September 19, 2025, 8:53 a.m.
Dear PLNU community,
These past few weeks have been very difficult for our campus in many different ways. The assassination of Charlie Kirk is tragic and heartbreaking. As a Christian community, we collectively lament the loss of a human life and pray for his wife, Erika, and their two young children as they experience unimaginable grief.
Some have questioned why the university did not issue a public statement. In 2023, we created a framework to guide when PLNU speaks as an institution about tragedies or losses that take place beyond our campus community. This is never because we lack care or compassion, but because we want to be thoughtful and consistent in how and when we speak publicly as an institution, taking care not to set unhelpful precedents for the future.
Choosing not to make a public statement in this situation was not meant to send a message in itself. I understand that for some, it felt like a missed opportunity for PLNU to speak into the situation and offer comfort or guidance. I take responsibility for anyone who feels that way and can only say that my intent was never to minimize this loss or the pain it has caused to those who are hurting and grieving. We will re-evaluate our current policy to determine whether adjustments are needed to better serve our community in moments like this. Our primary focus has been on coming alongside students directly through our pastors, counseling staff, resident directors, and Student Life and Formation team.
In the days after the news of Charlie Kirk’s death, a number of things happened on the Point Loma campus. Over the weekend, a memorial was placed near a Nease Hall tree. It has been our process and protocol to remove unattended items placed on PLNU property that have not been approved in advance, and because of that, the memorial was taken down. While the intent was to be consistent with our protocol and practices, I now see how this decision felt out of step with the care and sensitivity the moment called for. For some of you, this felt like a betrayal in a moment of grief, and I am deeply sorry for the hurt that caused.
On Sunday afternoon, our Director of Community Life, as well as our Vice President for University Services, spoke with the president of the club organizing the vigil to walk through the process and to affirm that they were welcome to gather at the Nease Hall tree as planned. The university did not require the group to move. The students ultimately decided to hold their gathering at McCullough Park (a larger area on campus) and listed it as “Club Members Only.” No one was turned away or asked to prove club membership, and two university leaders quietly attended to support the students and help ensure a respectful space for their gathering.
I also want to provide some context for how clubs are formed at PLNU. All student clubs are student-initiated and student-approved through the Associated Student Body (ASB). The process for forming student clubs is not something that is directed or prevented by PLNU leadership.
In the days since, conversations about PLNU’s response have spread quickly across social media, and not all of it has been accurate. I know how disheartening it can feel when honest, good-faith dialogue starts to break down. It can leave us feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to move forward. But that is not who we are as a PLNU community. We are not perfect, but rooted in our shared faith in Jesus Christ, we are striving to model what it looks like to hold different perspectives and experiences while still seeing one another as people made in the image of God.
My hope is that in the days ahead, we can show grace, listen well, give each other the benefit of the doubt, and make a good-faith effort to come together. Like you, I care deeply about this community, and my sincere prayer is that we will choose to move forward with compassion and humility, caring for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in moments when it feels hardest to do so.
With grace upon grace,
Kerry Fulcher
President