Stanford University’s student government once again chose to deny funding for a conservative student organization to host Vice President Mike Pence through Young America’s Foundation’s campus lecture series.
In a Tuesday vote, student senators reiterated their opposition to granting any funding to the Stanford College Republicans for their Pence speaking event, despite approving every other grant on the docket.
“I personally voted to abstain from the funding request because I don’t want that blood on my hands,” Senate co-chair Alain Perez told The Stanford Daily.
Perez cited “personal, fundamental values” for his abstention, adding that they are “strictly contradictory to voting in favor of this funding.”
Five senators voted in favor of the funding while eight others abstained. Members of the Senate told The Stanford Dailythat this did not constitute a majority, nor would it have met quorum.
The vote was recast due to concerns of the ethics and constitutionality of the original vote. According to The Stanford Daily, the original vote was held in a private Slack channel, something that Perez even admitted was wrong.
“We acknowledge that there was some unconstitutionality behind voting in a private Slack channel…,” Perez told The Stanford Daily.
Despite the second vote, the senators remained unmoved in their choice to deny funding to the SCRs.
“The student senate cannot hide behind a heckler’s veto to prevent them from fulfilling their obligation to approve our grant,” Stanford College Republicans Chairman Stephen Sills told YAF.
“Our right to freedom of speech will not be silenced, and Vice President Mike Pence will speak at Stanford unimpeded.”
Sills added that the SCRs were not extended an invitation to be present for the vote. The club plans to file a constitutional council case regarding the student government’s decision.
last week, YAF reported on the initial vote, which took place behind closed doors in a private channel.
Despite hiding under the guise of democracy and fairness, student governments are often the opposite. Riddled with leftists, they crush conservative organizations and students with no explanation. Free speech and expression are not a priority for them, if they’re even on their minds at all. Students should look to Sills’ example and never give in to woke student governments or administrations, regardless of the hurdles before them.
