GW boosted security on the Mount Vernon Campus on Saturday morning after Fox News reported that a staff member called Charlie Kirk’s assassination “fair” in a social media post, which officials said prompted threats against some community members and led the staff member to leave campus.
Officials told community members Saturday morning they were placing all Vern buildings on GWorld Safety Mode, restricting access to most campus entrances and boosting campus and Metropolitan Police Department police on both the Vern and Foggy Bottom campuses through the weekend after community members received “threatening communications” related to Vern Assistant Director of Academic Initiatives Anthony Pohorilak’s social media post. The announcement came the morning after Fox News reported on Pohorilak’s Facebook post, where he said he has “no thoughts, and no prayers” after Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
University spokesperson Skylar Sales said Pohorilak is “no longer on campus” due to the impact his social media post had on his ability to fulfill his professional responsibilities, adding that he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the University.
She declined to comment on whether Pohorilak is still employed at the University or if officials fired him. His staff profile is no longer listed on GW’s website, and his LinkedIn has been disabled as of Saturday, but he is still listed on the GW directory.
Pohorilak did not immediately return a request for comment.
At least a dozen faculty and staff across the country have been terminated by their schools or are facing potential disciplinary action after they shared their opinions about Kirk’s assassination on social media. East Tennessee State University placed two faculty members on administrative leave after one faculty member allegedly commented on Facebook, “you reap what you sow,” and another one wrote, “This isn’t a tragedy. It’s a victory.”
“If nothing else, it is fair, in a nation where children get massacred by gun violence on the regular, the people who advocate for continued gun ownership at the expense of those children are not immune from the consequences of their advocacy. No thoughts, and no prayers,” Pohorilak wrote in the Facebook post screenshotted by Fox News.
Sales said GW “unequivocally condemns” all forms of violence, and the University believes everyone is entitled to their beliefs without being subject to violence for expressing their views.
She declined to comment on what specific community members received threats, when and what the threats entailed.
Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Colette Coleman and Assistant Dean of the Vern Betsy Shimberg said in an email to Vern residents Saturday Pohorilak is “no longer on campus” but did not specify if he is still an employee of the University.
Sales said GW’s safety teams are monitoring the situation and officials will provide community members updates on how long buildings will remain in GWorld Safety Mode when they have more information. GWorld Safety Mode restricts GWorld readers and only provides access to buildings for GWorld cardholders who normally have tap access, according to the GW advisory.
The advisory states access to the Vern will only be available through the main Whitehaven gate throughout the weekend, and Vex drivers should continue checking GWorld IDs for all riders.
Hatchet reporters on Saturday saw one police cruiser stationed outside the Vern’s Whitehaven entrance but no other signs of police presence on the campus. Mount Vernon Express drivers checked GWorld IDs for all riders getting on the shuttle at the Vern heading to Foggy Bottom but did not check students’ IDs at the Foggy Bottom Vex stop in front of Tompkins Hall that drove students to the Vern.
The advisory said the increased security measures, like restricting gate access and increasing GWPD presence, will take place through the weekend. The advisory said access to the Vern is only available to GWorld cardholders who would “normally” have tap access, though the email did not specify how long GWorld readers on the Vern will be restricted for.
The advisory said GWPD is “coordinating closely” with MPD, who will increase patrols in the area. MPD said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday that there are “currently no credible threats” in D.C. following the assassination of Kirk, though MPD will be present throughout the city, including at events scheduled throughout the weekend.
Student leaders from across the aisle swiftly condemned the political violence in the hours after Kirk was fatally shot by suspect Tyler Robinson at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, with GW College Republicans canceling their speaker event slated for that night. University President Ellen Granberg at Friday’s Faculty Senate meeting made a statement addressing the trend of “increasing political violence” that has left individuals from across the aisle killed or injured.
The advisory said the enhanced security measures were put in place “out of an abundance of caution,” though officials said there is “no immediate threat” to the campus.
