In a series of attempts to shut down conservative speech, intolerant leftists at Suffolk University are working to oppose a Young America’s Foundation lecture featuring “The Factual Feminist” Christina Hoff Sommers. The lecture, organized by the Suffolk University Young Americans for Freedom (SU YAF) was targeted earlier this month for putting up posters to advertise the event, and now students are desperately organizing a “sit-in” to protest Sommers’ talk.
When SU YAF first posted fliers, the chapter was informed their ads “triggered and offended” students on campus, according to SU’s Assistant Dean of Students Dave DeAngelis. Therefore, the University’s Office of Student Life and Involvement demanded that the YAF chapter remove the advertisements that the school previously approved. The dean claimed that the posters violated a guideline; however, when asked to provide the guideline, the dean informed the YAF chapter that the policies “are not published yet.”
It’s hard to expect students to follow something that they’ve never seen or heard of, yet apparently administrators at Suffolk University expect just that.
The school later retracted this decision after the YAF chapter pointed out that the attempt by Suffolk University officials to implement an unwritten rule – one that is likely only applied to conservatives – only proves that the school is kowtowing to intolerant leftist demands.
SU YAF, however, refused to let the university get away with efforts to silence conservative speech. “If [Suffolk University wants] to stand on the wrong side of a human right, so be it,” Tony DiMauro, Chairman of SU YAF, objected. Rather than accepting the attempts by school administrators to quiet them, the YAF chapter fought back by doubling down on their efforts to make sure every student at Suffolk University has the opportunity to hear from Christina Hoff Sommers. YAF not only continued to advertise around campus and on their social media, but called on Suffolk University administrators to stop cowering behind unwritten policies in attempts to suppress conservative speech.
This week the intolerant leftists who make up the “Suffolk Students Against Hate” announced their plans to protest SU YAF’s lecture. The Facebook event is titled: “Student Protest: ‘Factual Feminist’” and features a cover photo proclaiming “PRIVILEGE IS REAL.” The details for their protest are sparse, but the organizers claim they’ll be holding a “sit-in” during Sommers’ lecture.
SU YAF and Young America’s Foundation call on Suffolk University to prevent students from disrupting Sommers’ lecture and to remove anyone who attempts to use a heckler’s veto to stifle conservative speech. Suffolk University Young Americans for Freedom is there to make sure conservatives have a voice and provide opportunities for freedom’s principles to have a fair hearing on SU’s campus.