Legislation that would rename UNF Drive after the late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has sparked student upheaval and mixed reactions since its filing last week.
The bill, HB 113, would require UNF and all other Florida public colleges and universities to rename their main roads after Kirk, who was assassinated at Utah Valley University last month. Schools that don’t comply would lose state funding, according to the pending legislation.
Kevin Steele, R-Hudson, the Florida representative who proposed the bill, said in a Facebook post that he intended this bill to honor Kirk’s legacy of “open dialogue.”
“My goal with this bill is to continue [Kirk’s] legacy through several generations of students that will attend our schools and will be faced with many differing ideas,” Steele wrote.
If passed, UNF Drive would be renamed to Charlie James Kirk Drive and would change a large number of the university’s addresses for buildings and offices. Some UNF students say the political figure known for his college events should be memorialized differently, while others say Kirk shouldn’t be honored at all.
Kayla Charde, a senior at UNF studying advertising, said she thinks the bill is inappropriate and could increase political tensions on campus.
“It kind of makes Florida colleges a sort of political playground for legislation that is not bipartisan, seeing that Charlie Kirk was a far-right influencer,” Charde said.
“I feel like it’s kind of a sensitive issue to bring to college campuses,” Charde said. “I think it’s inappropriate for our state senators and representatives to bring forth this type of legislation.”
Other students agreed that the bill was inappropriate for different reasons. Students like first-year journalism major Johanna Wells agreed Kirk should be honored with some kind of memorial—just not a road.
“UNF Drive is a part of the university’s history and that name shouldn’t change,” Wells said. “I feel like he should have something bigger than just a road named after him.”
Hailie Lukert, a friend of Wells and first-year nursing student at UNF, said naming college roads after Kirk is “strange.”
“I understand where they’re coming from, but I don’t understand changing the names of the roads,” Lukert said.“I get that it’s a memorial piece, but the original name of ‘UNF’ should be kept.”
While some students feel Kirk’s life should be honored, others feel his legacy is painted with hate. Throughout his political career, Kirk made dozens of antagonistic comments about minority groups, including women, people of color and the LGBTQ community, to name a few.
Ciella Koebi, a first-year history major at UNF, said Kirk “spewed hate.” She thinks having a road named after him would contradict the university’s core values.
“I think it would be pretty hypocritical for a school that prides itself on diversity and opportunities for everyone to have something honoring a person who spewed hate,” Koebi said.
Additionally, Koebi said universities should be allowed to choose what to name campus roads.
“A school should be able to make that kind of decision on their own,” Koebi said. “While Charlie Kirk was involved in politics, he wasn’t involved in the government. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I think UNF should stand strong on its values even if the state is threatening funding,” Koebi said.
Filed on Oct. 7, the bill must be voted on by the Florida House and Senate before it’s passed. If passed, the bill is set to take effect immediately.
Spinnaker also asked UNF faculty to share their thoughts and expertise on the issue but none were willing to go on-record out of fear of harassment and backlash.
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