University of Arkansas’s Turning Point USA chapter disaffiliates, student reacts

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KARK/KNWA/KFTA) – The University of Arkansas’s Turning Point USA chapter said it would no longer be affiliated with the organization and will instead be re-branded as “Young American Revival.”

The chapter president, Dino Fantegrossi, explained in a statement on Monday that the decision came after discussions with the chapter’s executive board. Fantegrossi said he joined the organization during his freshman year and has spent five semesters in leadership roles.

Fantegrossi said the chapter believed the organization had moved away from its “guiding north star” of promoting conservative policy and values.

“It feels we have become consumed with metrics, creating viral cultural moments, and generally chasing relevance,” the statement read. “We have become reactionary when we need to be proactive.”

The chapter also raised concerns about how TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk has been referenced by the organization since his death.

“Statements like ‘Charlie would have said…’ and ‘Charlie would have wanted…’ have, in many instances, felt disingenuous and manipulative,” Fantegrossi said.

Fantegrossi said the newly rebranded Young American Revival will continue holding meetings and events similar to those previously hosted as a TPUSA affiliate.

“We do not want to start this next chapter of our journey in conflict,” he said. “Instead, we will remain solely focused on our mission as it was always intended.”

The announcement came less than a week after Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk was in the Natural State to announce the organization would expand its footprint into the state’s high schools.

Tyler Cox, a transfer student, was active in his Turning Point chapter at Missouri State – but not when he first got to Arkansas.

“I was kind of aware of it, I wasn’t super involved until Charlie passed, though,” Cox told Nexstar’s KARK. Now he’s left with more questions than answers about the club. “I never thought that they would just completely dissolve the chapter like that, personally.”

The group’s Instagram account has a strong following with more than 16,000 followers.

“If you want to get away from the name, then that’s fine, but you don’t start your own chapter, and then you just take basically all the followers and all the people that wanted to get involved and connected after he died,” Cox said.

He noted that he partly understands the decision, but dissolving the chapter now makes it harder for those who want to be a part of Turning Point.

“Let’s say I’m a senior in high school, and I really love Charlie Kirk. I love what Turning Point’s doing now, I have to go through the hoops of potentially starting another chapter,” Cox said.

Fantegrossi did not respond to a request for comment from KARK.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Trump’s takeover of DC landmarks reaches legal apex

Rand Paul confronts Markwayne Mullin over ‘snake’ remark; says he has ...

Thune: Republicans will use SAVE Act in midterms if Democrats don’t get ‘on ...

GOP tempers flare over how to pass SAVE America Act

US military drops 5,000-pound deep-penetrator bombs near Strait of Hormuz 

Judge skeptical over Trump ballroom project amid new bid to halt it 

Live updates: Mullin, Paul tussle at start of DHS questioning; Iran operation ...

Republicans collide with Trump over no-excuse absentee voting, SAVE Act

Former Trump appointee: MAGA movement is ‘dead’

Judge permanently blocks Ten Commandments displays at several Arkansas school ...

Bolton says he briefed Trump on Iran scenarios: ‘Hard to believe that he ...

Army general left classified maps on train, concussed after ...

Peters presses Mullin to explain past comments: ‘Where did you smell war?’

Bacon: Trump leaving NATO would ‘destroy’ Republican Party

Mullin says FEMA should be ‘restructured’ and that he’ll end Noem’s ...

Trump allies plan Senate floor takeover to pass SAVE America Act

Would you need a passport, REAL ID to vote if SAVE Act passes?

© The Hill