UTSA has said it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding a poem recited at a campus debate event last month, but it has not announced a finding or disciplinary outcome. The student introduced herself only as Pamper Baby and used a cadence modeled on Clement Clarke Moore’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to mark the anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination at a Utah university in 2025, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Conservative activist Christian Collins characterized the recitation as an indirect threat; UTSA said the comments do not reflect the university’s values.
The exchange took place at Turning Point USA’s Pick Up the Mic event, where students debate controversial topics with visiting speakers, according to Fox San Antonio. Collins, president and founder of the Texas Youth Summit, told the station he had come to UTSA to discuss Christ, abortion and feminism. He said the poem caught him off guard and that he had previously seen people mock Kirk’s death online, but had not encountered it in person.
“You’re Brave For Being On This Campus”
After the recitation, the student told Collins, “You’re brave for being on this campus with no neck brace,” according to Fox San Antonio. Collins said he replied that he was not afraid because he believed he was going to heaven. He described the poem as “an indirect threat” and said he believed its purpose was to deter people from speaking as Kirk had.
Collins said he does not plan to press charges against the student, and he told the station he hopes she learns from the experience. The station reported that the student had not responded to its interview request. UTSA, for its part, said the comments do not reflect its values and that it is reviewing the circumstances, though no finding or disciplinary outcome had been announced, according to Fox San Antonio.
Clip Resurfaces, Draws National Attention
The video drew wider attention after Collins posted it on X on October 27, more than a month after the exchange, according to Yahoo Entertainment. Commentator Meghan McCain criticized the student in stark terms two days later, the outlet reported.
The clip’s circulation also prompted online claims that the student had been identified by name. Thegatewaypundit.com reported that the claims led to calls for UTSA to discipline her, but the identification has not been independently verified through the primary sourcing available for this story. UTSA has not confirmed any student’s name in connection with its review.
What UTSA Policy And Texas Law Say
UTSA’s Student Conduct and Community Standards office investigates alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct, with the stated goal of holding students accountable while providing education meant to promote learning, according to the University of Texas at San Antonio. Any review into this incident would run through that office, though UTSA has not said what, if any, conduct process has been triggered.
Speech protections on UT System campuses are not absolute. The University of Texas System states that its institutions may restrict speech and expression that violates the law, falsely defames a specific individual, constitutes a genuine threat or harassment, or unjustifiably invades substantial privacy interests. Whether the poem meets any of those thresholds has not been determined by any police, prosecutor or court record included in available reporting, and no criminal investigation has been confirmed.
The Constitutional Standard for a True Threat
In its 2023 decision in Counterman v. Colorado, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a true-threats case requires proof that the speaker had some subjective understanding that the statement was threatening, with recklessness sufficient, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. The standard means that offensive or alarming political expression is not, by itself, a determination that a statement is a true threat. The ruling provides legal context but does not determine whether the UTSA poem meets that standard.
