- UVU held a "Vigil for Unity" after Charlie Kirk's assassination on Sept. 10.
- Speakers, including Elder Matthew Holland, urged peace and healing among students.
- University leaders emphasized rejecting hatred and fostering understanding across political divides.
OREM — As Utah Valley University students and faculty are still grappling with the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk on campus last week, the university hosted a "Vigil for Unity" on Friday, with speakers calling on the community to work toward peace and healing.
"UVU seems not just equipped to survive this moment; it's built for this moment," said Elder Matthew Holland, general authority seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the president of the university from 2009-2018. "It's a place where students across a wide range of viewpoints and backgrounds can be equipped to explore, debate and defend different ideas, but with a common commitment to fairness, dignity and respect for all."
Despite facing a tense moment in American history, Holland urged the thousands of students in the UCCU Center to remain hopeful that the nation has endured difficult periods before.
"To those tempted to see only darkness now, I invite you to look carefully at the light of our past and gather hope for the future," he said. "It's a future you can help create by rejecting the boiling acids of hatred and revenge."
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative political voice, was shot and killed at UVU on Sept. 10 while speaking to a group of several thousand students. His death has prompted calls from politicians across the spectrum to lower the temperature.
Campus was closed for the remainder of last week and closed again at 1 p.m. on Friday ahead of the vigil in the afternoon. Campus officials promised "heavy" security at the event.
Holland wasn't the only speaker who pushed for reconciliation, as several who took the podium spoke of the need to repair divisions and contempt in modern politics. University President Astrid Tuminez said students should "pause and slow down when anger rises in our hearts towards those we think might be our enemy," and Student Body President Kyle Cullimore said people should "stop villainizing those we may not understand" and resist the urge to "close ourselves off."
"Why does it take a tragedy for us to look and see that, at the end of the day, we're all human?" Cullimore asked. "Why do we wait for a wife and children to lose their husband and father to say, 'enough.' And how, in a time of tragedy, instead of coming together, do we continue to attack and isolate one another in moments like this?"
UVU has been in the national spotlight for days, and Tuminez appeared proud of how the community has responded to the shooting and the scrutiny that has come after.
"UVU materialized suddenly on the world stage because of a grievous act of violence, but media everywhere have also told stories about the beauty of community on this campus," she said.
"They have featured our hard-working and resilient students. They have narrated ordinary acts of kindness that underline the extraordinary nature of human connection. Now the world is beginning to see a university campus that is not afraid of differences, where people — imperfect as we all are — are willing to believe in and practice exceptional care for one another," Tuminez said.
