Shots fired on my campus today. Turning Point leader dead

[Marcus]

Of course, Peterson saw it coming...

The big news of the day, of course, was the assassination of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University. It’s a dark day for the university, for the state of Utah, and for the United States. And a horrible day, an indescribably horrible day, for Charlie Kirk’s family.

On a personal note: This one hit literally rather close to home for me. I live within (long) walking distance of UVU, driving past it on most days, and I served for several years on the high council for a Latter-day Saint stake serving single UVU students and then as a bishop in a singles ward adjacent to UVU’s campus. The security measures that unfolded in the surrounding neighborhood after the shooting even affected a third-generation unit in my family; a non-parental second-generation unit was obliged at short notice to pick the 3GU up early from the 3GU’s school. We’re in Oregon right now, of course, but reading coverage of the assassination and seeing photos from the scene was more than a bit surreal to me.

While broadly sympathetic to some of his political positions — I am, after all, a political conservative of the virtually extinct Buckley/Reagan/Friedman dinosaur tribe, and there is a certain amount of overlap between that point of view and elements of the MAGA persuasion — I was not a fan of Charlie Kirk. I paid virtually no attention to him and certainly didn’t follow him. In fact, I learned most of what I know about him from the excellent recent Deseret News profile of him and his organization that was occasioned by his pending visit to Utah, and which, given the tragedy that happened this afternoon, has now taken on a rather eery quality. Still, I recommend it.

One line in it struck me on first reading and, oddly, immediately concerned me. I think that I actually may have experienced a kind of premonition of something bad to come. Lacking specificity, but striking to me: Charlie Kirk told the Deseret News reporter that he had become “too big to ignore.”

I didn’t like that. It seemed to me ominous, and the kind of assertion that would attract the attention of angry, unstable loons who might want to bring such a Big Man down.

I thought, too, of RMS Titanic being pronounced “unsinkable.” I thought of the Greek tragic flaw of excessive pride or self-confidence, hubris. And I even thought of Átē (Ἄτη; literally “delusion,” “recklessness,” “folly,” “ruin”), the figure in Greek mythology who is known for inducing rash and ruinous actions among both gods and men, the very personification of moral error or moral blindness. (She may, significantly, have been the daughter of Eris, the goddess of strife.) Zeus cast Átē out of Olympus, but she remains on earth, working evil and mischief.

Dan, Kirk's murder isn't all about you.

I saw that. Of course, this is more evidence for his belief in the paranormal. Not only did he not do something about his premonition before the fact, the rest of his snarkily jovial blog entry focusing on himself and food after the fact is jarring.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

I’ve had some time to let this sink in. I was there, and it was terrible, lockdown, campus shut down. Students have been reaching out, and I don’t know what to tell them. I sent a note pushing all due dates to next month. It's stupid, I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Higher ed and academia have always been my refuge from the crazy, but now I’m not sure I want to go back.

You’ll be fine. Where the real danger lies is in lower education. Head on a swivel, kids.

Also, sometimes maintaining normalcy in the face of lunacy is the best thing to do. It was nice of you to push due dates to next month, and that’s all you can do - show some kindness.

- Doc

[Kishkumen]

Yes, we should all have been dreading the next political assassination. It was not like the attempts on Trump and the assassination of state legislators in Minnesota were going to mark the end of this growing trend.

[Kishkumen]

I’ve had some time to let this sink in. I was there, and it was terrible, lockdown, campus shut down. Students have been reaching out, and I don’t know what to tell them. I sent a note pushing all due dates to next month. It's stupid, I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Higher ed and academia have always been my refuge from the crazy, but now I’m not sure I want to go back.

Be compassionate as you are being. Try to connect with the students more than usual and be a source of comfort. Apprise them of the resources for counseling on campus. Be open about your own feelings but keep it to feelings and don't bring in political messages, hard as that may be. Charlie Kirk was much loved on my campus, and I am right now running through in my mind what I might say to my students.

[Dr. Sunstoned]

Thank you. This is good advice.

[Dr. Sunstoned]

I’ve had some time to let this sink in. I was there, and it was terrible, lockdown, campus shut down. Students have been reaching out, and I don’t know what to tell them. I sent a note pushing all due dates to next month. It's stupid, I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Higher ed and academia have always been my refuge from the crazy, but now I’m not sure I want to go back.

The advice that has always proved sound for me is to get back on the horse as soon as possible. It will help your students process their thoughts if they see you returning to a normal pattern. It’s always useful to talk to someone who is trained to help you process thoughts related to a traumatic experience.

I agree. The school is setting up support services and has given the faculty a lot of leeway on how to move forward in their classes, with options to move to an online or streaming format instead of meeting on campus.

[Res Ipsa]

I’ve had some time to let this sink in. I was there, and it was terrible, lockdown, campus shut down. Students have been reaching out, and I don’t know what to tell them. I sent a note pushing all due dates to next month. It's stupid, I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Higher ed and academia have always been my refuge from the crazy, but now I’m not sure I want to go back.

Be compassionate as you are being. Try to connect with the students more than usual and be a source of comfort. Apprise them of the resources for counseling on campus. Be open about your own feelings but keep it to feelings and don't bring in political messages, hard as that may be. Charlie Kirk was much loved on my campus, and I am right now running through in my mind what I might say to my students.

My thoughts are with you both. The trauma from violence spreads like ripples from a stone thrown in the pond. It ruptures the sense of community and safety that we deserve to feel as human beings. You are both good people, and the empathy you feel toward your students is something to be treasured. Just be the kind people that you are.

[Kishkumen]

My thoughts are with you both. The trauma from violence spreads like ripples from a stone thrown in the pond. It ruptures the sense of community and safety that we deserve to feel as human beings. You are both good people, and the empathy you feel toward your students is something to be treasured. Just be the kind people that you are.

I hope all is well with you, RI. I miss having you here with us, and I am glad you check in now and then. I hope your family is making it OK in this terrible time. Thank you for your concern. I hope someday I can live up to your positive estimation of my character.

[Res Ipsa]

My thoughts are with you both. The trauma from violence spreads like ripples from a stone thrown in the pond. It ruptures the sense of community and safety that we deserve to feel as human beings. You are both good people, and the empathy you feel toward your students is something to be treasured. Just be the kind people that you are.

I hope all is well with you, RI. I miss having you here with us, and I am glad you check in now and then. I hope your family is making it OK in this terrible time. Thank you for your concern. I hope someday I can live up to your positive estimation of my character.

Thanks, Kish. Things are rough for me right now. About 20 months ago my mom had some health issues and came to live with my family. I’ve spent most of my time and energy since then helping her get physically and mentally well. This summer, she was doing so well that she moved into a wonderful assisted living facility about a mile from my home. She quickly made lots of friends and was really enjoying herself for the first time in a couple years. And then last week she just dropped dead while getting ready for bed. I’m still mostly numb and not very functional. My sibs and I are supporting each other, and I have solid support from friends and family. Kirk’s murder and the vicious backlash hit me especially hard. I’ll get through, but it’s all too much for me right now.

[Jersey Girl]

I hope all is well with you, RI. I miss having you here with us, and I am glad you check in now and then. I hope your family is making it OK in this terrible time. Thank you for your concern. I hope someday I can live up to your positive estimation of my character.

Thanks, Kish. Things are rough for me right now. About 20 months ago my mom had some health issues and came to live with my family. I’ve spent most of my time and energy since then helping her get physically and mentally well. This summer, she was doing so well that she moved into a wonderful assisted living facility about a mile from my home. She quickly made lots of friends and was really enjoying herself for the first time in a couple years. And then last week she just dropped dead while getting ready for bed. I’m still mostly numb and not very functional. My sibs and I are supporting each other, and I have solid support from friends and family. Kirk’s murder and the vicious backlash hit me especially hard. I’ll get through, but it’s all too much for me right now.

My heart is with you, RI. <3