On Monday evening, campus groups held a vigil for Charlie Kirk, a popular but controversial rising star in the conservative world who was assassinated last week.
Early media reports said several hundred people attended, but UNCW later confirmed the number was over 1,500. The event, organized by the UNCW chapter of Turning Point USA, drew many prominent local conservatives — including UNC System Board of Governors member Woody White, Wilmington City Councilman Luke Waddell, New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise, and newly appointed Endowment board member Justin Burgess — and featured a candlelight vigil, as well as the painting of the UNCW 'Spirit Rock’ with a portrait and tribute to Kirk.
The Spirit Rock — one of two on campus — is a large boulder that is consistently repainted with various messages by students, often multiple times a week. University policy encourages students and staff to let messages stay for 24 hours before covering them, and recommends that those adding messages include a date and time. However, there’s no official rule regarding how long messages can stay up, and UNCW does not monitor the spirit rocks for compliance with policy suggestions.
Reportedly, conservative students spent the night keeping watch over the Spirit Rock but on Tuesday morning, students opposing Kirk arrived, leading to several terse conversations and, allegedly, some minor physical altercations. Video of the scene shows UNCW campus police were present, but no arrests have been reported. Reagan Faulkner, president of UNCW’s College Republicans, told Fox News that she felt UNCW failed to provide adequate protection for conservative students.
Eventually, several students painted over the tribute to Kirk on the Spirit Rock in protest (in social media posts from both conservatives and liberals, it’s been pointed out that the students used the colors of the Transgender Pride flag, notable because of Kirk’s anti-trans rhetoric and his frequent clashes with transgender rights advocates). Since then, the rock has again been repainted at least once, featuring quotes from Anne Frank and Martin Luther King, Jr.
While it wasn’t clear if 24 hours had elapsed or not, video of the students quickly circulated in conservative social media circles and was picked up by national media outlets. That calls for the students to be disciplined or expelled. In some cases, threats were issued — and WHQR has confirmed at least one of the students has received serious threats and has shut down their social media presence.
On Thursday, concerned students and faculty began sharing a post on X that threatened to send ‘militia’ members after “15 students, 3 professors, and 3 admin that have posted hateful rhetoric” about Kirk, adding “we have their schedules and locations” and concluding “we will take care of the problem.”
The same account, which has less than two dozen followers, posted similar statements about Oberlin College, in Ohio. But, while the account appears neither particularly influential nor local, several faculty members told WHQR they were on high alert, and that some of their students did not feel safe on campus under the circumstances.
In a statement, UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety said he was “appalled” at the “video of the incident.” Volety’s statement didn’t offer specifics, but a UNCW spokesperson confirmed that “the video the chancellor is referring to is the video of paint being poured on the spirit rock after it had been painted in honor of Charlie Kirk.”
“When passion overrides compassion, when we confront people for their beliefs rather than engage their ideas, we betray everything our university represents. Our campus should be where minds meet and grow, not where hearts are hardened,” Volety wrote.
Volety said UNCW was “actively looking into everything that transpired this week” and said the administration was “taking any and all physical and online challenges to our campus safety and security seriously.”
UNCW said it would be working with local and state law enforcement. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office said they were offering support, but UNCW police were taking the lead.
Below: Chancellor Aswani Volety’s full statement
Dear Seahawk family,
I write to you today with a heavy heart, as both your Chancellor and a parent. No matter your opinions of Charlie Kirk, a political assassination on a college campus is a watershed moment for our country. I extend my deepest condolences to the late Mr. Kirk's family, friends and supporters. On Monday, Sept. 15, UNCW assisted our Turning Point USA students and community in hosting a respectful memorial for Mr. Kirk. Over 1,500 students and community members attended a moving, peaceful and meaningful tribute to Mr. Kirk.
After the memorial, I had confidence that our university would engage in civil, vigorous discourse about recent events' impact on our campus, community and nation. Unfortunately, I have been profoundly disappointed in how we've allowed this tragedy to tear at the bonds that make us who we are. The conflicts on our campus in recent days don't reflect who we're called to be. We are better than this.
I consider it a sacred duty to protect every member of our Seahawk family — not just their physical safety, but their ability to learn and express themselves without fear. I have watched video of the incident and, quite frankly, I am appalled. When passion overrides compassion, when we confront people for their beliefs rather than engage their ideas, we betray everything our university represents. Our campus should be where minds meet and grow, not where hearts are hardened.
The ability to truly hear those who think differently isn't just academic — it's what democracy requires. You wrestle with complex ideas every day in your classes. Bring that same intellectual courage to political disagreement. All eyes are watching how we handle this moment of accountability.
I challenge all of us to be a part of healing, not harm. Watch before you act. Listen before you speak. Think before you post. Seek to understand before demanding to be understood. Treat others as you wish to be treated.
Safety is Paramount
We are actively looking into everything that transpired this week. Violations of policies or procedures will be addressed. Student and employee safety is our paramount concern. We are taking any and all physical and online challenges to our campus safety and security seriously, coordinating directly with law enforcement to maintain a peaceful and safe environment. Our UNCW Police Department maintains a comprehensive presence on campus 24/7/365. Let me be clear: if it is determined that state or federal laws were broken, we will cooperate fully with the prosecution of those law breakers as determined by the law enforcement authorities.
Despite this week’s challenges, I remain hopeful for a better tomorrow, on our campus, in our community and across our country. We can serve as a model going forward, away from anger and toward civil discourse conducted with respect and accountability. Seahawks, we can — we must — soar together to meet this challenge.
Yours in Seahawk hope,
Aswani K. Volety
Chancellor
