Boston University’s College Republicans are sounding the alarm after the shocking assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The conservative students say they’ve faced intimidation for years — and now fear their lives could be in danger.
“Universities are supposed to be marketplaces of ideas. If conservatives have to worry about being shot for speaking out, then that marketplace is dead,” said BU College Republicans Vice President Philip Wohltorf, who also serves as a legislative aide in the Massachusetts State Senate.
The group has sent a letter to BU President Melissa Gilliam demanding accountability for students posting violent rhetoric online and calling for immediate security at all future Republican events.
Wohltorf told reporters he was horrified by what he saw on student forums like Reddit and Yik Yak: fellow students celebrating Kirk’s death.
“These comments are disgusting. We may disagree, but the answer is debate — not bullets,” he said.
The online glee from some on the left echoes Kirk’s own warnings earlier this year about what he called a growing “assassination culture” against conservatives. His words proved tragically prophetic.
Charlie Kirk was in Utah launching his “America Comeback Tour” when he was gunned down at Utah Valley University. The killing of a man who had dedicated his career to energizing young conservatives and championing free speech has sent shockwaves through the Republican movement.
“Charlie stood for the First Amendment and for challenging liberal orthodoxy. We feel obligated to carry on his mission,” Wohltorf said, adding that more students than ever have signed up to join BU’s College Republicans in the last 24 hours.
The Boston University controversy highlights what conservatives have long argued: America’s higher education system has become openly hostile to right-leaning viewpoints.
A 2023 Harvard Crimson survey found less than 3% of Harvard professors identified as conservative. That number rose slightly to 9% in 2025 — but the imbalance remains staggering.
“Colleges talk about diversity, but it’s diversity of thought that’s missing,” Wohltorf said. He noted that his repeated efforts to organize debates with left-leaning student groups have been ignored.
The Kirk assassination has already drawn sharp responses from Republicans nationwide. President Trump called the shooting “an act of pure evil” and vowed his administration “will not rest until every conservative student, professor, and speaker is safe on every campus in America.”
At BU, administrators insist they’re committed to free expression. A spokesperson said the school condemns violence and will continue coordinating with law enforcement to protect all students.
But for Wohltorf and his peers, words are no longer enough.
“We want to know our members are safe. We want to know our ideas can be spoken without fear. That’s the least a university should provide,” he said.
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Most all of the universities have an extreme liberal bias, so don’t count on any action on your behalf as far as safe free speech if you’re conservative. You’ll get lip service, but nothing more. Freedom of speech only exists at today’s universities if you’re supporting their progressive/socialist agenda. So, don’t hold your breath in anticipation of any actual protection as far as your safety. If you want to feel relatively safe, consider switching to a tech school where, in addition to safety, you’ll actually get an education that can be used in life.