Utah Valley University has taken steps to honor Charlie Kirk, the slain political activist and Turning Point USA co-founder, with the announcement of a committee formed to develop a memorial on campus. According to KUTV, the memorial comes on the heels of Kirk's assassination during a speaking event at UVU. The committee is said to be inclusive of students, political leaders, and "other key stakeholders."
The newly-established committee will be co-chaired by UVU Board of Trustees Chair Scott M. Smith and Utah Board of Higher Education Chair Amanda Convington. Smith emphasized the collective effort, stating to ABC4, "We will coordinate with state and local officials, the family of Charlie Kirk, the wider community, the Utah Board of Higher Education, UVU’s Board of Trustees and our students to develop an appropriate long-term plan." The plan, it seems, will be informed by a myriad of community voices who have expressed a desire to shape the direction of the memorial.
In a separate but related event, UVU recently held a vigil with heightened security as per KSLTV. This security measure followed not just the campus tragedy, but also a recent threat of violence targeting the university made by an individual in Summit County. Despite the enforced precautions, the university encouraged attendance in the spirit of peace, reflection, and mutual support.
The vigil itself saw a strong community turnout. Nathan Holladay, a recent high school graduate who witnessed the makeshift memorial for Kirk, praised the purpose of the vigil, telling KSLTV, "We need to be able to come together, so hopefully that sense of unity will be there." The memorial for Kirk continues to embody a space where collective grief and an inherent quest for healing take on a tangible form.
