The spirit rock in front of Fisher Student Union became a canvas of contention Tuesday morning, as students painted over a tribute to conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
The tribute was painted in conjunction with a student-organized vigil Monday night. Hosted by the UNCW chapters of College Republicans and Turning Point USA, the vigil drew hundreds of students and community members to commemorate Kirk. “It was a safe and respectful demonstration hosted by the student organizations,” said the Office of University Relations (OUR).
However, tensions began to rise hours later, as students monitoring social media noticed chatter suggesting plans to repaint the rock.
“I got a call saying people were trying to paint over the rock,” said Ryan Moszcienski, a veteran and non-traditional student who attended the vigil and returned to the rock afterward. “We stayed all night into the next day to try to prevent anyone from defacing it.”
At around 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, the situation escalated. According to Moszcienski, a student approached the site with a bag of paint. When questioned about his intent, the student allegedly responded that he planned to paint over the “fascist ideology,” proceeding to identify that ideology as “Charlie Kirk.”
Shortly after, a female student reportedly opened the cans of paint and poured them over the spirit rock.
“She agitated the crowd, then said, ‘I’m just going to do this,’” Moszcienski said, mimicking a painting motion. “She walked forward, poured the paint, and it got on other students as well. She was pushing through people and saying, ‘stop touching me.’”
Video from the incident, submitted by eyewitness Ethan Konkle with College Republicans, shows bright blue paint poured across the rock and a brief verbal confrontation between students. The rock’s original message was obscured.
Officers with the University Police Department (UPD) were on site throughout the morning, conducting regular rounds and maintaining a visible presence. The situation did not escalate into physical violence, and no arrests were made. Police did not intervene directly during the confrontation.
OUR released a statement Tuesday afternoon addressing the incident. “The UNCW spirit rock is not a memorial. It is a platform for freedom of expression. Students typically paint the rock multiple times per week. Out of courtesy, students are asked to leave artwork for at least 24 hours before repainting it, but no policy requires this,” the university stated.
“UNCW is proud to serve as a public university, open to the community, and committed to upholding freedom of expression in accordance with applicable laws and policies. In addition, UNCW encourages and expects students, faculty and staff to foster a respectful campus community.”
The spirit rocks, located outside Wagoner Dining Hall and the Fisher Student Union are long-standing campus landmarks at UNCW, traditionally used by student organizations to express messages, commemorate events or promote causes. While repainting the rock is common, students say the timing of this incident felt intentionally disruptive.
“In the past, when groups painted the rock, for LGBTQ+ awareness or for Greek life, it was left alone for days or even weeks,” Moszcienski said. “This was painted for four hours before people started talking about covering it up.”
Moszcienski emphasized that not all opposition came with hostility, praising the UNCW College Democrats for condemning the act and supporting civil discourse.
“Hats off to them,” he said. “They were respectful and transparent. That’s how we should engage on campus, not by shutting each other down.”
For more information on UNCW’s policy on displays, visit https://uncw.edu/about/policies/administration/02.360-policy-on-displays.
