Located 30 minutes to the north of Atlanta, Kennesaw State University claims to be a community that “values open, honest, and thoughtful intellectual inquiry, innovative and creative problem solving, professionalism, expertise, collaboration, integrity and ethical behavior, engaged citizenship, global understanding, sustainability, mutual respect, and appreciation of human and cultural diversity.” Its policies and actions, however, suggest otherwise.
As KSU YAF prepared to host their first campus lecture featuring Fox News contributor and New York Times bestselling author Katie Pavlich, they were met with viewpoint-discriminatory security fees and a tiered funding system that ranked the YAF chapter at the lowest level and several leftist clubs at the highest. “Our chapter faced an abundance of red tape that Kennesaw State University imposes on students with conservative opinions,” noted KSU YAF co-chair Zachary Bohannon. To address the discriminatory policies, the YAF chapter filed a complaint in federal court.
The courageous members of KSU YAF were determined to introduce their peers to conservative ideas even as the university worked to silence their voice. After considering the interests and ongoing discussions at Kennesaw State, KSU YAF decided to invite Katie Pavlich to speak on media bias. The standing room only audience filled the lecture hall to capacity, proving that conservative ideas are in fact in demand, no matter what administrators do. “This was the first [lecture] of its kind on the conservative side of the spectrum . . . so I think it was useful for getting conversations started,” KSU YAF co-chair Jaime Hahn remarked on the event’s success. The event brought the YAF chapter an influx of new students interested in joining the conservative activist organization.
Kennesaw State University Young Americans for Freedom boldly made a stand against a prejudiced administration and successfully energized their peers by introducing them to conservative ideas. For this reason, we congratulate KSU YAF on being selected as March’s Young Americans for Freedom Chapter of the Month.
The following members of KSU YAF were also instrumental in the chapter’s success:
