- Students have expressed a surreal feeling returning to UVU on Wednesday, a week after the Charlie Kirk shooting.
- The university has provided a number of resources for students impacted by the shooting.
- The university had no comment on the specifics of the event due to ongoing investigations.
One week after the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, students have begun returning to the Orem campus and classes have resumed.
As campus operations began getting back to normal Wednesday, students described feeling a change in the air from how things were before last week’s shooting.
“It feels a little bit surreal, like we know what happened a week ago, and it’s kind of interesting being here on campus. I feel like it’s a little bit more reverent,” said Hannah McCombs, a UVU student studying respiratory therapy.
Throughout Wednesday morning, a number of students and other community members gathered in the courtyard where Kirk held his event before being shot and killed last week.
The area where Kirk sat was barricaded off, but many students stood at the barrier, some just staring silently, others looking at a large American flag hanging over the courtyard and others speaking quietly to each other.
Three students who stood along the barrier read Bible verses out loud together and took turns praying.
“I think they did a good job trying to make sure everyone feels comfortable and ready to come back,” said Ben Cannon, a UVU freshman who witnessed last week’s shooting. ”I think they did a good job, like trying to ease people back in and not doing too much."
Safety measures and resources being provided for students
“We also extend our love and care for so many people who were directly affected by what happened on Sept. 10,” said university president Astrid Tuminez as she spoke about reopening the campus. “Our first core value is exceptional care. We cannot go wrong with that. So that will be our focus.”
Scattered around the campus are 24 “care stations,” which have snacks and drinks available for students, as well as information for a variety of resources available to students, such as mental health support. Students are also able to ask for a walking buddy to accompany them across campus or to their car if that’s something they feel they need.
“We’re just here to kind of be a presence saying, ‘Hey, you matter,’” said Joe Nettleton, a UVU staff member who manned one of the tables.
As one student, in visible distress, approached one of the care stations, the staff member standing at the table walked up to her, saying, “Do you need a hug?” and handed her a pillow to wrap her arms around in comfort.
The university also has mental health resources available to students through its Student Health Services.
Many members of UVU’s staff and faculty were also walking around wearing badges that say “need help?” to let students know they can come to that person if they need anything.
There has been an increased police presence on the campus, including officers from a number of police departments in the area, as well as officers from Utah Highway Patrol.
Kyle Reyes, the university’s vice president of institutional advancement, said the message he and the rest of the school’s leadership are sharing with students is, “We want you here.”
Tuminez and Reyes said that because the case is still ongoing, they could not talk about the specifics of what occurred on Sept. 10, and they also weren’t able to speak on the security review that is also ongoing.
How students feel about the return to campus
Cannon, who witnessed the shooting, shared how he felt after the event.
“It was weird that day, like that night, just trying to stop thinking about it,” he said. “Just a weird feeling, knowing that we, like, watched someone pass away and watched someone, like their whole life got changed in one second.”
Upon returning to school, multiple students said the campus was quieter than usual, adding that there were less people around than normal.
“The parking lot is usually packed,” said Nicole Starr, another student at UVU. ”It seems like there’s not as many people here, whether that’s like choosing to do online, not showing up, classes canceled, just not feeling safe. But even like walking around, it’s just like, very quiet. It’s not as lively here.”
It seems that some students who were at the event when the shooting occurred are a bit more hesitant to return to campus.
“I’m sure there are a lot of people that are traumatized that don’t want to come back,” said UVU student Devon Anderson. “I think I personally know a person or two that don’t want to come back to school for at least a little bit.”
Starr added that she feels the environment and dynamic is a bit more sad and uncomfortable than usual.
McCombs pointed out that she feels people on campus are acting different.
“People are a little bit more cautious of the way they’re looking or the way they’re acting towards things,” McCombs said.
Multiple students shared that they felt the university had handled the return to campus very well.
“It was a little weird coming back, but I feel good,” said UVU freshman Seth Maddox. “The teachers have been really nice, and so it’s just kind of cool seeing how they’ve handled the situation.”
Students shared that professors have postponed assignment due dates and some have made attendance optional this week, posting their lectures online.
Justin Risenmay shared that he had multiple professors who reached out to students over the past week to check in and see how everyone was doing.
He added that he expected there to be more contention and political polarization upon the return to campus, but said that things just feel “very normal.”
Another student, Haley Schofield, explained that because everyone feels a bit weird about coming back, it brings a sense of unity to the campus.
“I feel like everyone feels a little bit closer to each other,” Schofield said.
All of the eight students that spoke with the Deseret News shared that they feel safe returning to campus. McCombs mentioned feeling a little discomfort but safe overall.
How UVU is honoring Charlie Kirk
Chalk drawings and messages in honor of Charlie Kirk cover the sidewalk in multiple locations on UVU’s campus. The walkway up to the university’s Fugal building is covered in drawings of tall red roses labeled “a walk of roses for Charlie.”
Many of the messages written around campus included messages of love for Kirk and his family and many others were based in faith and religion.
“Our heart is broken but our faith is strong thank you Charlie,” “til we meet again thank you for everything” and “we will all see Charlie again because of Christ,” read some of the messages seen written in chalk.
There were also multiple makeshift memorials at various campus locations. These memorials featured photos of Kirk, signs honoring him and American flags, as well as hundreds of flowers that had been laid down in his memory.
Here’s a look at some other ways the school has been honoring Charlie Kirk.
- On Friday, UVU will host a Vigil for Unity at the UCCU Center starting at 4 p.m.
- Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, has started a fundraiser to build a statue in honor of Kirk on UVU’s campus.
- On Wednesday, UVU’s Institute of Religion held a devotional for students returning to campus.