The Turning Point USA founder will speak at UF next month.
Charlie Kirk, the conservative non-profit’s founder, will stop at University Auditorium on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. as part of his Culture War Tour.
Kirk will present for an hour, followed by a 30-minute Q&A session, said Sarah Allen, the UF Turning Point USA vice president and a 19-year-old telecommunications sophomore. Kirk is not being paid by UF.
She said Turning Point UF is excited to host its founder.
“He stands for free speech, free markets, the second amendment and limited government and it will be fantastic to see those principles be shared on the UF campus,” Allen said.
Tickets are available through Turning Point UF’s Facebook page. Any unclaimed seats will be given to the standby seating line, Allen said. A student ID is not required to attend.
Kirk’s rental rate for the auditorium is discounted due to the organization’s non-profit status, Allen said.
Renting the space in the University Auditorium costs $400, according to the University Auditorium Rental Policy Manual. Allen said she could not disclose the total rental cost of the speaking event.
Kirk’s presence at Colorado State University in February 2018 sparked clashes between white nationalists and Antifa protestors, according to local newspaper the Coloradoan.
Katie O’Sullivan, a 19-year-old history and political science sophomore and member of Students for Bernie Sanders, said Kirk’s message would not identify with college students who are not right-wing.
“UF needs to include left-wing voices on campus because having two conservative speakers in a row is overkill,” she said. “Students need to be exposed to new, intellectually honest ideas because that’s the purpose of being in an academic setting like UF.”
The event will be on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
