CampusFreeSpeech?ForLiberalsOnly ————————————————————————————————————————————— By Jason Mattera, Spokesman
C
ampus liberals are unaccustomed to hearing conservative ideas in their echo chambers, so it’s not uncommon for them to be infuriated at the notion of hearing alternative opinions. Take, for example, two separate incidents this past year—one at DePaul University in Illinois and the other at the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Minnesota. Liberal administrators at St. Thomas—a Catholic university and the largest private college in Minnesota—initially rejected the appearance of prominent pro-life speaker Star Parker. Parker, the best-selling author of numerous books, was scheduled to speak on campus on April 21, 2008, about the devastating impact abortion has on minority communities—an appropriate topic for a Catholic institution. Unfortunately, UST Vice President of Student Affairs Jane Canney thought differently. She nixed the speech entirely, citing “concerns” that the lecture was underwritten by Young America’s Foundation. Katie Kieffer, a 2005 alumna of St. Thomas, a Foundation activist, and an organizer of the Star Parker lecture, confronted Canney on her refusal to allow Parker to speak on campus. Canney told Katie and her sister, Amie Kieffer, a senior at UST and editor of an independent conservative newspaper, the St. Thomas Standard, “As long as I am a vice president at St. Thomas, Young America’s Foundation will not be allowed on campus.” The co-sponsoring student groups hosting the event, Students for Human Life and the St. Thomas Standard, only needed a room and advertising space, as Young America’s Foundation and Conservative Student News Inc. were covering all other costs. Nonetheless, The Student Life Committee, on which Canney resides, denied the student groups a room on campus for Parker’s lecture. Canney’s hostility toward Young America’s Foundation originated when the Foundation sponsored Ann Coulter at St. Thomas three years ago—an event attracting more than 750 students. Canney claimed she felt “uncomfortable” and “disturbed” while listening to Coulter. None of Coulter’s supposed “offenses” were ever enumerated. Liberal speakers at St. Thomas receive full support from the school’s administration. Just this past year, Canney’s Student Life Committee approved the appearances of liberal commentator Al Franken and Debra Davis, a transgendered activist who believes that God is a black lesbian. Young America’s Foundation alerted the media to the intolerant behavior of UST’s administrators. The Washington Times, Power Line, Townhall.com, HotAir, CNS News, NewsMax, WorldNetDaily, and two Minneapolis Star Tribune columns by Katherine Kersten exposed the school’s bias and hypocrisy. An influx of negative responses forced the school
to reverse its decision and not only allow the event to proceed as scheduled but also pay for Star’s honorarium, travel, and accommodation costs. In the end, more than 300 enthusiastic students and community members heard Star’s powerful message. There were no disruptions during the program, and Star received a standing ovation from the crowd. At DePaul University, leftist administrators threatened to cancel a speech by Chris Simcox if the conservatives on campus did not pay $2,500 for 20 private security officers. Simcox, an advocate for protecting America’s borders from unlawful entry, presides over the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Simcox did not ask for security and neither did the DePaul Conservative Alliance (DCA)—the student sponsors—nor Young America’s Foundation—the national sponsors. But when school administrators got wind that illegal immigration advocates were planning to protest the lecture, DCA students were told that there needed to be a security presence, and that they had to pay for it. Student organizer Nicholas Hahn, a 2007 Foundation intern, noted that it was wrong to shake down his club for money when the majority of the protesters weren’t even students. “We shouldn’t be forced to subsidize a leftist demonstration,” said Hahn. “In fact, why [did] DePaul even allow non-students to protest a studentrun function on a private campus? University officials can mandate all the security they want, but shouldn’t they pay for it? The school does have a $250 million endowment, after all.” Past liberal speakers at DePaul, including Barack Obama, didn’t attract any vitriolic demonstrations by conservatives, and the campus Left wasn’t extorted for cash by DePaul’s administration. John Holden, a spokesman for DePaul, even admitted to the Chicago Sun-Times that he couldn’t think of a single instance where similar financial obligations were imposed on liberal student groups. In addition to the Sun-Times, Fox News and the Chicago Tribune highlighted the school’s attempt to prevent Simcox from speaking on campus. Nick and his club eventually paid the fee, and the event went on as scheduled. Holden’s admission that liberal groups have not been targeted at DePaul and Jane Canney’s attempt at St. Thomas to thwart Foundation speakers give us a glimpse of the Left’s antagonism toward ideas differing from its own. Rather than spawn debate and encourage robust dialogue among their students, campus liberals whip out weak excuses and barriers to limit and derail free speech. With your help, Young America’s Foundation will continue our fight to ensure your ideas and values have a place in higher education.
AtDePaulUniversity, leftistadministrators threatenedtocancela speechbyChrisSimcox iftheconservatives oncampusdidnotpay $2,500for20private security officers.
34
Young America’s Foundation • Libertas