A politically conservative student organization called Turning Point USA at UConn brought “Campus Clash” speakers Charlie Kirk, left, Dave Rubin, right, and Connecticut native Candace Owens, center, to speak at the UConn student union in April. Republican students at Trinity College are now planning to bring Owens to the Hartford school. Credit: Brad Horrigan | Hartford Courant via TNS

College campuses have historically pushed back against conservative and far-right speakers on their premises, but Ohio State’s administration is staying neutral.

Ahead of the university’s chapter of Turning Point USA’s free event and Q&A featuring conservative activists Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens Wednesday at the Ohio Union, students and members of the Ohio State community voiced their opposition to the event and the speakers’ ideology. They claim the speakers have “violent rhetoric.” However, changes in Ohio law and the Board of Trustees’ free speech policy protect almost all speech on Ohio State’s campuses.

Daniel Philip, president of Ohio State’s chapter of Turning Point USA and a second-year in business, said in an email the university overall has “tolerated us, but I wouldn’t say they respect us.” 

Kirk is a conservative political activist, radio talk show host and co-founder of Turning Point USA. He will be joined by Owens, a Black conservative talk show host and political commentator who gained popularity for her comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, according to NBC News.

According to Turning Point USA’s national website, the organization “empowers citizens of all ages to Rise Up against the radical Left in defense of freedom, free markets, and limited government,” and is known for the biggest “freedom-loving parties in the conservative movement.” Philip said as a 501c3 nonprofit, the organization is nonpartisan.

“I think other organizations that talk about the same issues we do though, face less backlash from the school and student body,” Philip said. 

University spokesperson Chris Booker said in an email Ohio State has an “unwavering commitment to free speech.” According to the university’s Office of Marketing and Communication, freedom of speech and civic engagement are central values to Ohio State as a higher education institution. 

“Ohio State supports the right of our students, faculty and staff to peacefully express their views and to speak out about issues that are important to them,” the website stated. 

Ohio lawmakers in 2021 attempted to stop backlash against controversial speakers on college campuses around the country, passing the Forming Open and Robust University Minds Act. 

The act stated the university can no longer prevent speakers who are “members of the communist party” or who support the overthrow of the U.S. government by force or violence. Speakers who are “not conducive to high ethical and moral standards or primary educational purposes” are also protected from bans by the university. 

Following the passage of the FORUM Act, the university Board of Trustees approved an on-campus interim free speech policy in August 2022 that ensures Ohio State protects free speech and promotes public discourse as a land-grant institution. With this new policy, the university aims to “enrich” its campus environment and allow the “community members to experience new ideas.” 

“Although the university greatly values civility and mutual respect, concerns about civility and mutual respect shall never be used as a justification for closing off the discussion of ideas, however offensive, unwise, immoral, indecent, disagreeable, conservative, liberal, traditional, radical, or wrong-headed those ideas may be to some students or faculty,” the interim policy stated.

During a March 14 appearance by Kirk at UC Davis, two people were arrested for painting graffiti on the building where the event was held. Around 100 protesters gathered outside the building and broke glass panes in the doors, but they did not gain access to the building and left the area, according to a UC Davis’s news release. When Kirk visited UC Santa Barbara March 1, over 100 protesters gathered outside the building where he was speaking, according to an article by Daily Nexus.

Though Ohio colleges are not likely to interfere with free speech on campus, students are still permitted to push back. 

Zach Perkins, president of Ohio State’s College Democrats and a fourth-year in public policy analysis and economics, said in an email he believes Ohio State’s administration shows the same amount of respect for right-wing student organizations as his organization. However, Perkins said the student community is “understandably more hostile” towards right-wing groups because those organizations’ ideas are often in opposition with beliefs held by many students on campus and could encourage hate or harm towards certain groups. 

“Just as we all expect the university to maintain the free speech of these organizations and speakers such as Charlie Kirk and Turning Point, those same individuals have to also respect the free speech of the student body, who have the right to harshly rebuke the harmful and radical beliefs they spout,” Perkins said. 

Nigel Becker, communications director of Ohio State’s College Republicans, said in a statement the idea of a modern conservative is diverse.

“We encourage speakers across the political spectrum, including Kirk and Owens, to give students the chance to hear their views,” Becker said.

Some student organizations, like The Sundial — Ohio State’s satirical student-run magazine — have posted tongue-in-cheek opposition to the event, such as by “not” encouraging students to reserve a spot at Kirk’s event and failing to show up. Other people have taken to social media to show resistance to Kirk’s appearance on campus — even the organization’s Instagram page. 

Other organizations — including Ohio State’s Revolutionary Student Front, the Central Ohio Youth Liberation and Ohio State’s Triota chapter —- have plans for more direct action. 

The three organizations posted a joint plan on social media March 6 for a protest outside of Wednesday’s event if their demands for its cancellation aren’t upheld by the university. In their Instagram post, the groups accuse Kirk of bigotry, homophobia, racism, sexism and “dangerous rhetoric.”

“Together we will show TPUSA and its accomplices that we do not tolerate their violent rhetoric,” the March 6 post stated. 

Perkins said just as TPUSA uses its First Amendment right to free speech by holding Kirk and Owens’ event on campus, College Democrats encourage Ohio State students to their own right to free speech by opposing the event and publicly calling out the speakers’ rhetoric.

“[P]olitical extremists such as Charlie Kirk thrive off of negative attention and outrage they receive — Kirk’s performative advocacy for free speech ends the second that anyone who even slightly disagrees with him decides to use their own freedom of speech against him,” Perkins said. “We as the Ohio State community should make every effort to not attend this event, not fuel the outrage he wishes to create, and to condemn any potential attempts by Kirk to silence the free speech of his opponents on our campus.”

Philip said free speech is vital to college campuses, as there are many differing opinions, and the silencing of certain groups’ speech should end. Philip said TPUSA hasn’t had issues with the student body for past events.

“We have had two prior events with about 50 people who attended each of them and we didn’t encounter any issues,” Phillips said.

Turning Point USA did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.