The assassination of Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator and co-founder of Turning Point USA, at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, has sparked strong reactions across the United States and on campus.
“I felt shock and devastation,” said Avaleigh Tartaglia, a 20-year-old science major from Middle Island. “Those showing empathy understand that patriotism and personal beliefs are basic human rights. But the people tearing down his memorials and celebrating his death—this is exactly why Kirk spoke out in the first place and it all comes down to mental illness.”
Nelson Santos, a 19-year-old political science major from Babylon, said he disagreed with most of Kirk’s ideology but still opposed political violence. “I wasn’t joyful, but I also wasn’t mournful,” Santos said. “I fully stand against political violence. We can’t justify silencing someone for their beliefs. But Charlie Kirk being treated like an American hero, which I think is unjust—he was a political commentator, a political activist—there’s no hero material there.”
‘In some cases, political violence is needed’
Anthony Costa, a 20-year-old business major from Bellport, said he was indifferent about Kirk’s killing.
“Stuff like this happens so often now that it almost felt expected,” he said.
He condemned the assassination, but Costa also argued that “in some cases, political violence is necessary.” For example, he suggested a scenario in which Adolf Hitler could have been stopped before the Holocaust.
Underscoring how sensitive a time the country is in, a Times/Siena poll taken between Sept. 22 and 27—two weeks after Kirk’s assassination—showed that 64% of voters believe that America’s political system is too divided to fix the nation’s problems.
Jacob Frielingsdorf, a 26-year-old business certificate major from Smithtown, called the event “sad, but not surprising,” and said Kirk had been a champion of open debate on campuses.
“Whether you like him or not, he was one the biggest people who pushed for open discussions. Even though he had never graduated college, I do believe he was an educator in his own way and whether you agree with his opinions or not, a lot of them were backed up by real facts and sources, you can at least respect that,” Frielingsdorf said.
Students’ campus safety concerns
Sukhman Ghuman, a 20-year-old liberal studies major from Islip, said she was “shocked” by Kirk’s assassination, but not fearful that the same could happen at Suffolk. “Things like this you can’t predict,” she said, adding that colleges should raise security because “underlying issues of gun violence,” remain unresolved.
That concern was echoed by Tartaglia, who said she doesn’t feel safe expressing her political beliefs on campus. “It should be an awareness to everyone,” Tartaglia said. “Colleges should absolutely be increasing security.”
Referring to Kirk’s killing, “No matter what someone’s beliefs are, they don’t deserve to die for them,” Tartaglia said.
Suffolk’s Director of Fire and Public Safety, Baycan Fideli, said the college is taking precautions. “The tragic event like the one at UTU always places us on heightened awareness,” Fideli said in an email. “All of our large-scale events require planning internally and with our law enforcement partners. We encourage all students and staff that if they see or hear activity that makes them concerned they should call us immediately.”
While no new threats have been identified on Suffolk campuses, Fideli emphasized that “safety is a non-stop activity that requires advanced intelligence, community input, awareness of trends, and proactive preventive actions.”
