UVU Shuts Campus for Kirk Memorial; Students Protest

UVU President Jon Anderson defended allowing the event. "As an institution, it's important that we stay apolitical, that we don't jump in the fray," he said in a statement. "Any entity could've used that space, and they chose to have that day. And we allowed them to do that." Anderson stressed the memorial is not sponsored by UVU, but said the school will provide security given the event's size and potential for controversy.

In an open letter, the Students for a Democratic Society chapter accused the university of planning to "hand over our campus" to Turning Point USA and said Anderson had "aligned himself with the interests" of the group. The letter called Turning Point "openly racist and antagonistic" and accused it of using "a narrative of victimhood," according to Breitbart News.

Turning Point said the gathering "will honor Charlie as a faith-filled husband, father, and defender of free speech with a memorial that serves as a deliberate act of remembrance and a call for students and supporters to continue his life's work."

Shapiro, whose home was firebombed in 2025 while his family slept, said six people have been arrested for making "terroristic threats" against him and his family in the last six or seven months. "I think we should be deeply concerned, and I think it is something that we all have a responsibility to not reward acts of political violence, not engrandize them and . . . not allow it to take deeper root in our nation," he said.

Cox, who launched the Disagree Better initiative as chairman of the National Governors Association in 2023, said the fix is slow. "I don't know that we're going to save the country overnight, but I truly believe the way we save the country is one conversation and one relationship at a time," he said. He also said there is "a ... market failure in both parties right now, for sure."