Utah university drops policy violation claims against two Republican students

The University of Utah on Thursday dropped claims of school policy violations involving misconduct against two students who are members of its College Republicans club. Rylie Barnes and Riley Beesley said they faced risk of expulsion for threatening or endangering behavior after they shared photos of a fellow student celebrating the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The university said the students weren’t at risk of expulsion and that the investigation was routine. The university said it was required to investigate anonymous allegations of threatening behavior, and that it closed the investigations after finding insufficient evidence to continue. However, the students said officials reversed course due to widespread online backlash and legal advice. They thanked Kirk’s wife Erika and independent media figure Nick Sortor for amplifying their story.

The incident occurred on Sept. 10, the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s murder. According to Barnes, a student approached the College Republicans’ table on campus with a cake bearing the words “Happy Kirkversary.” She voluntarily posed for photos with the cake. After Barnes posted a photo online, a commenter publicly identified the student by name, the post went viral, and backlash erupted. Barnes and Beesley were accused of “doxxing” the student—essentially posting private information about her without her consent for the purpose of harassment. They received emails from the school a few days later saying they faced disciplinary action over the incident.

Barnes and Beesley both said they received death threats. The university’s College Democrats club and others also held a protest near their table.

What has the student in the image said about the incident? She acknowledged her joke about Kirk’s death and apologized for it the following day. She said she realized she was wrong and that no one should be murdered for their speech.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on a wrongful death lawsuit over Kirk’s murder.