Speech at UCLA

We have been posting free speech related items for various campuses. The Bruin now has one for an upcoming event at UCLA:

A campus political group is accusing UCLA of suppressing free speech because the university may impose additional security costs for an event the group plans to hold in November.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization representing Bruin Republicans, sent Chancellor Gene Block a letter Monday calling on the university to rescind additional security costs on its upcoming event. The group plans to host Ben Shapiro, a conservative commentator, Nov. 13.

Tyler Fowlkes, the internal vice president of Bruin Republicans, said the university has told the club it will have to pay the security costs for the event if more than 30 percent of its event’s attendees are not affiliated with UCLA. He added the club’s officers could be responsible for the event’s security costs, which he said could be several thousand dollars.

“We’re being (made) financially responsible for something the university should be paying for,” said Fowlkes, a fourth-year political science student.

UCLA spokesperson Tod Tamberg said UCLA’s policies governing safety expenses for campus events state the university will waive basic security costs for an event if at least 70 percent of its attendees are affiliated with UCLA. If less than 70 percent of the event’s attendees are affiliated with UCLA, the university will bill the cost of the event’s security to the student group holding the event.*

However, Tamberg added that even if less than 70 percent of the event’s attendees are affiliated with UCLA, the university will pay all incremental security costs associated with protests that may occur in connection with the event.

Fowlkes said UCLA has not given the club a specific estimate of the event’s security costs, and will only do so the week of the event...

Full story at http://dailybruin.com/2017/10/24/bruin-republicans-calls-possible-event-charges-unconstitutional/

*Editorial note: It should be possible for the group to ensure that at least 70% are from UCLA by simply requiring a UCLA ID to attend or pre-register. No?