Utah Valley Comms After Shooting of Charlie Kirk
Students might analyze the website crisis communications from Utah Valley University following the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. This could be a sensitive, painful topic—and it’s certainly a political one—but the swift messaging offers lessons for business communicators.
Today, two days after the shooting of the conservative activist, Utah Valley’s notice is prominent on the website. The pop-up, below, is also static at the top of the homepage.
The “info” page includes a chronology of messages beginning on Wednesday, September 10 at 12:48 pm:
UVU Alert: Police Investigating Shooting on UVU Orem Campus
UVU Alert: A single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker. Police are investigating now, suspect in custody.
As we might expect, the next messages are similar: short, matter-of-fact notices focusing on students’ safety and police activity. Several are posted through 2:52 pm, including announcements about campus closing and classes cancelled. Some notices are repeats, which seems unnecessary but communicates that the university has nothing new to report.
In these situations, the hope is to find the shooter quickly to ease worries about additional harm. That first message mentioned, “suspect in custody,” but now we know that the suspect (and, later, another) was released. None of the following messages mention suspects, presumably to stave off alarm.
At 4:39, we see a longer message, below, from University administrators—a fairly quick response and a typical crisis communication response to acknowledge what happened, offer condolences, and explain expectations. Three somewhat unusual points about this response are 1) different audiences are addressed directly, which is a good, tailored approach, 2) we don’t yet see support, for example, a crisis hotline or mental health resources on campus—these come at 6:57, with updates the next day, and 3) five people signed the notice, which is more typically signed by one or two. The reason for multiple signatures is unclear. It sends a unified message but might also disperse responsibility in a politically charged situation and protect the president. Including the student body president is a nice touch, given how deeply this affects students, particularly those among the 3,000 or so who witnessed the shooting.
Overall, written messages were swift and did what they needed to do: demonstrate compassion and reassure the community.
Dear UVU Community,
On behalf of Utah Valley University, we are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk, a guest to our campus. Our hearts go out to his family. As we grieve with our students, faculty, and staff who bore witness to this unspeakable tragedy, UVU campuses will be closed from September 11-14.
All classes (in-person or virtual), campus events, and administrative operations will be suspended during this time. Please plan accordingly and make any necessary adjustments to your schedules.
Students — coursework, assignment deadlines, and exams will be delayed to accommodate the campus closure.
Faculty and supervisors, thank you for being flexible as we navigate through this difficult time. We encourage you to reach out to your students and employees with updates about expectations.
All employees (full-time or part-time) will still receive regular compensation during the campus closure. Additional information will be forthcoming regarding mental health support to students, faculty, and staff.
We appreciate your understanding and invite the campus community to demonstrate exceptional care towards one another at this time.
Warm regards,
Astrid S. Tuminez
President, Utah Valley University
Wayne Vaught
Provost
Michelle Kearns
Vice President, Student Affairs
Kyle Cullimore
UVUSA Student Body President
Marilyn Meyer
Vice President, People & Culture