Students at Fordham University were kicked out of an on-campus coffee shop over their “Make America Great Again” hats, due to a “safe space” policy.
In a video shared by Campus Reform, several Trump-supporting Fordham students were kicked out of an on-campus coffee shop for their “Make America Great Again” apparel.
“You are threatening the integrity of our club. This is a community standard — you are wearing hats that completely violate safe space policy,” she continued. “You have to take it off or you have to go.” She told the students that the “Make America Great Again” hats represented “fascism” and “Nazis.”
One of the students, who had already purchased a beverage, told the student manager that he would only leave if she gave him a refund. She refused on the basis that he had already begun to drink the coffee.
Managers for the coffee shop established a “safe space” policy that was described on a flyer that was plastered on one of the shop’s walls.
Rodrigue’s strives to be a safer space on Fordham’s campus. For these reasons, consider the following:
Do not make assumptions about someone’s gender, sexuality, race, class, or experiences. Be aware of your own identity, while being considerate of the personhood of your peers. Be mindful of the ways in which your words and actions impact others. Be aware of the boundaries of other’s space, physical or otherwise, and respect their consent. No racism – No sexism – No homophobia. If you feel that someone has transgressed this policy, we want you to feel comfortable confronting them or approaching a member behind the counter, who is available as a resource to assist you.
“We went there because we wanted to test the unwritten rule that conservatives were banned from that coffee shop,” one of the students told Campus Reform. “We went there and just started doing some homework and studying. Then we were asked to leave.
“We are tuition-paying students, therefore we should be able to use any building on campus that we want,” he argued. “This school is over $70,000 a year in tuition, therefore I feel that I have the right to go into all of the buildings that other students are allowed to go into. I also have the right to wear what I want to wear and express my own political views.”
In a statement to The Hill, Fordham University condemned the behavior of the student manager of the coffee shop, explaining that the coffee shop manager may be subject to sanctions for violating the student conduct code.
There is no University safe space policy, nor one that excludes any members of the Fordham community from any public spaces on the basis of their political views. Fordham is a community that values diverse opinions, and in which students should disagree with one another in a civil fashion. The University is still investigating the incident, and students who may have violated University code of conduct will be met with the appropriate student conduct process.