Following the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University (UVU) that resulted in the death of conservative activist and media personality Charlie Kirk, many students questioned whether standard security protocols are enough to keep their campus safe.
The incident came as lawmakers debated changes to House Bill 128, which allows Utahns 18 and older with a concealed weapon permit to carry firearms on university campuses. Students said the timing has heightened their concerns about how state policy intersects with campus security.
Student opinion
On Sept. 10, the University of Utah created an Instagram post condemning the shooting, with a statement that the Department of Public Safety was working to increase campus safety by “[making] police officers available to speak with students, faculty and staff.”
Hundreds commented on the post, many of which criticized of the university’s safety practices. One student commented, “Maybe we should reconsider the new firearm policy on campus. We don’t want the U to be next.”
Alexa Mazuran, a freshman studying business entrepreneurship, was at UVU on the day of the shooting. She noted that there was little visible security to manage the crowd or regulate entry and exit at the event.
“For this and any debate-style event involving politics, there needs to be an understanding that incidents can happen,” Mazuran said. “Organizers should be thoughtful about where such events are held and ensure appropriate security is in place.”
When asked what the U could do differently to prevent a similar situation, Mazuran suggested measures such as stronger crowd control and increased security. Above all, she emphasized the need for safety to be the top priority. “As a college student, I want to feel safe on campus, whether it’s at my own university or another campus that’s home to many of my friends and family,” she said.
Adjusting security standards
In response to the shooting, U President Taylor Randall said in a press conference with The Chronicle that campus leaders had already been developing new approaches to safety before the UVU incident.
“We spend a lot of time and resources constantly improving the safety of campus,” Randall said. “We felt fortunate that we had already been thinking about many of these issues before the recent events at UVU.”
He pointed to Chief Safety Officer Keith Squires, who is leading the rollout of a new campus safety framework. Squires, who previously ran public safety for the state of Utah, said the framework is designed to train faculty, staff and students to respond to threats, including active aggressors. The training will align with what many students already learned in K-12, he said, so “it’s not that you’ve learned something through K-12 and suddenly you get here, and we’re using different terminology on what to do if something happens.”
Squires also addressed concerns about concealed carry laws. He said most people who obtain a permit do so for self-defense and rarely carry openly, even though Utah law now allows it. “It’s very infrequent that someone who has gone through the process to obtain a concealed carry permit would want to do something that would jeopardize that, such as carrying it openly,” Squires said.
Officers can verify Utah-issued permits when firearms are reported, giving them “a chance to assess the situation, talk to the individual, see if there’s something else going on,” he said. Still, he cautioned, “The sad reality is the potential that anytime, anywhere … an individual who’s fixated on doing harm can come into an environment and bring a firearm. If someone sees someone that’s handling a firearm on campus, that’s a concern to us. That’s a 911 call.”
In a statement to The Chronicle, Squires also mentioned that events are “dynamic,” and even with proper planning, communication and coordination across departments, it is not possible to anticipate or prevent every conceivable threat. He said that police must be willing to adjust. “While historically this approach [of thorough event preparation] has worked well for us, we continually review our protocols and training to align with best practices in event security and campus safety,” Squires said.
Campus violence prevention
The Threat Assessment & Management Partnership (also known as TAMP) includes representatives from several departments on campus that work together to “identify, assess and manage concerning behavior that may indicate that someone is on a pathway toward targeted violence.”
According to a press release earlier this year from the U’s Department of Public Safety about TAMP, the university police act as law enforcement partners, collaborating to monitor public safety concerns before they escalate into criminal activity. Investigations lieutenant Reuban Torres said that if a case is referred to TAMP, a crime likely hasn’t occurred yet. “Our team evaluates the situation, implements protective measures, and, when needed, escalates high-risk cases to state and federal agencies for further review,” he said.
Squires pointed out that the university’s approach requires considering long-term and large-scale safety needs. “As a public institution, we have unique requirements for special event safety, while also protecting free speech and the right of assembly,” he said.
