A group of Vanderbilt University students say they are forming a Turning Point USA chapter on campus in response to the shooting death of the organization’s founder and CEO Charlie Kirk.
The students have not yet filed paperwork with the university to create a registered student organization on campus. They said they are in contact with leadership at Turning Point USA.
Kirk, a prominent voice in conservative politics, started the conservative youth political group that became the cornerstone of his legacy in 2012. There are thousands of Turning Point USA chapters in high schools and colleges across the U.S. There are more than 3,500 individual chapters, including a chapter at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, according to the organization. Kirk died after being shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University Sept. 10.
RaeAnna Morales, a junior at Vanderbilt University and media director of Vanderbilt College Republicans, sent an Instagram message late Sept. 10 to Hannah Whitlow, whose LinkedIn says she is the college field representative for Turning Point USA, pitching the idea. Morales said Whitlow had previously reached out to members of Vanderbilt College Republicans about starting a Turning Point chapter at Vanderbilt.
“I was hoping I could help do this and take initiative to finally progress” bringing Turning Point to Vanderbilt’s campus, Morales wrote, a screenshot shows. “We need it now more than ever, I hope I can help.”
Whitlow responded, saying, “absolutely let’s do it.”
Whitlow said she was not authorized to comment and directed The Tennessean to a media contact for the organization. That person did not respond to an email seeking comment before publication.
Two other students in Vanderbilt College Republicans, Marko Doce and Jonah Dutch, said they are going to help kick-start the conservative youth political organization.
The Vanderbilt University Campus in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, July 27, 2018.
Doce said the students plan to meet with Whitlow this weekend about next steps for creating a Turning Point chapter on Vanderbilt’s campus. They plan to set up a meeting with school administration after that.
Students looking to create a new student organization have to submit a form to the university in the first two weeks of the spring semester. Among the requirements for new organizations is that they “must have a unique mission that does not overlap with the missions of existing organizations,” according to the Vanderbilt University student handbook. New organizations also can’t violate the university’s mission or non-discrimination policy, the handbook states.
Morales said in an interview she decided to start the work establishing the chapter after Kirk’s death.
“I was thinking last night about how important his legacy should be,” Morales said Sept. 11, the day after Kirk died. “His work is worthy enough to keep spreading after his death.”
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Charlie Kirk’s death spurs proposed Vanderbilt Turning Point chapter