The arrival of radio host Dennis Prager at the University of Wyoming last month was the beginning of the end for a conservative group’s access to student government funds.
The man behind the popular “PragerU” YouTube video channel took part in a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter’s event in Laramie on November 9, and before the month was out students were slapped with a bar on requesting additional funds until January 1, 2019.
Students spoke with the educational watchdog Campus Reform about the fallout on Thursday, saying bureaucratic technicalities — some unfounded — were used as a pretext for the decision.
“I was surprised and upset to see that our event essentially warranted this chilling effect,” chapter president Jessica Leach said. “It was successful, and the student government, populated mostly by leftist students, took action against our ability to hold events like this in the future. […] We are in the process of appealing the suspension through the student gov judicial council.”
Accusations leveled against the conservative group by the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW) include:
- All promotional materials were not marked with an ASUW logo.
- Tickets were not distributed at a proper venue on campus.
- The group failed to “utilize digital scanners for student IDs.”
- TPUSA provided food not authorized by “UW Risk Management.”
For its part, the student group says some promotional materials lacked ASUW logos because they were made in a hurry; critics kept destroying ads as they were created.
Miss Leach also denied the claim that unauthorized food was supplied at the anti-socialism event, which attracted 600 people.
“We’re primarily concerned that the people in charge of our student fees see even mainstream conservative opinions as hate speech,” College Republican Vice President Linnea Lueken told Campus Reform.
A GoFundMe page was created by TPUSA at the University of Wyoming as a means of raising money until the dispute is settled.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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