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Kyle Rittenhouse pulls out of Arizona State University after student backlash

Although Rittenhouse was cleared of all charges, left-leaning groups have demanded that the university release a statement against white supremacy

Kyle Rittenhouse is no longer enrolled at Arizona State University after left-leaning student groups rallied to demand that he be thrown out of his studies. This comes even after a court acquitted him of all charges. At his trial on November 10, Rittenhouse had testified that he was studying nursing at ASU.

University officials told New York Post that 18-year-old Rittenhouse was no longer taking any classes. “Kyle Rittenhouse has not gone through the ASU admissions process,” a university spokesperson said in an email. “University records show that he is not currently enrolled in any classes at ASU.”

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The university said earlier this month that Rittenhouse had been taking classes as an online student for the session starting October 13, but he was not enrolled in its Edson College of Nursing and Health. Four groups, led by Students for Socialism ASU, planned a rally to boot the former suspect after his testimony in court. The groups slammed Rittenhouse as a “white supremacist.”

The student groups are set to hold a protest at the Tempe campus. At the rally, they are expected to call on ASU to deny him “further admission” to the school. Although Rittenhouse was cleared of all charges over the triple shooting during riots in 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the students have demanded that the university release a statement against white supremacy as well as denounce Rittenhouse as a “racist killer". 

“Even with a not-guilty verdict from a flawed ‘justice’ system — Kyle Rittenhouse is still guilty in the eyes of the people,” the groups said in a statement Monday. “Join us to demand from ASU that these demands be met to protect students from a violent, blood-thirsty killer.”

ASU spokesman Jay Thorne said that Rittenhouse can still reapply to take courses at ASU at a later date. “Any qualified individual can apply for admission,” Thorne wrote in an email to the Arizona Republic. Thorne had previously said that since ASU does not inquire about a candidate’s criminal history during the admissions, Rittenhouse could have ideally continued taking online classes even if he had been found guilty and put behind bars. 

Last week, Rittenhouse told Fox News that he hoped to study nursing or law on ASU’s campus as part of a “quiet, stress-free” life. “I want to,” he told Tucker Carlson when asked if he hopes to be on campus. “There is a lot of things we have to look into, so I don’t know for sure yet. But I do intend on going in campus and pursuing a career in nursing. I may change it. I’ve been looking into law. I may want to become a lawyer. I haven’t completely decided yet. But I’ve been looking — I want to be a nurse, so I’ve been doing the prerequisites for that.”