In a quick turn of events, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has backed away from its attempts to force $4,000 in security fees on the school’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter in order to host Michael Knowles on Wednesday.
As earlier reported by the New Guard, this unprecedented move would have presented an undue financial burden on UW’s bold YAFers who are simply trying to ensure that conservative voices are heard on their campus.
“Solely to ensure that the speaker event moves forward in this tight timeframe, the contract is being revised to remove charges related to the extensive security protocols,” Nancy Lynch, UW-Madison’s vice chancellor for legal affairs, told YAF’s legal partner, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.
While reassuring that the event will move forth as scheduled, the school’s guarded language raises significant red flags. Young America’s Foundation intends to ensure that these discriminatory attempts at stifling speech are never again attempted.
Harrison Wells, chairman of Young Americans for Freedom at UW-Madison, stated, “I am happy UW-Madison took this request seriously and allowed our event to move forward. A university must value diversity of thought and free speech—Wednesday’s event does just that.”
Michael Knowles’ pro-life lecture, “The Case Against Murder,” is free and open to the public. It will take place Wednesday evening in the Memorial Union. Tickets are available here.
