to support and defend their points of view freely. I’m worried that it will, in addition to many other effects, have a chilling effect on free speech.” 

Metzl also said he hopes the assassination will result in an improvement in civil and open discourse on political issues.  

“These horrible events can be highly tribalizing. But they are also opportunities for communities to come together and honor our commitments to civic dialogue about even the most contested issues, and reject turning down a darker path,” Metzl said.  

According to an article in The Tennessean, a group of Vanderbilt students plan to start a Turning Point USA chapter on campus in response to Kirk’s assassination.