ASU Accused of Sabotaging Student-Led Charlie Kirk Vigil

While campuses nationwide hold prayer vigils, ASU College Republicans say administrators saddled them with impossible demands to shut theirs down

In reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination, vigils have been organized across the United States—and around the world. One such vigil was planned at Arizona State University, led by the ASU College Republicans, to honor Kirk’s life and legacy.

But just days before the scheduled event, ASU administrators are being accused of making it nearly impossible for the student group to move forward.

Troy Holderby, president of the ASU College Republicans, issued a statement alleging that senior administration attempted to push the club into a venue 15 times larger than what they requested, while also trying to saddle the student-led group with hundreds of thousands of dollars in administrative and security costs. Holderby called the demands “totally unworkable” and asked ASU leadership to “come to the table in good faith” so the Monday prayer vigil can proceed as planned.

State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-LD15) amplified the concerns, calling ASU’s actions “sabotage” of a non-political memorial service. He questioned whether ASU President Michael Crow was involved, pointing to what he described as a “history of sabotaging conservative events” on campus.

“This isn’t a political event,” Hoffman said. “It’s a memorial service to honor the life of a national figure assassinated just two days ago—someone being posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with every flag in America flying at half-staff in his honor by order of the President.”

The ASU College Republicans say their membership stands fully behind Holderby’s statement and insist they are only asking for a reasonable place on campus to hold a peaceful prayer vigil.

The controversy comes just weeks after revelations that ASU President Michael Crow and university officials pressured Arizona PBS to give Katie Hobbs a solo interview in 2022 after she refused to debate Kari Lake, while denying Lake the same opportunity. Emails show Crow labeled Lake an “election denier” and discussed limiting her platform, decisions critics say amounted to taxpayer-funded collusion that blocked Lake from equal airtime and gave Hobbs favorable treatment.

Kari Lake herself blasted the move, saying: “Taxpayer-funded Michael Crow and taxpayer-funded ASU, along with taxpayer-funded PBS, colluded to prevent me from having a debate forum … They interfered in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election and trampled on my First Amendment rights.”

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen has since called for an FCC investigation, citing viewpoint discrimination.

The Arizona Free Enterprise Club has also filed a Hatch Act complaint against ASU, arguing that the university illegally used taxpayer resources to tilt the 2022 governor’s race in Katie Hobbs’ favor by denying Kari Lake equal airtime. The complaint, sent to both Attorney General Kris Mayes and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, accuses ASU of clear viewpoint discrimination that undermined election integrity.

Now, students say that same pattern of bias is playing out again, this time against them, as ASU places unreasonable barriers on their attempt to host a simple prayer vigil in memory of Charlie Kirk.

Here is our conversation with Troy Holderby, Chairman of ASU College Republicans