Young conservatives and activists are determined to let the guiding principles of the late Charlie Kirk lead their efforts on college campuses. They aim to be more proactive than ever in his honor.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, an organization with clubs on over 850 campuses, has deeply affected his followers and supporters. However, they believe this will lead to more speakers and individuals stepping up to the forefront.

Kirk, a college dropout, created a movement that engaged thousands of students, encouraging them to attend conferences and turn out to vote. He played a significant role in the support that President Trump garnered from young voters last November.

Since his passing, many students have shared stories about the influence Kirk had on their lives and have pledged to continue their campus activism undeterred.

“We carry on his legacy by continuing his work—showing up, speaking out, and staying fearless,” said JT Marshburn, the national chairman for College Republicans.

“I truly believe more Republican speakers may feel encouraged to visit campuses now. This incident highlights the need for conservatives to maintain a presence at these institutions. The campuses are largely dominated by left-leaning ideologies, and when Republicans visit, they often face adverse reactions such as protests or disruptions,” Marshburn added.

Marshburn did recognize more security may need to be considered at future speaking events after Kirk was shot to death Wednesday in Utah at a public debate event that was part of his “American Comeback Tour.”

Turning Point USA did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment. 

Some students have already begun showing they will move forward with Kirk’s example in mind. Members of Students for Life, a pro-life group that worked with Kirk in the past, say wore red shirts on campus this week in honor of his memory.  

“If you want to best honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy, you’re going to keep speaking up, and you’re going to actually be louder than you’ve ever been before … That’s what Charlie was doing every day. That’s what he was inspiring tens of thousands of millions of young people to do. Because we win when we debate, when we have conversations. We all lose when we stop having conversations, and we’re not going to let this tragic act of senseless violence stop that conversation,” said Kristan Hawkins, CEO of Students for Life.  

Tensions are high on campuses after the assassination, with some professors getting fired or reprimanded for celebrations of the conservative commentator’s death.  

“Yesterday, a University of Mississippi staff member re-shared hurtful, insensitive comments on social media regarding the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. These comments run completely counter to our institutional values of civility, fairness, and respecting the dignity of each person,” University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in a statement posted Thursday afternoon to social platform X.  

“We condemn these actions, and this staff member is no longer employed by the university,” he added. 

And the University of Louisville is investigating a poster hung on campus with the words “Debate this,” along with an illustration of Kirk getting hit by the bullet.  

The temperature has been turned up among some conservatives as well, who have posted on social media they feel “radicalized” after the assassination and the mocking from others that have followed it.  

“You can find far too many examples online of young progressives celebrating his murder … I’m worried that it sends an incredibly unhealthy message to the to the young people inspired by Charlie that he was wrong about the promise of engagement and respectful debate,” said Rick Hess, senior fellow and the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.    

“My biggest concern is that so many of his followers will forget the lessons he taught in their grief and frustration,” he added.  

Leaders of the conservative movement are encouraging young people on campus to push back, but in the spirit of open debate.  

“The best way to handle those truly vile and disgusting comments, not just by students, but by adults, some of them are professors and even administrators of universities, is to channel our righteous anger about those evil comments into positive action, and the best positive action that we can take right now to honor Charlie’s legacy,” said Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation. 

“And to speak up, not by screaming at other people, not with vitriol — that would be an example of stooping to the level of the radical left — but rather standing up as Charlie did, cheerfully with a broad smile, with a belief, not only in the American future, but also because of Charlie’s faith inspiring us a belief in living this life well, and I think that that’s how we can harness the energy,” Roberts added.  

As other high-profile, right-leaning college speakers vow to press on, young conservatives see the next steps forward without Kirk as movement-defining. 

“I think that we can choose at this point the way that we respond, [which] will really define how we move forward,” said Liana Graham, a recent college graduate and research assistant at Heritage.