The University of Utah has dismissed the case against a College Republican who posted a photo on X of a left-wing student posing with a “Happy “Kirkiversary” cake on the one-year anniversary of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Rylie Barnes’ X post went viral, sparking a political firestorm on campus and nationwide, and leading to threats and harassment against the players of both sides.
Amid an organized left-wing effort to get Barnes expelled, the university launched a misconduct investigation into the College Republicans.
The University of Utah’s Office of the Dean of Students contacted Barnes, and fellow College Republican Riley Beesley, accusing them of engaging in potentially “threatening or endangering behavior” and of possibly doxxing a fellow student.
College Democrats accused the Republicans of “waging a campaign of hate” and called for their expulsion.
College Democrats held protests on campus demanded accountability, with signs reading “Doxxing is not free speech.”
Meanwhile, Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, and the Trump administration publicly supported the Republican students, and the national College GOP chair threatened legal action if the university sanctioned them.
The university had scheduled an “expulsion meeting” for Wednesday but cancelled it at the last minute.
The controversy began on September 10, when the cake-bearing student—later identified as Sara Larsen—approached the College Republicans booth on campus with a white cake inscribed with “Happy Kirkiversary” in blood red icing.
According to Barnes, the booth was displaying a sign at the time that said, “did Charlie Kirk deserve to be murdered?”
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Barnes said Larsen laughed in reaction to that and said, “I think my cake is pretty funny.”
The College Republicans asked if they could take a picture of the cake, and she proudly posed with it for ten minutes, according to Barnes, who posted one of the photos on her X account, with the caption, “What is wrong with students in Utah??
Barnes later posed with a cake that said, “don’t celebrate murder.”
The College Democrats accused the College Republicans of doxxing Larsen, which Barnes said is “incorrect.”
Anonymous users online identified Larsen, which has allegedly led to harassment and death threats.
“Honestly, I think the university is going to do more investigation, and I think they finally realize there’s more than one side to this story,” Barnes told Frontlines TPUSA’s Tayler Hansen on Wednesday. Gesturing toward a small band of leftist protesters nearby, she added, “the side that’s being loud right now, which are they people behind us, are incorrect.”
Jason Ramirez, Dean of Students at University of Utah, wrote to Barnes on Thursday informing her that he was dismissing the case against her and making sure there is no record of it in her university file.
“I imagine this news is both relieving and frustrating,” Ramirez wrote, adding that he would also be reviewing a university staff member’s decision to mount the investigation and “making the appropriate adjustments to our processes to ensure this doesn’t happen in the future.”
“MY CASE IS FULLY DISMISSED,’ Barnes posted on X. “This wouldn’t have happened without the outpouring of support we received online. Thank you!” she added. “TOTAL COLLEGE REPUBLICAN VICTORY.”
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