Minnesota State University, Mankato have softened security fees for the student organizers behind MILO’s event at the college on December 15th, following Breitbart News’ coverage of the university’s sudden last-minute fee raise.
“We have had productive meetings with representatives of the University administration” said the student organizer behind MILO’s Minnesota event, Aaron Eberhart, who added that they still “remain concerned that various individual MNSU staff have raised what the College Republicans believe is unnecessary chaos.”
“That is something we don’t like to see from a nonpartisan institution. We hope to work with University staff and administration to avoid these situations in the future” said Eberhart in his statement. “With protestors being our next hurdle we hope the College Republicans set a good example by our peaceful and quiet protest of the ‘Sanctuary Campus’ protest in the last month that has been welcomed as a good way to protest by MNSU security.”
“With the College Republicans understanding late that more funds were needed we have since negotiated with the University what both parties involved believe is a fair and adequate amount of security that keeps costs at a minimum but safety for all still being achieved” he added. “We would like to thank our donors for helping us reach our goal and the University for working with us to help us with costs and safety for all at the event”.
“We now want to focus on making sure all are safe at the event and are not harassed or threatened by groups who have planned to protest” concluded the statement. “To be clear we have achieved our goal for paying for the security of the event but we do still need money for operating costs of our club with a portion going to support a Veterans Charity that has yet to be determined.”
According to student organisers, Minnesota State college president Richard Davenport has been pivotal in defending free speech on campus. “President Davenport has been a supporter from the beginning and he was one in administration to stand up for us” said an organizer.”Others weren’t.”
Breitbart News previously reported that administrators at the college had raised the security fees of the event to an unaffordable price just two weeks before it was due to take place, an act which is common among universities who want to stop an event from taking place. But Minnesota State has since rectified the situation, and MILO’s event will go ahead on campus.
“This was I believe a tactic to have us cancel the event because they don’t think we can raise that money and we will but then they just got benefit of draining us of more of our resources” said Eberhart on Wednesday. “We want the bullying of conservatives on liberal campuses to stop.”
Iowa State University also attempted to torpedo an upcoming MILO event at the college, charging organizers with an additional $1,944 security fee at the last minute.
“I had paid in full September 7th an amount of $1070 out of my own pocket, which including the rental space, lighting, AV, tech, and the whole shabang” explained the student organizer in an email to Breitbart Tech. “Just yesterday, the event manager at ISU said the ISUPD is requiring 6 officers to secure the rental space which will cost additional but did not say amount. Today, the event manager sent out an email saying it will require an additional $1944.”
During his event at West Virginia University on Thursday, MILO called out colleges for raising security fees at the last minute, declaring “It’s the latest slippery tactic of university administrators: they’re too afraid to ban me outright, so they give poor student organizers impossible security fees at the last minute without any time to raise the funds.”
Speaking on the topic of Iowa State University, which has yet to follow the lead of Minnesota State, MILO criticized administrators, adding: “They waited until now to tell student organizers, when students have no time whatsoever to meet the new requirements. Still, at least they replied. It’s been two days and we still haven’t heard anything from Minnesota, despite multiple attempts from my team to reach them.”
MILO continued by stating that “both of these universities are funded by taxpayers,” and are “potentially breaking the law by refusing to meet security requirements themselves”.
“But it’s not, of course, just about the technicalities. It’s about principle” he added. “These … colleges, set up to provide a safe space for free speech and free inquiry, have become bastions of conformity and cowardice.”
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.
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