Higher Education

Free-speech group warns of ‘chilling’ effect at OSU

October 13, 2025

Ray Carter

The actions of a student-government coordinator at Oklahoma State University, who chose to verbally reprimand a student for speaking out on the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, created a hostile environment that may deter other students from speaking out, according to a national free-speech organization.

Officials with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) warn that the student-government advisor’s actions may have a chilling effect even though OSU has publicly criticized the advisor.

“As a public institution bound by the First Amendment, OSU must refrain from even appearing to punish or reprimand students for clearly protected expression,” wrote Graham Piro, faculty legal defense fund fellow at FIRE, in an Oct. 9 letter sent to OSU President Jim Hess.

At a Sept. 10 student-government meeting, held the same day Kirk was assassinated, OSU junior Josh Wilson took a few moments to speak on Kirk’s killing and to urge other students to remember that “true progress begins with dialogue.”

The following week, Wilson was called to a meeting with OSU’s coordinator of student government affairs programs, Melissa Echols, who claimed Wilson had violated student government rules on nonpartisanship because he wore a Turning Point hat during his speech that included the numbers 45 and 47, a reference to President Donald Trump.

Wilson’s speech did not reference Trump or urge support for any specific candidate or party.

Echols also complained that other students may have been “triggered” by Wilson’s hat.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs wrote about the incident in an Oct. 6 article. At that time, OSU provided a response stating that even though the OSU Student Government Association has a nonpartisan tradition, the organization “has no official policies to restrict partisan expression” and “has not enacted or enforced such a policy.”

“The university is committed to protecting, promoting and facilitating free expression for all students, regardless of their views, and clarification regarding SGA policies has been provided to appropriate university staff,” the OSU statement declared.

Brent Marsh, vice president of student affairs, subsequently sent a message to students involved in student government affairs stating, “The position of Oklahoma State University on freedom of speech is unchanged and crystal clear: All OSU students have the right to speak their minds on all of our campuses.”

Marsh also wrote, “All staff charged with supporting student groups have received direct clarification about our policies and our unwavering commitment to free speech and our expectation that every student can fully express themselves.”

But FIRE officials say Echols’ actions could still discourage free speech on campus.

“The power differential between university administrators and students is significant,” Piro wrote. “When an administrator with disciplinary authority demands a meeting with a student representative about his or her protected speech, the student is likely to infer an implicit threat of discipline. Such a demand strongly suggests that a student’s actions were problematic, and they may accordingly self-censor.”

[For more stories about higher education in Oklahoma, visit AimHigherOK.com.]