Isa Cruz

On Sunday afternoon, students received a campus-wide email from Jackson Holl ’27 inviting them to a candlelight vigil at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art steps in honor of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist who was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The vigil was hosted by the Bowdoin College Conservatives and organized by Holl, Jake Minella ’28 and Zak Asplin ’27.

“We recognize that [Kirk’s] views and ideology sparked strong disagreement, and that members of our community hold a wide range of perspectives on his work. This gathering is not about politics or debate. Rather, it is an opportunity to come together peacefully and respectfully to remember the aspects of his life that resonated deeply with many, particularly his devotion to his faith and his commitment to family values,” Holl’s email read.

At 7 p.m., 15 minutes before the vigil was scheduled to begin, Associate Vice President of Safety and Security Bill Harwood sent an email to all students and employees communicating the vigil’s postponement as a result of external threats and asking all community members to avoid the museum steps.

“[W]e were informed by the Maine State Police of external threats connected to the event. While details remain limited, the information we received is credible enough to require us to take immediate precautionary steps,” Harwood wrote.

Public Information Officer Shannon Moss at the Maine Department of Public Safety confirmed that the Maine Information Analysis Center (MIAC) received an anonymous report about a potential threat related to the vigil. MIAC was unable to validate the information but notified the College immediately.

In an email to the Orient, Harwood said that Bowdoin Safety and Security coordinated with the Brunswick Police Department, who came to campus to assess the situation. Bowdoin Security officers were present at the museum steps at the vigil’s planned start time and continued to patrol.

At 9:07 p.m. on Sunday night, President Safa Zaki sent an email to all students and employees on the College’s decision to postpone the vigil.

“We did this on the basis of information that we received from the Maine State Police about threats suggesting individuals not affiliated with Bowdoin planned to come to campus to disrupt the event and cause harm. The bar for the College to postpone a student event is extraordinarily high and the circumstances in this case met that bar,” Zaki wrote.

Zaki reported that there was no continuing threat to the Bowdoin campus, but the College was working closely with state and local agencies.

She also announced that she would be holding a safe space for conversation in Moulton Union’s Main Lounge at 9:30 p.m. alongside Senior Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs Jim Hoppe, Senior Vice President for Inclusion and Diversity Benje Douglas and Senior Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs Jen Scanlon.

“This gathering will provide an opportunity to learn more, ask any questions you may have, and support one another as a community,” Zaki wrote.

Holl and Minella decided to host the vigil after seeing similar events at other college campuses. They reached out to Asplin, the Bowdoin College Conservatives leader, to schedule the event under the banner of the club and coordinated with Harwood for event security.

“We were like, ‘This is a good way to bring attention to a matter that’s bigger than both sides, whether it’s left or right,’” Minella said. “It was an assassination of a figure exercising his First Amendment right on a college campus.… And it was just horrible to see.”

Minella also said that Holl and Asplin received internal threats from other Bowdoin students.

“I think our campus in general has a tough time with diversity of thought,” Minella said. “I just think, regardless of where you sit on a political spectrum, I think there’s nothing wrong with having a vigil for someone that was assassinated.”

Bowdoin Democrats member Natalie Emmerson ’27 was not planning on attending the vigil but showed up to Sunday’s safe space with questions about the event.

“What was interesting, and I think this was the overall point that people on the anti-vigil side were saying is that it didn’t feel like an event against political violence, which I think a lot more people would have got behind,” Emmerson said. “It felt like an event that was purposefully celebrating [Kirk]. And that’s one of the reasons I went, because I was confused. I was like, ‘I can understand decrying political violence, but I don’t feel safe celebrating [Kirk].’”

Harwood said that Student Affairs is currently in contact with the Bowdoin College Conservatives about rescheduling the event.