A student withdrew from Texas State on Tuesday, Sept. 16, after Gov. Greg Abbott shared a video of him “mocking” Charlie Kirk’s death during a memorial.
The student, Devion Canty, was a concrete industry management freshman. He said the day the governor shared the video, he was called by the Dean of Students with an ultimatum.
“She called me, then she was asking me am I safe and where I am at,” Canty said. “Then, she basically gave me two options, either be expelled or withdraw. And basically, she persuaded me that if I withdraw, then my college career is still safe.”
Withdrawing from the university has different effects on a student’s record than getting expelled. If a student withdraws, they can receive a refund, and it will not be reflected on their record. However, Canty said the Dean of Students told him that if he was expelled, he would not be able to go to any Texas State system schools, and it would stay on his record.
“A student who has been expelled from any Texas State University System component shall be ineligible to enroll at any other system component during the period of expulsion,” Texas State’s Code of Student Conduct states.
According to the Code of Student Conduct, disciplinary procedures start with the Dean of Students investigating information that a student may have violated university policy. The code states that “During the investigation, the Dean of Students or designee will give the student an opportunity to explain the incident, unless the student is unavailable … the absence of a student if the student does not respond within the time period specified in any notice to the student.”
The video shared online is 40 seconds long, with Canty gesturing to his neck, stating, “Charlie Kirk got hit in the neck [expletive], he’s dead homie.” before gesturing to his neck again, jerking his head and getting on The Stallions to act out Kirk’s death. He then gets up and spits on the ground before saying “[expletive] that [expletive].”
Abbott reposted the video at 11:17 a.m. on Sept. 16, stating “the conduct is not accepted at our schools,” and to “expel the individual immediately.”
Texas State President Kelly Damphousse posted his statement on Facebook, Instagram and X right after 12:30 p.m., less than an hour and a half after Abbott’s original post.
At 12:56 p.m., Damphousse posted another statement on X, stating that Texas State currently does not know the identity of the individual, but he has directed university officials to take immediate action to find the person and his affiliation with Texas State.
Canty said he was not contacted until 4:37 p.m., with the only options being to withdraw or be expelled.
“[The Dean of Students] had me text her and email her [my withdrawal] on the spot,” Canty said. “Me or my parents were not a part of any type of process; no meeting or anything. If they had that process for a meeting, I was not included.”
Damphousse’s statement that Canty was no longer a student was made at 5:12 p.m., less than five hours after his initial statement that Texas State was looking for the individual and less than 40 minutes after Canty officially withdrew from the university.
Canty said that means Damphousse’s statement was made while he was in the police station, waiting for someone to pick him up from campus. Canty is currently in Charlotte, where he is from. He said he was only able to grab a laundry bag of clothes, his computer and his gaming console from his dorm.
In his 5:12 p.m. statement, Damphousse said Canty’s actions were not reflective of the Texas State community, and they should “consider the impact that our words and actions can have on those around us.”
“Unfortunately, some people are suggesting that the individual’s actions represent the beliefs of TXST students in general or those of specific student organizations,” Damphousse wrote in his statement. “These kinds of insinuations are unfair to our student body, and they cause some of our students to feel unsafe … The actions of one person do not reflect our entire community or the individuals in it.”
Canty said he should have acted differently, but he believes his punishment does not fit the crime.
“I understand that I could have gone about it a different way, and I acted out of anger and impulse, but at the end of the day, I only used my freedom of speech,” Canty said. “There’s bigger problems to be focused on than just me mocking a podcaster.”
Coming back to Texas State is Canty’s eventual goal, he said. But at this moment, he is staying out of state for his safety.
“I built a family there,” Canty said. “Like, there’s so many cool people. It’s a beautiful campus. I have everything I need there. I loved all my classes; my professors were great. The first month of college was better than what I expected.”
