WATCH: Conservative students who faced death threats after television interview speak out

Campus Reform Reporter Alexa Schwerha spoke with two students at Western Carolina University about the threats and controversy they have experienced after speaking out against 'woke' campus content.


Two Western Carolina University students, Katie Sanders and Christopher Stirewalt, are speaking out after receiving death threats and other backlash from the campus community.

The threats occurred after the pair appeared on Fox News to discuss how “woke” training had infiltrated the university’s residential assistant program.

Material included a gender unicorn and the avoidance of referring to America as a “melting pot.”

[RELATED: ‘Disgusting and reprehensible’: Faculty sells ‘woke’ t-shirts amid ‘Gender Unicorn’ controversy, students react]

In response to the national headlines, the faculty senate designed and promoted t-shirts to raise money for Lambda Legal, a firm that advocates for members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

The shirts poked fun at the accusations, reading “WCU: Woke Carolina University.” The subtitle of the advertisement read: “Proud to be Woke U, home of the fighting Gender Unicorns.”

The post has since been deleted.

“We think that is pretty much disgusting,” Stirewalt said. “What they did makes us feel like our concerns are not actually paid attention to by the faculty at our school, that our professors feel like they’re in a safe space to make fun of our concerns.”

Sanders, a residential assistant, and Stirewalt, a TPUSA Campus Coordinator, quickly became the face of the controversy after speaking on Fox News about the new training. 

Since that interview, a petition has circulated calling for Sanders to be demoted from a residential assistant. 

[RELATED: WATCH: Student who exposed pronoun policy responds to campus-wide petition against him]

It currently has accumulated over 700 signatures, however, Sanders confirmed to Campus Reform that no action has been taken against her.

Sanders and Stirewalt are far from alone in experiencing the effect of cancel culture on American college campuses. 

In September, Campus Reform Correspondent and Point Park University student Logan Dubil became the subject of a petition calling for his removal from campus following an appearance on The Ingraham Angle.

“We do want students to know that they can voice their opinion, and it does matter. You face backlash, but you also face a lot of support, and that’s what we’ve been receiving lately,” Sanders explained.

Watch the full interview above.

Follow @AlexaSchwerha1 on Twitter