YAF Prevails Over Viewpoint-Discriminatory Security Fees At UT-Austin

YAF successfully defended the rights of students at the University of Texas-Austin when university administrators levied a viewpoint discriminatory “security fee” on a group of conservative students for hosting Senator Rick Santorum at a YAF-sponsored campus lecture. Students requested the security services of one UTPD officer for the event; however, the university sent six officers to the event and charged the students for the security services of the additional five officers. As part of YAF’s Censorship Exposed project, YAF discovered that the University charged students more in security for the Rick Santorum event than it did for any student event in the previous year. YAF also uncovered documents exposing the University’s method of assessing security fees – unconstitutionally basing fees on the content of the speech and the “high profile” reputation of the speaker. YAF sent a demand letter to the University of Texas-Austin demanding the immediate rescission of the viewpoint discriminatory security fee. The University quickly rescinded the fee and publicly apologized for the error.

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For additional information or to cover this story contact YAF Spokesman Spencer Brown [email protected] or 800-872-1776.