Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk on its Orem campus a year ago, Utah Valley University has failed to protect the right of everyone within its community — be they students, faculty or visitors — to voice their opinions on controversial issues, a new survey suggests.

Published by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the annual free speech ranking of colleges assigned the school an “F” and the 210th spot out of 261 universities nationwide — a dramatic tumble from last year’s position as 71st out of 257.

The University of Utah likewise saw its position worsen, falling 43 spots to land at 131st, while Utah State University jumped 87 spots to 54th.

A survey of private and public institutions, Wednesday’s report gives special attention to UVU, however.

After all, the study notes: “A public figure was assassinated on campus in front of many students engaging in free speech and open debate.”

‘Laudable efforts’

Given this, the nonprofit, known for rankling those on the political left and right, begins its assessment sympathetically.

“There is no doubt that the speech climate at UVU is currently a challenging one,” write the authors, who are quick to praise efforts the administration took after Kirk’s killing to safeguard public discourse.

These include inviting the head of FIRE to speak on campus and launching a civic dialogue program.

The report also cites improvement in some of the responses from students — of which 246 were surveyed a month after Kirk’s death. For instance, the percentage who said UVU was likely to protect free speech during a controversy jumped from 29% in 2025 to 42% this year.

“The administration,” it states, “has made some laudable efforts.”

A ‘mistake’ to cancel Sharon McMahon

Then comes the pivot.

UVU made a “mistake,” the report argues, when it rescinded its invitation to author and educator Sharon McMahon to speak at commencement last April.

At the time, the school blamed the decision on “increased safety concerns.” For her part, McMahon pointed a finger at a “coercive pressure campaign” by Utah lawmakers on the public school.

McMahon drew ire from Republicans after Kirk’s death for her posts on social media that some felt were inconsiderate. A few of those have since been deleted.

The FIRE report sidesteps any debate over what “America’s Government Teacher” said about Kirk and his death.

“Rather than deplatforming McMahon,” the authors write, “UVU should respond to every instance of and every call for censorship with a clear defense of free expression.”

[Read the speech Sharon McMahon planned to deliver.]

Students afraid to speak their minds

UVU spokesperson Sharon Turner told The Salt Lake Tribune that the school “strives to create an environment where varied ideas are shared and voices are heard.”

She pointed to the school’s website detailing its procedures around safeguarding free speech, including policies on protests, signs and classroom discussion.

“We remain committed,” Turner added, “to upholding free speech while fostering a climate of inclusion and civil discourse.”

Equally concerning, however, to the FIRE report’s authors — although arguably less under the direct control of the administration — were the day-to-day experiences of students surveyed.

In the aftermath of the assassination, UVU students were, the researchers summarize, “less comfortable expressing views on a controversial political topic during a class discussion, in a common campus space or to other students on social media than their peers nationwide.”

At the same time, the percentage of UVU students reporting self-censoring increased, according to FIRE’s research.

“After Charlie Kirk was killed,” one student told the organization, “I personally felt that I could not express my opinion.”

No group appears to have been exempt from this sense, with students representing a range of political ideologies expressing similar sentiments.

“I feel I can’t express my opinion on Charlie Kirk or the president,” said one, describing supporters of both as “extremely hotheaded and vengeful.”

Said another: “I have personally heard threats on campus of violence towards those who share opinions with right-wing figures like Charlie Kirk.”

In short, the report concludes: “The chilling effect of this assassination persists.”

Other Utah schools

Of all the Utah schools surveyed, Utah State University received the highest marks. The Logan school rose 87 spots to land at 54th this year with a “D,” up from last year’s “F.” Behind this boost was the finding by researchers that students report less hesitancy when speaking their mind on hot-button issues when compared to 2025.

The University of Utah, the state’s flagship institution of higher learning, fell 43 spots to land in the 131st position with a “D-minus.” In particular, the report’s authors wagged their finger at school administrators for making a student alter event signs to remove “environmental justice” and “communities disproportionately affected by climate change” in April.

Brigham Young University, the premier school of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, did not appear in this year’s report. In 2024, however, FIRE ranked it in a separate “warning” category along with the likes of Liberty University, founded by the late televangelist Jerry Falwell, and Baptist-leaning Baylor University. This the nonprofit did, the authors wrote at the time, because the institutions espoused policies that “clearly and consistently state that [they prioritize] other values over a commitment to freedom of speech.”

FIRE has since jettisoned the “warning” category.

Regarding BYU’s exclusion, FIRE spokesperson Karl de Vries explained that “since BYU clearly and consistently states that it holds a certain set of values above a commitment to freedom of speech — which is its right as a private school, it did not make sense to rank it alongside private schools that do make such promises and public schools that are legally obligated to protect free speech.”

Correction • Friday, Sept. 11, 10:23 a.m.: In an earlier version of the bar chart accompanying this article, two of the topics were mislabeled.