WILMINGTON — UNCW has become a flashpoint in the wake of a Monday vigil for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, with the situation potentially heating up more on Friday, prompting the chancellor to issue a statement Thursday afternoon.
READ MORE: UNCW details more actions taken to root out DEI at university
“We are actively looking into everything that transpired this week,” Chancellor Aswani Volety wrote Thursday, referring to conflicts over the school’s spirit rock painted in Kirk’s memory and a threat that evacuated the library and Discovery Hall Wednesday night.
Now, UNCW is facing the threat of a “militia” presence on Friday.
A Sept. 16 post from Right Angle News Network on X detailed the spirit rock debacle. An account going by BrendanJones04 replied: “Our nc group militia will be there Friday at uncw. There are 13-15 students, 3 professors and 3 admin that have posted hateful rhetoric. We have their schedules and locations. We will take care of the problem.”
UNCW’s X page was tagged in the comment. Port City Daily reached out to UNCW before the chancellor’s message went out Thursday asking if the university had seen the post and if any action was being taken.
“We are aware of recent social media posts circulating on the internet,” UNCW spokesperson Sydney Bouchelle wrote to PCD Thursday. “University Police is actively working with partner agencies and university administration to assess these posts. They are also reviewing them against known individuals and groups whose intent may be to provoke unrest or heighten emotions.”
Bouchelle added the university takes all threats seriously and the safety of the UNCW community remains the highest priority.
“We are committed to a thorough investigation and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” Bouchelle said.
If campus visitors, militia or not, were to come to campus, they would have to abide by UNCW policy, which says visitors are not allowed to disrupt campus operations, including classes and programming. Some areas are also protected due to ongoing academic research or business operations. Additionally, visitors in UNCW residence have to be invited in and escorted by a student that lives there.
The post follows a week of tumultuous events beginning with a candlelight vigil for Kirk, who was shot at one of his public debate events at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. The event drew out several hundred participants.
UNCW’s chapter of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit advocating for conservative politics on school campuses founded by Kirk, hosted the vigil. The event included the painting of Kirk’s image on the school’s spirit rock, a structure that students paint over at their leisure to promote events, groups or affirmations.
Students showed up to do just that on Sept. 16. According to reporting from UNCW, university police responded to a confrontation between two groups of students, one trying to repaint the rock and the other trying to retain Kirk’s portrait. In the melee, some students were splashed with paint and the rock was eventually recovered.
UNCW then released a statement saying the rock is “not a memorial” and instead a “platform for freedom of expression” that is typically repainted several times a week. UNCW says students are informed it is courteous to leave an installation up for 24 hours before repainting, but there is no university policy mandating this. The university confirmed no citations or no arrests have been made regarding the incident.
“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,” Volety wrote in Thursday’s message. “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.”
The incident, along with a video of one girl using her hands to cover Kirk’s image in blue paint, has gained attention from national media, including the New York Post and Fox News.
Then on Wednesday evening, the university responded to a threat made to campus, evacuating both Randall Library and Discovery Hall. A campus safety alert went out at 12:15 a.m. notifying students of the threat and that UNCW Police, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office and “state partners” were investigating. It called the evacuations a “precaution” and an all-clear was issued around 2 a.m.
Port City Daily reached out to UNCW Police and the NHCSO for more information on the threat; neither responded by press. Bouchelle told Port City Daily the matter is an ongoing investigation and UNCW is not able to provide any further information.
Chancellor Volety wrote in his statement that violations of policies and procedures would be addressed, though Bouchelle would not elaborate nor confirm if any students were under investigation or being cited in relation to any of this week’s events.
“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,” Volety wrote.
The chancellor’s full message is below.
“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.”
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
