University officials at Tennessee-Chattanooga have been forced to overrule the decision of the school’s student government, whose members rejected the establishment of a Turning Point USA chapter there.
TPUSA, of course, has been inundated with tens of thousands of requests for new chapters in schools across the U.S., even globally, following the assassination last month of co-founder Charlie Kirk.
He was shot by an assassin and killed at a free speech event at a Utah college.
A suspect was taken into custody and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Now the dispute has erupted at Chattanooga.
Was able to confirm this morning that the TPUSA chapter @UTChattanooga has been approved now after the school overruled the student gov association who tried to stop the chapter formation. Congrats to TPUSA’s new chapter! https://t.co/wcuyroDmS5
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) October 9, 2025
School officials formally overruled the students’ decision on the chapter.
Students, whose judgments were clouded by false “hate speech” claims about TPUSA, had rejected plans for the chapter.
The rejection drew multiple reactions.
My hometown school — @UTChattanooga — apparently told students they cannot form a campus chapter of @TPUSA due to false claims of “hate speech.” If this is not reversed immediately, I will sue the school for the students, and win. And UTC will pay the bill. Fix it now!
— Robert Barnes (@barnes_law) October 8, 2025
Including one from Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, who asked to be apprised of developments.
Let us know what happens.
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) October 8, 2025
Then came word of the reversal.
I think it was reversed. pic.twitter.com/OyRZ42PFt9
— Dr. Lynn Fynn-derella (@Fynnderella1) October 9, 2025
Not the Bee commented, “You’d think that living in a red state like Tennessee, going to a public university in a city like Chattanooga, and being a conservative on campus would all go together smoothly, wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be wrong.”
It continued with an explanation, “As it turns out, just a little bit of bad press has forced the hand of the university. The administration at UT has taken matters into their own hand. Glad to see quick action from the school’s administrators to right this injustice.”