Charlie Kirk's Death Is a Test for Campus Free Speech

"Voices on the right have blamed colleges for Kirk's death, calling them "indoctrination camps" and comparing them to "madrassas that radicalize jihadis." Though the suspect is not a student, Kirk's killing has intersected with concerns that students are increasingly unable or unwilling to engage with dissenting views. Critics have cited the most recent FIRE College Free Speech Rankings survey, which shows that one in three students thinks it's acceptable to use violence to stop a speaker."

"Colleges did not cause Kirk's death, but leaders cannot ignore the finding that a third of students support using violence against a speaker. Though most students will never resort to violence, the possibility forces colleges to reassess campus security. UVU's police chief admitted more than half his force of 15 officers wasn't able to secure the crowd of 3,000 people at the Kirk event. Security experts noted that stopping a shooting from the top of a building hundreds of feet away requires Secret Service-style sweeps."

"Yet on the ground at UVU, life on campus looked far different from critics' portrayals. In the hours after the shooting, the student newspaper, The UVU Review, reported that professors reached out to students to offer resources and reprieves from coursework. Students called everyone in their phone to tell them they were safe. Strangers hugged each other and students offered a ride home to anyone who needed it."

The assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University intensified national tensions over campus free speech and prompted voices on the right to call colleges 'indoctrination camps.' Though the suspect is not a student, the killing intersected with concerns that students are less willing or able to engage dissenting views. A FIRE survey finds one in three students views violence as acceptable to stop a speaker. UVU police said more than half of a 15-officer force could not secure a 3,000-person crowd, and experts warned distant-shooter threats require Secret Service-style sweeps. Budget strains raise questions about who will pay for protections. On campus, professors and students offered support and grieved together.

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