Charlie Kirk toured college campuses across the country, inviting people to debate his conservative views on immigration, gender identity and other topics.
His assassination at Utah Valley University Wednesday was shocking, said San Diego State University graduate student Joe Geroche.
“I am by no means a big fan of Charlie Kirk or in agreement, but I see him everywhere all the time,” Geroche said. “Now that he's gone, I think I appreciate more the sense of debate and refinement of ideas that he kind of brought, even if I disagree with him.”
Kirk founded the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA at age 18. Both San Diego State and UC San Diego have Turning Point USA chapters, and Kirk has appeared at both campuses.
On Wednesday, Kirk’s YouTube channel published a video from his appearance at UC San Diego in May. Kirk also hosted a “Prove Me Wrong” event at San Diego State last year.
Payton Kleidon, president of SDSU’s Turning Point USA chapter, wrote in a statement that he brought “vitality and hope” to conservative students.
“As a chapter that hosted him a year and a half ago, we also feel for the Utah Valley University student leaders suffering after this horrific day,” Kleidon wrote.
Kirk’s assasination is the latest example of political violence in the U.S. The shooter’s motive is still unknown.
Gabriel Soberon Nelson, a graduate student at SDSU, called it “upsetting and disturbing.”
“It's an unfortunate political moment that we're having influencers, politicians, being injured or murdered. It's sad," he said. "As a student, this is a place for dialogue."
SDSU President Adela de la Torre and Associated Students President Kareen Holstrom sent a message to students and staff Wednesday, saying that college campuses should be “a beacon of support for civil political discourse.”
They wrote that students, faculty and staff have recently expressed concerns “across a multitude of issues concerning individual and family safety.”
“This comes at a time when many communities are experiencing threats to their status and identity, their sense of belonging, and their very safety,” they wrote.
They urged those communities to access support services on campus, including counseling.
“We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to acts of violence used in response to social and political disputes,” they wrote.
SDSU’s police department develops safety and security plans before any on-campus event, according to the university.
