The primary efficiency corridor of the Performing Arts Heart, situated on the sting of the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo.
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A collection of conservative speakers will visit Cal Poly this fall as part of Turning Point USA’s “America: Love It or Leave It” tour of college campuses across the nation.
According to a post from the political organization founded by late activist Charlie Kirk, Turning Point will bring former director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, anti-trans activist and athlete Riley Gaines, YouTuber and influencer Nick Shirley and conservative personality Will Witt to campus on Oct. 21.
The visit is part of the “America: Love It or Leave It” tour, which will also bring various speakers to the University of Arkansas; Grand Canyon University; University of Nevada, Reno; University of Texas at Austin and the University of Iowa. Cal Poly will be the last stop of the tour.
According to the organization, the tour is meant to “discuss why America remains the greatest country on Earth.”
“Charlie Kirk often shared that America is the only country where even those who say they hate it refuse to leave, and that this is proof of our country’s greatness,” the tour announcement said. “This tour will challenge those who claim to hate America with a simple question: If you don’t love America, why don’t you leave?”
The tour will feature live question-and-answer sessions, where students will be invited to engage directly with the speakers, Turning Point said.
The discussion is slated to be in the same spirit as Kirk’s past visits to other college campuses, including Cal Poly’s, where he set up a “Prove Me Wrong” table to debate with members of the campus community in 2024.
“In keeping with Turning Point USA’s proud tradition started by Charlie himself, those who disagree will be invited to the front of the line,” the tour announcement said.
The national tour will kick off on Sept. 15 — five days after the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s shocking September 10, 2025, assassination at Utah Valley University.
The organization said the goal is to encourage college students to “defend free speech, challenge prevailing campus narratives, affirm the value of American principles and confront the fashionable anti-Americanism that insists on hating the country while refusing to leave it.”
The Tribune reached out to the current president of Cal Poly’s Turning Point chapter for comment but did not immediately receive a response Friday morning.
Former president Ryan Rundle, who graduated and is now working with California Congressman Jay Obernolte in Washington, D.C., told The Tribune the Cal Poly chapter was involved with setting up the event.
“Everyone is super excited for it, and they hope that people listen and are open to hear what the speakers say,” he said.
Cal Poly, meanwhile, said it was evaluating the club-sponsored event for potential security needs.
“The event is being organized by a student club, the Turning Point chapter at Cal Poly,” university spokesperson Keegan Koberl told The Tribune. “As part of the standard process for student club events, university officials are reviewing details around the event and discussing public safety and any other staffing needs.”
Students and guests can register to attend the event at: tpusa.com/tours/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo.
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Sadie Dittenber writes about schooling for The Tribune and is a California Native Information Fellow via the UC Berkeley College of Journalism. Dittenber graduated from The Faculty of Idaho with a level in worldwide political financial system.
