Cal Poly Turning Point club grows after death of Charlie Kirk. What’s next?
A handful of Cal Poly students stood on a corner just outside the university’s welcome week club fair Wednesday afternoon, sharing information about a vigil planned to honor the life of Charlie Kirk, the right-wing political activist who was shot and killed at a Utah college campus in September.
Those students, many of whom were clad in red, are the leaders of Cal Poly’s chapter of Turning Point USA, the conservative nonprofit Kirk founded more than a decade ago.
Its mission is to promote conservative politics on college and high school campuses nationwide.
And Kirk’s death appears to have strengthened interest in that mission at Cal Poly
According to chapter president Ryan Rundle, the Cal Poly club’s membership doubled in the aftermath of Kirk’s death, going from 40 students to 80 in just one week. The chapter received 98 sign-ups during the club fair, a post on its Instagram page said.
Rundle, who spoke with The Tribune on Wednesday in a joint interview with Mustang News, said he hopes to use the next year to reach across the aisle and spark open dialogue in hopes of bringing student communities together.
“We want to have conversations, not assassinations,” he said.
Turning Point didn’t get a booth at campus event. Why?
Turning Point got plenty of interest during Wednesday’s club fair — despite not having a booth at the actual event.
Local state Assembly candidate and conservative activist Shannon Kessler shared on Facebook that Cal Poly was not allowing the club to have a booth at the club fair, which is held annually for new and returning students during Week of Welcome.
That’s true — but the reasons were procedural, according to both the university and club leadership.
Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier told The Tribune over email that there’s a two-month period during the summer when student clubs are able to request a spot at the club fair — and Turning Point did not make a request during that time.
Rundle told reporters that Turning Point didn’t apply for a booth because of a miscommunication with the university amid changing leadership within the club itself. The university was going to try to make an exception for the group, but that didn’t end up working, he said.
Still, university leaders helped the group find an alternative way to participate.
The club ultimately set up on the corner across from the parking lot where the fair was being held. They were approached by a steady stream of students walking to and from the event.
Rundle made it clear that the university was not purposefully excluding Turning Point.
“Cal Poly has been totally, super helpful,” he told reporters.
What to expect from Turning Point in terms of events, safety
While the club signed many new members, opposition to Turning Point was also apparent during Wednesday’s club fair.
Some students heckled the Turning Point members, while comments criticizing the vigil planned for Kirk could be overheard as students walked by.
One event visitor jeered the club, yelling “Boo” as they walked by, to which Rundle responded: “I hope you have a good day, God bless.”
Past Turning Point events have also been a source of division, including in March 2024 when the club brought Kirk to Cal Poly’s campus, sparking protest from some students who opposed his right-wing views, Mustang News reported at the time. That visit was similar in nature to the Utah Valley University event where Kirk was shot and killed.
In the aftermath of Kirk’s death, Rundle admitted he didn’t know whether the division on campus would get better or worse — but he said one of his top goals as leader of Turning Point was to promote unity.
“I feel, like, a lot of times in American society after a big tragedy, it doesn’t matter whether you’re left, right, red, blue, Christian, atheist, people have kind of united and been able to grieve,” the fourth-year business administration student said. “I really hope that we can just ... have a positive impact on campus, and be able to bring kind of, like, a unification into the campus.”
To accomplish this, he wants to create a bipartisan platform where students on opposite ends of the political spectrum can come together to have conversations about their beliefs. He planned to reach out to other student clubs with differing opinions, he said.
The club also participates in social events and community service outreach. It has in the past brought debate nights, trivia and election watch parties to Cal Poly students, its Instagram page showed.
Kirk’s death did spark safety concerns among some students, but it also reinforced some students’ belief in Turning Point, Rundle said.
“I know people are super close with him, I know people feel personally wronged by him, but regardless, I think we should promote a culture, an environment where ... we don’t resort to people getting killed or people getting hurt,” he said. “We should be able to talk to each other, even if we totally disagree.”
Rundle said the club is coordinating with campus security and police to ensure safety measures are in place for future events.
The vigil for Kirk organized by Cal Poly’s Turning Point club is slated to be held on Monday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m, according to an online event listing. It will take place at the Performing Arts Center. District Attorney Dan Dow was scheduled to speak, and Active Church was scheduled to lead worship.
The event is free and open to the public.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 10:00 AM.
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