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The university where Charlie Kirk was assassinated will not have a commencement speaker this year after facing backlash for choosing an author who criticized the popular conservative commentator shortly after his death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Utah Valley University said Thursday it would proceed without a commencement speaker due to \u201csafety concerns.\u201d The decision follows criticism<\/a> over its selection of the so-called \u201cnon-partisan\u201d author Sharon McMahon, who had previously called Kirk\u2019s message harmful.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDue to increased safety concerns related to the speaker and in consultation with public safety professionals and Sharon McMahon, Utah Valley University has decided to proceed without a featured commencement speaker for this year\u2019s ceremony,\u201d the university said in a statement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n McMahon, who describes herself as \u201cAmerica\u2019s government teacher,\u201d posted a series of out-of-context quotes from Kirk after his death to explain why \u201cthere is so much backlash to posts eulogizing his death,\u201d claiming that Kirk \u201cwas not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses\u201d if you were black or Muslim.<\/span><\/p>\n Local outlets have <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> on the posts, which have since been deleted from social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm many experienced from his words and the ensuing actions his followers took,\u201d McMahon wrote, according to a local CBS affiliate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The selection of McMahon as a speaker garnered criticism from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and the university\u2019s Turning Point USA chapter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHours immediately after Charlie\u2019s assassination, Sharon McMahon posted a now-deleted series of out-of-context quotes from Charlie in an effort to tarnish his name and minimize the tragedy, rather than offering condolences or condemning political violence,\u201d chapter president Caleb Chilcutt said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere are countless better alternatives, and the fact that the university is choosing McMahon is entirely disappointing to all of us still reeling from his loss. I couldn\u2019t be more disappointed in this university for such a hurtful and callous decision,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n Last week, the university told<\/a> Deseret News that McMahon\u2019s selection had been \u201coverwhelmingly positive\u201d and \u201cwell received.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n