After the death of George Floyd, who, in spite of his background of drug use and criminal behavior became the poster child for leftist race propaganda, top American colleges and universities advertised resources to support students they believed to be in deep distress over the incident. Now, five years later, the Ivy Leagues have been comparatively silent about the death of conservative icon Charlie Kirk, whose work appealed directly to college students and fostered open debate on their campuses.
The Federalist contacted Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Brown University, Columbia University, and Dartmouth College to ask what, if any, resources had been provided to students in the wake of Kirk’s death. None answered The Federalist’s inquiries.
Some universities, like Princeton, may acknowledge the tragedy to peddle claims blaming the right or both sides for political violence, while administrators from others may even seek to console gatherings of conservative students amid their grief, plan to review security measures, or reportedly tout “free expression.” However, a search of each Ivy League school’s website revealed that none of them released a unique public statement condemning, or even addressing Kirk’s assassination like they did after Floyd’s death.
Many colleges and universities highlighted support for students following George Floyd’s death in 2020. For example, at Harvard University, then-Dean of the Kennedy School Douglas Elmendorf posted a message lamenting Floyd’s death and its implications, and noted the resources accessible through the Kennedy school and Harvard at large.
Yale, likewise, shared university resources following Floyd’s death. A message from Brown University President Christina Paxson at the end of the trial of the officer involved in Floyd’s death appears on the university website, followed by support resources and related events. One of those events was a “A Gathering in Community (Brown students, staff and faculty only).”
The Federalist also contacted several top public universities asking whether resources had been shared for students mourning Kirk’s assassination.
University of California, Berkeley told The Federalist that it reached out to the Berkeley Turning Point USA chapter within hours of what it called “the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk,” adding that its first priority at the time was to ensure the safety of the candlelight vigil planned by TPUSA, which Berkely confirms it did. The university also shared resources including mental health support, security contact information and legal support information with TPUSA members. The communication encouraged them to “explore academic flexibility in consultation with your instructors.”
UC Berkeley also posted a public statement from Chancellor Rich Lyons the day after Kirk’s assassination, saying that “the use of violent means in pursuit of political ends is intolerable and condemnable. Our sincere condolences go out to Mr. Kirk’s family, friends and followers, including the members of the Berkeley Turning Point chapter.”
The University of Florida told The Federalist that it “reached out to the Turning Point USA at UF student organization to offer support following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who spoke on the UF campus in February.”
The University of Virginia (UVA) told The Federalist it offers reminders to students of the resources available to them, “both in response to their outreach following troubling events as well as generally at the beginning of the academic year.” The spokesman added that “UVA’s Division of Student Affairs have also been in direct contact with individual students and leaders of student groups who have been affected by Mr. Kirk’s murder to offer care, support, and reminders of available resources.” He noted remarks made by Interim President Paul Mahoney in a public board meeting where Mahoney addressed Kirk’s murder, and described Kirk as “an advocate for viewpoint diversity and free expression.”
In response to The Federalist’s inquiry about what, if any resources had been highlighted for students in light of Kirk’s assassination, a media relations contact at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) told The Federalist that the academic year has not yet begun, so students are not on campus. She did not confirm whether the university plans to feature such resources for students.
UCLA placed on leave and is investigating one of its employees for social media posts allegedly celebrating Kirk’s death. Universities across the country are dismissing professors for inappropriate comments about Kirk’s murder.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, University of California, San Diego, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, University of Texas at Austin, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California, Davis, University of California, Irvine, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign did not respond to The Federalist’s inquiry.
The Federalist similarly searched each of these public universities’ websites, only a few of which addressed Kirk’s assassination directly. For example, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor published a “campus safety” announcement, but it did not name Kirk specifically.
Catherine Gripp is a graduate of Arizona Christian University where she earned a degree in communication and a minor in political science. She writes for The Federalist as a reporting intern.
