University drops 'doxxing' probe of Republican students amid widespread backlash over viral cake incident

Two College Republicans at the University of Utah threatened with disciplinary action stemming from a viral social media incident are now breathing a sigh of relief after the school cleared them of wrongdoing. But one student is now demanding that the school work harder to protect conservative speech on campus. "My message to administration would be that conservative voices on campus need to be protected, not only by the students that try to diminish our voice, but also the administration, including the teachers," Rylie Barnes told Fox News Digital. On Sept. 10, 2026, the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination, a woman approached a group of College Republicans at an event on a campus less than an hour's drive from the murder site, and presented them with a snarky dessert. The words "Happy Kirkiversary" were written in red icing on the white cake. Barnes and Riley Beesley, the chairman of the school's College Republicans chapter, took exception to the stunt on their campus, and Barnes posted a photo of the woman holding the cake to her X account. It quickly went viral and led to an anonymous X user identifying the student as Sara Larsen. "We got a lot of backlash from students here on campus, blaming us for doxxing, creating false allegations and lies on social media about it, and reporting to the school all these false allegations as well. So I don't blame the school for kind of jumping the gun on it," Barnes said. "But I think they did jump the gun, which caused this to get so much backlash on the Republican end, just because there wasn't much of an investigation for us. There was just, ‘we need you to come meet with us,' and in our minds, that wasn't okay because we didn't do anything wrong." Thursday night, the University of Utah sent out a notice confirming that the potential disciplinary matter was closed. "The University of Utah’s Office of the Dean of Students has dismissed an ‘accountability’ inquiry into student Rylie Barnes’ social media posts," the message said. "After receiving clarification from Riley Beesley’s representative on Thursday, Sept. 17, the dean’s office also has dismissed an accountability inquiry into Beesley’s social media posts." That "representative" was Beelsey's attorney. The school added that neither student ever faced expulsion, and that normally they would keep disciplinary matters private, but since the students made it public, they publicly responded. Social media was abuzz, with high-profile figures in the Senate and at the Department of Justice (DOJ) keeping an eye on the matter during the week-long saga. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called the investigation "indefensible," adding that if the students were expelled, he would "hire both of them—and then help them find schools where they can complete their degrees without fear of political persecution." "Utah … [what the h---] is going on over there," Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the DOJ said in an X post. Barnes said the support from social media was crucial to the pair prevailing against the school. "I definitely think that with the amount of social media presence that we were having and the amount of support, it definitely helped the school do more investigation about this, because I'm glad that they realized that there's more than just one side story here, there's two sides," she said. "And when they did more of an investigation, that's exactly why our case got dismissed because of all the support, and they thought that the allegations these students were making were inaccurate." UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE CONDEMNS FLYERS APPEARING TO CELEBRATE CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION The school's College Democrats responded by saying Republicans are "waging a campaign of hate" against them. On Tuesday, the university sent emails to Beesley and Barnes requesting closed-door meetings Wednesday morning with its Student Rights and Responsibilities office. "We received information that, if accurate, may go against this priority and the policy on Student Rights and Responsibilities, and I would like to meet and hear your perspective," says a copy of one of the emails, obtained by Fox News Digital. "The report is regarding an incident that happened on or about September 11, 2026 and allegedly involves you attempting to doxx another University of Utah student over a political issue." The email was sent by the office's assistant director, Jose Morales Diaz. "Doxxing" is the act of publicly revealing, usually online, the personal information of another person, typically with the intent of causing harm to that individual. "We will talk about the information our office received, and you will have an opportunity to give your perspective of the incident if you wish. We will also talk about possible next steps, such as resolutions and educational or restorative measures if appropriate," the email said. 30% OF COLLEGE STUDENTS SAY VIOLENCE ACCEPTABLE WAY TO STOP SPEAKERS ON CAMPUSES, SURVEY FINDS The emails also prohibited the students from recording the meetings. But shortly before the meetings were scheduled to take place, the university abruptly canceled them, according to Beesley. Diaz did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. "We found it distasteful, vile, and disgusting. Parents, alumni, students and donors deserve to know about the radical political ideologies festering on college campuses in Utah," Beesley told Fox News Digital of the cake incident. "Given today's political climate, mocking or expressing support such as this should be taken incredibly seriously and the public sphere has a right to know about the lack of morality being observed among young Democrats and those on the left." He strongly condemned doxxing, and said his group had nothing to do with the release of Larsen's information. He also condemned political violence. "We're observing patterns where those on the left find it comical to make threats, have normalized silencing opposing political viewpoints, and avoid accountability or consequences for glorifying murder," he said. "This must end." CARNEGIE MELLON 'DEEPLY CONCERNED' BY PROFESSOR'S 'HOSTILE AND THREATENING POSTS' ABOUT CHARLIE KIRK'S DEATH The university told Fox News Digital it can't comment on student disciplinary action, citing federal law. But Wednesday night, the school released a statement about the ongoing controversy, which has been going viral online for days and has become a national news story. "In recent days, a dispute between political groups on the University of Utah campus has resulted in allegations of harassment, threats, and the inappropriate sharing or amplification of personal information. The University of Utah is reviewing these accusations consistent with established policies, due process and applicable law," the statement said. "As we conduct this review, the university will continue to simultaneously protect freedom of expression and the safety of our students. Calls to harm someone, including electronic harassment and inappropriate sharing of information, are not protected by free speech," it continued. The school also urged the College Democrats and College Republicans groups on campus to convene with leadership in an attempt to better understand one another. It also condemned violence. COLORADO TPUSA CHAPTER ENROLLMENT 'FLAT' AFTER ELDERLY SUPPORTER WAS STRICKEN BY STUDENT WITH TACO BELL CUP Beesley was subject to an alleged violent threat on campus earlier this year, when a person threatened to "Kirk" him. "It was January 12, we were outside tabling and engaging in debates in a format similar to those organized by, let's say, Turning Point USA," Beesley told Fox News Digital at the time. "And soon after [he] declared to us, 'you should die,' followed by, 'I am going to Kirk you,' which you could only think that means I'm either using your imagination going to shoot you or kill you." CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Dean Stewart, then 21, was arrested following the incident. Criminal proceedings against him are ongoing, Beesley said. An X account with the name Sara Larsen made a post on Sept. 11, 2026, apologizing for the cake stunt. Fox News Digital could not independently verify whether the account owner is the student embroiled in the controversy. "Upon reflection, it was wrong for me to celebrate, or perpetuate the celebration of, Charlie Kirk’s death. I apologize for doing so sincerely. Nobody should be murdered or persecuted for their speech," reads the tweet — the only post present on an account with 311 followers that was created in February 2017.