Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk — a conservative political activist and co-founder of conservative youth activist group Turning Point USA — at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, several students in Vanderbilt College Republicans have begun the process of starting a TPUSA chapter at Vanderbilt.  

Vanderbilt already has a variety of politically oriented student organizations operating through the university, including Vanderbilt College Republicans, Vanderbilt College Democrats and Young Americans for Freedom. 

Junior Samuel Bodwell, president of VCR, is involved in the efforts to start a TPUSA chapter at Vanderbilt. In an email to The Hustler, Bodwell said that he and some of the VCR members have yet to begin the process of registering the student organization with the university, but they have been in contact with TPUSA.  

“We have coordinated with Turning Point that we would like to start a chapter and will follow the school’s procedures to make this happen,” Bodwell said in a message to The Hustler.  

According to an article in the Tennessean, Bodwell, sophomore Mark Doce — secretary of VCR — and junior Reanna Morales — media director of VCR — have contacted TPUSA national leadership but have not yet submitted the appropriate paperwork to Vanderbilt to begin registering the Vanderbilt chapter.    

Both Doce and Morales declined to comment.  

Bodwell stated in an email to The Hustler that he believes it is essential to carry on the movement that Kirk began with TPUSA. He believes Kirk’s mission of promoting open dialogue on high school and college campuses is particularly relevant to Vanderbilt because it has continuously asserted its commitment to civil discourse.  

“A TPUSA chapter would be valuable to continue the legacy of Charlie Kirk and advocate for open discussion on college campuses,” Bodwell said. “Before ascending to heaven, Jesus commanded the disciples to ‘go and make disciples of all nations.’ I believe Charlie lived this out to the best of his ability, and I admire his boldness and courageousness at such a time as this.” 

In an email to The Hustler, John Murfee (B.S. ‘85, EMBA ‘08) relayed his interest in serving on the advisory board of a potential TPUSA chapter in Nashville. 

“I would be willing to serve in a multitude of ways.  I would be willing to support it financially. If they want [an advisory board] and need help getting speakers to come to events, I could certainly do that,” Murfee said.  

When asked about his motivations for contributing to VCR and the potential TPUSA chapter, Murfee said that he believes starting a TPUSA chapter represents something greater than his family’s ties to Vanderbilt.  

“I went to Vanderbilt twice. My father, my uncle, my grandfather and my son went to Vanderbilt,” Murfee said. “We’re a Vanderbilt family. But the notion of starting this chapter, that’s far more important than just being a Vanderbilt entity.” 

Junior Drew Spiegel, co-president of VCD, said in an email to The Hustler that he and VCD were largely unconcerned with the potential TPUSA chapter. They are more focused on continuing their own initiatives for increased civic engagement.   

“In all honesty, I could not tell you much about the differences between a College Republicans chapter and a TPUSA chapter (or a YAF chapter, which already exists on campus), but from the College Dems perspective, we are not particularly worried about that,” Spiegel said. “VCD remains laser-focused on presenting a vision of progressive values on campus that uplift working-class families, protect marginalized communities and create safer and healthier communities.” 

Spiegel also told The Hustler that he is currently much more focused on general, national issues rather than just what is occurring at Vanderbilt and within the local Nashville sphere.  

“Ultimately, I am concerned less about the factions of the various right-wing groups in Nashville and at Vanderbilt and more about authoritarianism, threats to our fundamental freedoms and Christian nationalism,” Spiegel said. 

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier appeared on Fox News on Sept. 20 where he was asked about his message to the students intending to start a TPUSA chapter at Vanderbilt. Diermeier said that the university is dedicated to civil discourse and free speech. He also stated that all student organizations are permitted to operate on campus regardless of their political stance as part of Vanderbilt’s commitment to institutional neutrality.  

“We are a university, not a political party,” Diermeier said. “We are welcoming [to] students [who wish] to get involved in a whole variety of student organizations. These are student-led organizations, and they are really intended for students to pursue their interests and develop their leadership capabilities.”