Utah Valley University — where Charlie Kirk was assassinated — will cancel classes on Thursday, effectively shutting down the school on the one-year anniversary of the Turning Point USA founder’s murder.
The school’s administration has decided to shut down its public campus in Orem, Utah, on Thursday, to “provide time and space time for reflection” for students, staff, and faculty, according to a report by the Salt Lake Tribune.
Additionally, Turning Point USA will be returning to Utah Valley University that day to host a memorial event for Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10, 2025, while speaking with a student on the school’s campus.
Turning Point USA’s “Freedom Built to Last Memorial” will be held at the UCCU Center on Utah Valley University’s campus at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, and will be livestreamed on the organization’s social media pages.
Watch Below:
Pre-registration for the memorial event can be found here.
“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,” Turning Point USA said is a statement.
The organization added that “Americans from every corner of the country are welcome to share the moment on social media with a simple message: Charlie’s seat continues to be filled by a new generation of faith-filled believers.”
As Breitbart News reported, the memorial is facing opposition from the school’s Students for a Democratic Society club, who are planning to protest the event on Thursday, just minutes before it is scheduled to begin.
In an open letter, the leftist students claimed the school is planning to “hand over our campus” to Turning Point USA — which some may counter is the least the university can do, given that the school was effectively handed over to an assassin on that same day last year.
They also accused Utah Valley University President Jon Anderson of having “aligned himself with the interests” of Turning Point USA by allowing the conservative organization on campus for the anniversary of Kirk’s murder.
Bizarrely, the left-wing students went on to accuse Turning Point USA of being “openly racist and antagonistic,” and claimed the organization is using “a narrative of victimhood” by hosting a memorial for its assassinated founder.
Ironically, they then pushed their own victim narrative by strangely claiming that — somehow — they “will be further negatively affected by allowing TPUSA to occupy our campus on that day.”
“As an institution, it’s important that we stay apolitical, that we don’t jump in the fray,” the UVU president 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 also stressed that the memorial is not sponsored by UVU — but noted that the school will be providing security based on the event’s size and potential for controversy.
On September 10 last year — after Kirk was fatally shot on campus — Utah Valley University announced a four-day closure.
Last week, Judge Tony Graf ruled that Tyler Robinson — the 23-year-old man accused of killing the Turning Point USA founder — can stand trial for aggravated murder and six other charges.
Robinson, who could face the death penalty if convicted, will appear for a court hearing again on October 23, at which point a trial date is expected to be set.
Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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