The Boston University College Republicans issued an open letter to BU President Melissa Gilliam on Sept. 10, urging a campus-wide protection of political discourse and a crackdown on violent speech following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist.
Kirk, known for debating students on college campuses, was killed Sep. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
The letter, signed off by BUCR President Zac Segal and Vice President Philip Wohltorf, requested that — in light of Kirk’s killing — BU administration hold students that “incite or glorify” violence accountable, allow classrooms to serve as spaces for “genuine debate, not indoctrination” and provide security for events hosted by BUCR.
“Conservative students have long been marginalized, silenced by fear of social intimidation, academic penalty, or hostility,” the letter reads.
Segal said posts on social media platforms such as Yik Yak and Reddit that celebrated Kirk’s death prompted him and Wohltorf to write the letter. According to the letter, these posts, some of which have been made individuals in the BU community, reveal “how dangerous this environment has become.”
“There’s unfortunately a sizable amount of people who were celebrating his death, saying how great it was, saying it should have happened sooner,” Segal said. “It is wrong to celebrate someone’s death, especially when the political situation in this country is as fragile as it is.”
Segal said Gilliam responded to the letter, offering to meet with the club’s executive board. BUCR is choosing to keep Gilliam’s response private at this time, Segal said.
“[Administration agrees] with us that intellectual diversity is critical for campus and freedom of speech is important,” Segal said. “They’ve said they have a bias reporting protocol and have offered a meeting with the president.”
BU Spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that University policies and guidelines clearly encourage “respectful dialogues.”
“We condemn violence and our hearts go out to the Kirk family, his friends, and supporters, and to every American,” Riley wrote.
Riley added the University has always taken the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the BU community and any guests it hosts. The University plans to continue ensuring safety by cooperating with local, state and federal law enforcement, he wrote.
Segal said he hopes BUCR can unite following Kirk’s death and become a “real voice on campus.”
“Hopefully, we’re gonna have a lot of new members, and people are going to start realizing it’s okay to express their views,” Segal said. “Because if we don’t express our views in the first place, it’s hard for change to be made.”
Elizabeth Mehler contributed to this article.