When Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10, the same day as a student government meeting at Oklahoma State University (OSU), junior Josh Wilson took a few moments to mourn Kirk's loss, declaring that "true progress begins with dialogue."
The following week, student government coordinator Melisa Echols verbally reprimanded the conservative member of the legislative body for wearing a Turning Point USA hat that referenced President Donald Trump. She claimed students could be "triggered" and warned Wilson that "this year is going to be difficult for you" if he did not abide by her wishes.
Curtis Shelton of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) says that seems to be Echols' method of operation.
"Some students have reported they had felt similar actions had been taken against them by Ms. Echols when they were on campus," he relays.
For example, during her time as student body president in 2023, Ashley Peterson reports Echols "regularly demonstrated that conservative ideology was not welcome." She believes Echols even tried to prevent her from becoming president because she was also president of College Republicans at the time.
That compelled the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) to get involved.
According to the university, its student government is nonpartisan, but Shelton says that is not an official rule; it is more a tradition.
"If any student believes their right to free expression has been infringed upon, threatened, or restricted in any way, we encourage them to share those concerns directly with Student Affairs Division leadership and/or university leadership," the school said in a statement to the OCPA.
But as Wilson's run-in with Echols does not appear to be a "one-off instance," Shelton thinks Oklahoma State needs to take a "long, hard look at who's running that organization."
Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet says Echols has been placed on administrative leave, but declining to speak on personnel matters, OSU has not confirmed that.
