‘This year is going to be difficult for you’: College official in hot water for ‘threatening’ student supporting Charlie Kirk
‘I have family who don’t look like you who are triggered – and I will be very candid with you – who are triggered by those hats and by that side’
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, an Oklahoma State University student is going public after a school official reprimanded him for his support of the slain civil-rights leader, saying some people could be “triggered” simply because he wore a Turning Point USA hat with the number 47 on it.
Student Joshua Wilson is exposing the actions of Melisa Echols, OSU’s coordinator of student-government programs, who told him: “As a person who doesn’t look like you and has not had the same lived experience as you, I have family who don’t look like you who are triggered – and I will be very candid with you – who are triggered by those hats and by that side.”
While Wilson told Echols he understood her concerns, he didn’t believe wearing a Turning Point hat was partisan, and he rejected the claim it was somehow harmful to other students.
Echols at one point was angered that Wilson defended his stance.
“‘But’ cannot be the end of every statement. That’s not a learned lesson,” Echols said. “It cannot just be, ‘yes, but’ – cannot be every response that you give me. Otherwise, this year is going to be difficult for you.”
Wilson viewed Echols’ comment as “a veiled threat.”
The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs reported: “Wilson pointed out to Echols that he is Cherokee and noted he routinely interacts with people from different backgrounds and viewpoints.”
“I don’t like to pull that card,” Wilson said. “But if you’re going to pull that card on me, I might as well.”
LibsofTikTok reports action has now been taken against Echols: “According to TPUSA, the staff member who reprimanded a student for honoring Charlie has been placed on administrative leave. Bye Bye.”
Wilson has since given an interview to LibsofTikTok, stating: “When Charlie came to our campus last April, he brought a spirit of dialogue and liberty like I have never seen.”
“The day that Charlie was murdered, students began to worry what might happen or what might result from these conversations now. Students were already participating in tearing down conservative club fliers, defacing club sidewalk signs or shouting at conservative clubs while they invited conversation. So what would happen now? That was their worry.”
He is encouraging others to stand up for their rights in order to “spark the flames of positive change on your campus and community that will never be put out.”
Kirk is being posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday by President Trump, the 47th president.
An Oklahoma State University spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “The OSU Student Government Association has a nonpartisan tradition. However, the organization has no official policies to restrict partisan expression, and the organization has not enacted or enforced such a policy. The student in question spoke freely during last month’s SGA meeting and expressed his views without interruption or restriction.”
“The university is committed to protecting, promoting and facilitating free expression for all students, regardless of their views, and clarification regarding SGA policies has been provided to appropriate university staff. OSU embraces its role as a marketplace of ideas, and we believe a robust public discourse is essential to the process of addressing society’s most pressing challenges, which is our charge as a land-grant institution.”
