UVU will host ‘Vigil for Unity’ as students return to campus

Editor's Note: KSL TV will continue coverage on campus Wednesday morning, speaking with students as they head back to class. Watch live coverage from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. or catch the story on KSL TV's YouTube channel, or the KSL+ app.

OREM — The final step in Utah Valley University’s phased reopening will be complete Wednesday morning when students return to class. It will be the first time students are back since political activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking on campus. Maddie Rogers, a UVU junior studying psychology, called the whole situation “surreal.” She and her family visited a makeshift memorial to Kirk near UVU’s main entrance on Tuesday evening. Many people have stopped there over the last few days to lay flowers, write notes and spend quiet moments reflecting on what happened.“I'm more emotional than I thought I would be,” Rogers said. “I just kind of have a pit in my stomach because it's real now.” She said she wasn’t on campus last Wednesday when Kirk was shot. “Now being here, it's like, wow, that's real,” Rogers said. “This actually happened. And so it just kind of hit me.” UVU has reopened slowly since the shooting. Faculty and staff came back Monday, and student services resumed Tuesday. As part of the first week back, UVU president Astrid Tuminez said in a letter to students that the university will host a “Vigil for Unity” on Friday at 4 p.m. at the UCCU Center on campus.“Together we will mourn. Together we will heal. And together we will move forward to restore a safe and supportive environment for every member of this campus and community,” Tuminez wrote. KSL TV asked for an interview Tuesday with Tuminez, who has not spoken to the media since the shooting, but the university did not make her available. Earlier Tuesday, prosecutors formally charged Tyler Robinson, 22, who’s accused of shooting and killing Kirk. The suspect also made his first appearance in court. Prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty.

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