http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2547
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2497
By Jason Mattera
Here we go again. Leftist administrators at http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2134 if the conservatives on campus don’t come up with $2,500 to pay for 20 private security officers.
Simcox, whose May 19 lecture would focus on the threat illegal immigration poses to the United States, didn’t ask for security nor did the DePaul Conservative Alliance (DCA)—the student sponsors—nor did Young America’s Foundation—the national sponsors. But when school administrators got wind that pro-illegal immigration loudmouths at Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission 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.
In a press release, Father Jose Landaverde of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission urged his Chicago parishioners to rally against Simcox’s presence on campus the day of the speech. Landaverde, predictably, referred to the border security leader as a “modern day Nazi” and as a “racist.”The press release also declared that “Chris Simcox and the Minute Men represent the worst of the American spirit.”
Student organizer Nicholas Hahn, a junior, correctly points out that his club shouldn’t be shaken down for money when the majority of those threatening to protest aren’t even students. In fact, why is the University even allowing non-students on a private campus to protest a student-run function, especially when only members of the DePaul community are allowed to attend the lecture? If university officials are going to mandate $2,500 worth of security guards, then shouldn’t they pay for it? The school does have a $250 million-dollar endowment, after all.
James Doyle, vice president of student affairs, couldn’t offer a sound rationale as to why he was penalizing conservative students. For starters, it’s not DCA’s fault that leftist activists are renowned for refusing to protest civilly. He did acknowledge to YAF, however, that members of the DePaul Conservative Alliance needed to comply or else the lecture would be canceled. Doyle also claimed that every student organization bears the burden of security costs. That may be true on paper but not in practice, Nicholas tells us. 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.
The security costs are minimal, if needed at all, when a leftist comes to town.
This attempt by leftist administrators to soak its students for cash is just a dirty trick to stop Simcox from speaking. If DePaul really valued academic excellence and free speech, then the school would secure the safety of a speaker invited by a university-sanctioned club, rather than allow an outside group to determine what ideas students are permitted to hear.
Tell DePaul administrators to drop their scheme to deny students the right to hear alternative viewpoints:
James Doyle, vice president of student affairs, 312-362-8854, jdoyle@depaul.edu
Dennis Holtschneider, DePaul president, 312-362-8890, president@depaul.edu
http://media.yaf.org/blog/?p=140