Following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, red dot and target on Drury’s campus raises alarm
Campus, Campus News October 27, 2025, Comments OffOn September 11th, a student saw a hand-drawn hunting target placed on the east door of the Hammons School of Architecture (HSA) building accompanied by a red dot. Once made aware of the situation, Joshua Nason, dean and professor of architecture, immediately went into action to make sure that no students were by the windows on the east side of the building and to continuously find safe spaces for students in the event of immediate danger of the students. Professor Nason’s initial reaction to learning of the situation was to “handle what was immediately in front of us [and] make sure that the students are safe.”
Drury Security was then called along with Drury’s Provost, Beth Harville. Drury Security, Dr. Harville and Drury’s President, Dr. Jeff Frederick, arrived at Hammons School of Architecture around the same time.
At the time of the incident, the Springfield Police Department was conducting drone surveillance training at the warehouse east of the HSA. Drury Security worked with the Springfield Police Department to quickly determine that there was no immediate threat to students or faculty, which is why there was no alert to students from the school. Drury Security then reviewed the drone footage from the Springfield Police Department, and they did not discover any suspicious behavior nor any type of identification of who may have placed the target on the door.
Candy Cornman, the director of safety and security, spoke on continued work for improved communication. “I’m letting Professor Nason and the folks that are in charge of that building, kind of get…student reactions, and then I am going to sit down with them and work through some of the things that I feel like…maybe could be done better, as far as getting out announcements to students,” Cornman commented.
Both Cornman and Professor Nason explained that communication that day was not ideal. Cornman was absent due to illness on September 11th, and she was trying to work with Drury Security through her cellphone to keep a grasp on the situation.
The Mirror spoke with Drury University President, Dr. Frederick, about the incident and security on campus. “We had some heightened vigilance about…the possibility of real issues…in most of the country. There were a couple of instances where the authorities on individual campuses found some very difficult things…so we had some heightened vigilance going into that week,” Dr. Frederick stated.
Universities across the country were aware of the events that occurred earlier that week: the disconcerting public assassination of American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, along with the numerous violent threats to universities, most notably of which were those that targeted Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The target placed on the door of the HSA had a heavy weight behind it amidst these national tensions.
Cornman highlighted her role as a resource in times of crisis. “I want to make sure that the students understand that I am here. If they want to talk to me about it, if they want advice, if they are afraid of something, by all means…send me an email, and I will be happy to make time to talk with them,” she said.
Photo courtesy of Drury University website
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