Texas State University’s Dean of Students, Dr. Margarita Arellano, has stated that the school’s Turning Point USA student group will not be barred from campus, despite the recent vote by student government to ban the conservative group in the name of “free speech.”
The Dean of Students at Texas State University, Dr. Margarita Arellano, released a statement after Monday’s student government meeting where the students voted to ban the school’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA) student group from campus. In the statement, the Dean of Students clarified that the TPUSA group is not going anywhere, despite the vote by student government.
The Dean of Students said in a statement that student organizations at Texas State University cannot be barred unless they are “under disciplinary sanctions,” adding that the TPUSA group is “not currently under disciplinary sanction.”
“While Student Government exercised its right to act on a resolution put forth on April 1 to bar a recognized student organization from Texas State campuses, established University policy states that student organizations can only be barred if they are under disciplinary sanctions,” said the Dean of Students.
“Student Government does not have the authority to independently bar a recognized student organization,” added the statement, “The organization named in the resolution voted on during the regular April 8 Student Government meeting is not currently under disciplinary sanction.”
Members of Texas State University’s student government first proposed the resolution at a meeting on April 1, calling on the censorship of the conservative student group in the name of “free speech.”
“The University and Student Government hope to foster a learning environment in which one can learn without fear of discrimination, intimidation, or censorship,” stated the resolution, attempting to justify its reasoning for censoring the TPUSA group.
After the vote to ban the conservative student group, jeering students proceeded to harass and shout profanities at TPUSA members in the hallways of the school. In a bizarre move, one student can even be heard shouting “white pieces of shit” at TPUSA’s chapter president, who is Hispanic, and the group’s vice president, who is black.
Texas governor Greg Abbott reacted to the student government vote by reminding the inquiring public in a tweet that “the Texas Senate passed a bill upholding free speech on college campuses” and that he looks forward to signing the bill into law.
Monday’s student government vote had also prompted a reaction from TPUSA’s founder and executive director Charlie Kirk, who told Breitbart News that “Texas State better be very careful how they handle this injustice,” adding, “the eyes of the nation are now on them.”
“If the administration allows the total disregard for free speech rights, they should have their funding pulled, as per President Trump’s executive order,” continued Kirk, “I will do everything in my power to make sure they are held accountable for silencing our diverse student leaders from having opinions on free markets and the constitution.”
Fortunately, this particular incident at Texas State University will apparently result in a win for free speech on campus, according to the Dean of Students’ statement released in response to the student government vote.
“Following University policy, the organization will not be barred from Texas State campuses,” affirmed the Dean of Students, “Texas State supports the constitutional rights of all of our students, faculty, staff and visitors.”
Nonetheless, the incident is observed by many as a quintessential example of how conservative students are treated by their peers on college campuses across the country, and the types of backlash and harassment that young conservatives face by fellow students, who, will likely one day graduate from their universities and enter the workforce with warped views on liberty in tow.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.