CFACT helped sponsor political pundit Ann Coulter for a speech at the University of Houston in connection with the Leadership Institute and the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) club on campus. Coulter discussed many political issues of the day. The event, however, was not without its share of controversy.
YCT president and CFACT Driessen Fellow intern Mikel Moore informed Campus Reform that the school had initially charged the club $3,410.38 for the venue and security for the event, including pay for 15 police officers. Moore was quick to ask if events held by the Democrat club on campus were subject to the same fees, which a representative for the school was unable to answer, claiming privacy concerns for the club, but said the Coulter event had concerns with controversial statements.
Thankfully, Texas State Rep. Briscoe Cain gave the school a call, explaining that such reasoning for charging the exorbitant security fees would be a potential violation of the Texas Education Code, which says schools must only keep in mind “content-neutral and viewpoint-neutral criteria related to the needs of the event” for fees determination.
Cain said “It should be noted that after I contacted the University they were quick to look into things and take corrective action. It was a good learning experience for them and I don’t expect there will be similar issues for YCT in the future.”
Read the full article in Campus Reform here.
