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Oklahoma student says he was scolded by university staff after wearing Trump hat during Charlie Kirk tribute
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An Oklahoma State University student leader says he was reprimanded by a university employee after delivering a speech honoring slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Josh Wilson, a junior who serves in the Senate for OSU’s Student Government Association (SGA), spoke during a Sept. 10 SGA meeting, shortly after Turning Point USA founder was shot and killed in Utah. According to comments first reported by conservative think tank the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), Wilson acknowledged Kirk’s impact on campus debate and free speech.
Wilson, who also serves as president of the OSU Debate Society and previously volunteered with Turning Point USA, said Kirk’s visit to campus in April “provoke[d] discussion and dialogue among countless students on this campus” and students were engaging in conversations about culture and politics “like never before.”
During the Sept. 10 meeting, Wilson described Kirk as “a father, a husband, a devout Christian, and a shining light for so many,” and urged students to “carry forward his legacy by refusing to shy away from difficult conversations, by standing firm in our convictions, and by remembering that true progress begins with dialogue.”
‘FEARLESS’ TOUR TAKES CHARLIE KIRK’S FREE SPEECH MISSION TO COLLEGES NATIONWIDE
Josh Wilson said he was lectured for wearing a hat that referenced President Donald Trump during a speech honoring Charlie Kirk. (iStock/Reuters)
Wilson said he wore a Turning Point USA hat that Kirk had given him during his April visit to his campus. The hat displayed the numbers “45” and “47,” a reference to President Donald Trump.
According to the report, Wilson did not mention Trump or endorse a political party or candidate for election during his speech.
He told Fox News Digital that the speech was well received, with students applauding and several reaching out afterward to express their appreciation for his remarks.
The following week, Wilson said he was called into a meeting with Melisa Echols, OSU’s coordinator of student government programs. According to OCPA, Echols told him the hat violated student government’s nonpartisan rules and that some people could be “triggered” by it.
“As a person who doesn’t look like you and has not had the same lived experience as you, I have family who don’t look like you who are triggered — and I will be very candid with you — who are triggered by those hats and by that side,” Echols said, according to OCPA’s report and an audio recording it obtained.
UNIVERSITIES CRACK DOWN ON EMPLOYEE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CELEBRATING, DEFENDING KIRK’S DEATH
An Oklahoma State staff employee reportedly told a student leader his pro-Trump hat during a Charlie Kirk tribute was partisan and could “trigger” others. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
She added, “I would challenge you to ask others who don’t look like you” and “have open conversations with anyone that has a different lived experience and see what, if anything, that might do for someone else, aside from someone who is politically aligned the same as you.”
Wilson said that he reminded Echols he has Cherokee heritage and regularly interacts with people from diverse backgrounds.
“I don’t like to pull that card,” he told the OCPA, “but if you’re going to pull that card on me, I might as well.”
Wilson told Echols that he didn’t believe it was harmful or partisan given the context of his speech. He said that he was standing up for freedom of expression on campus.
“Any student in general should have the liberty and not show any fear of expressing their thoughts and ideas,” he told Echols, according to the report. “[I]dea and conversation is what built this country, and it’s what should maintain it. And that’s what the hat was there for.”
COLLEGES WARNED NOT TO INVOKE CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH TO SILENCE FREE SPEECH, UNFAIRLY HIKE SECURITY COSTS
According to the recording, Echols rejected Wilson’s argument, telling him, “‘But’ cannot be the end of every statement. That’s not a learned lesson. It cannot just be, ‘yes, but’ — cannot be every response that you give me. Otherwise, this year is going to be difficult for you.”
Wilson told OCPA he viewed that remark as “a veiled threat.”
Echols did not respond to Fox News Digital‘s request for comment.
Wilson told Fox News Digital he hopes students will feel comfortable expressing their views openly on campus without fear of backlash.
“I just hope that in and outside of student government, our community can come together and just discuss things again, instead of feeling threatened by one another… like Charlie’s mission was set out to do,” he said.
Oklahoma State University Vice President of Student Affairs Brent Marsh issued the following statement emphasizing the school’s commitment to free expression.
“The position of Oklahoma State University on freedom of speech is unchanged and crystal clear: All OSU students have the right to speak their minds on all of our campuses,” the statement began.
“Our Student Government Association is a democratically elected body where students represent their peers, share their ideas, debate proposals and work toward solutions. That process only works when every voice can be heard without fear or restriction. Protecting free expression is fundamental to who we are as a university. The student who recently raised concerns exercised these very rights when he, along with another senator, shared their personal thoughts during the September SGA meeting, which occurred on the same day as the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk. These senators spoke without interruption, just as it should be.”
“All staff charged with supporting student groups have received direct clarification about our policies and our unwavering commitment to free speech and our expectation that every student can fully express themselves.”
Kirk, 31, had just launched his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 and was answering questions when he was shot and killed. A suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested for the murder last month.
Kirk’s assassination has sparked a renewed interest in campus debate, with Turning Point USA saying it has received more than 120,000 new chapter requests.
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A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. outside Connie’s Seafood Market Restaurant, the Houston Police Department said.
Police told reporters that the security guard, who was working for the restaurant, was standing in the parking lot when a fight broke out between him and another man, FOX26 Houston reported.
Police said the security guard was shot at least once. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died.
OFF-DUTY DEPUTY SHOT AND KILLED WHILE WORKING SECURITY JOB IN TEXAS, SUSPECT REMAINS AT LARGE
A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said. (Houston Police Department)
Authorities did not immediately release the name of the victim.
The suspect was last seen running away from the parking lot after the shooting.
The security guard was working for the restaurant at the time of the shooting. (Google Maps)
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No details about the suspect or the circumstances that led to the altercation have been released as of Thursday morning.
Houston police were reviewing surveillance footage as they search for the shooting suspect. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle, File)
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Officials said investigators were reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses to get a description of the suspect.
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The Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced on Tuesday that it plans to sue the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over what it called “unlawful investigations” into school officials over social media posts made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
In September, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath sent out a letter to state school superintendents announcing that he was launching investigations into school officials that he said “posted and/or shared reprehensible and inappropriate content on social media” regarding the Turning Point USA founder’s death.
“Such posts could constitute a violation of the Educators’ Code of Ethics and each instance will be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether sanctionable conduct has occurred and staff will investigate accordingly,” Morath wrote. “While the exercise of free speech is a fundamental right we are all blessed to share, it does not give carte blanche authority to celebrate or sow violence against those that share different beliefs and perspectives.”
TEXAS TECH STUDENT ARRESTED, EXPELLED AFTER VIDEO SHOWS HER ‘MOCKING’ CHARLIE KIRK VIGIL: OFFICIALS
Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath issued a letter in September announcing investigations into teachers’ social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. (fstop123/iStock via Getty Images Plus)
The lawsuit alleges that since the letter was issued, several Texas AFT members have been placed on administrative leave, reprimanded or terminated over their social media posts, which the organization claims is a First Amendment violation.
“Somewhere and somehow, our state’s leaders lost their way,” Texas AFT President Zeph Capo said in a statement. “A few well-placed Texas politicians and bureaucrats think it is good for their careers to trample on educators’ free speech rights. They decided scoring a few cheap points was worth the unfair discipline, the doxxing, and the death threats targeted at Texas teachers. Meanwhile, educators and their families are afraid that they’ll lose everything: their livelihoods, their reputations, and their very purpose for being, which is to impart critical thinking.”
GREG ABBOTT MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT TURNING POINT USA IN TEXAS
National AFT President Randi Weingarten also released a statement condemning the TEA.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, released a statement condemning the Texas Education Agency for the letter. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Sadly, Texas officials, unlike their colleagues in Utah, decided to exploit the tragedy of Mr. Kirk’s senseless murder, rather than deescalate,” Weingarten said. “Their actions are a transparent effort to smear and shame educators, divide our communities, and deny our kids opportunities to learn and thrive. They are a state-sponsored attack on teachers because of what they thought were private comments to friends and family. And even if we think some of this speech is noxious, defending one’s right to speak is the essence of our democracy.”
She added, “You don’t lose your constitutional rights when you decide to become a teacher—the Constitution, for it to have any meaning at all, has to work for all Americans, not just some.”
PROFESSOR FIGHTING DISMISSAL FOR CALLING CHARLIE KIRK A ‘NAZI’ HANDED LEGAL WIN, FUELING FREE SPEECH DEBATE
The AFT is seeking a permanent injunction of the TEA policy and investigations. The TEA declined to comment to Fox News Digital.
School officials across the country have been fired or reprimanded for appearing to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination. (Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images)
In the weeks following Kirk’s assassination, several public school teachers across the nation were reprimanded or fired after going viral with controversial social media posts that appeared to celebrate his death.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott previously announced that more than 100 teachers in the state would have their teaching certifications suspended after investigators found they had called for or encouraged violence following Kirk’s assassination.
Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
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The Minnesota ICE shooting that resulted in the death of Renee Good has drawn strong reactions everywhere.
According to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Good was operating a vehicle that agents ordered her to exit. Good, according to Noem, refused and “attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”
After Vice President JD Vance delivered a strong statement defending ICE agents for their work, the White House posted a graphic with a portion of Vance’s plea and the caption, “STAND WITH ICE.”
Texas Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Ameriquest Field Aug. 7, 2005, in Arlington, Texas. (Tim Heitman/USA Today Sports )
Former MLB All-Star Mark Teixeira, who launched his campaign for Texas’ 21st Congressional District in August as a Republican to “help defend President Trump’s America First agenda,” voiced his support.
“I stand with ICE,” the former Texas Ranger, Atlanta Brave, Los Angeles Angel and New York Yankee wrote on X.
Teixeira’s announcement followed Rep. Chip Roy’s decision not to seek re-election and run for Texas attorney general. Roy, who represents the district, made the announcement in a campaign video shared on X last year. His video centered on preserving the Lone Star State’s legacy of “liberty, freedom and self-determination.”
Former New York Yankee Mark Teixeira throws out the first pitch before a game between the Minnesota Twins and the Yankees in the 2019 ALDS at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)
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Noem called the incident “domestic terrorism.”
“An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot to protect himself and the people around him,” she said.
Federal authorities said Good tried to run over ICE agents who were part of a 2,000-member team sent to the Twin Cities to round up and deport undocumented immigrant criminals.
Teixeira, 45, played 14 seasons in the majors. He debuted with the Rangers in 2003 but is perhaps best known for being an MVP candidate and World Series champion with the Yankees, the final stop of his career.
New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira hits an RBI single against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum May 22, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (Kelley L Cox/USA Today Sports)
One of the best hitters in the game, Teixeira was a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and finished his career with a .269 batting average and 409 home runs. He was a five-time Gold Glove winner and was a member of the Yankees’ 2009 World Series championship team.
The congressional race is set for November 2026, with a primary scheduled for March.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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