Students and faculty at an Illinois university want a Donald Trump rally canceled, but the chancellor refused to limit free speech.
Students at the University of Illinois at Chicago have circulated an online petition to cancel the Trump appearance and garnered 50,000 signatures, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Opponents called the Trump appearance “immense disrespect to students,” “against all public urban university values,” and a threat to student safety.
Those criticisms prompted Chancellor Michael Amiridis to send a campus message defending the decision to allow the rally.
“It has been our standard practice for decades to rent available space on campus to any political candidate when requested. As a result, we have a long history of campaign events on campus, and no legal basis to exclude any candidate because of the views he or she expresses,” he said.
“UIC’s core values of freedom, equality and social justice for all, regardless of race, religion, national origin, disability status or sexual orientation, are deeply rooted in our diverse community and not endangered by the presence of any political candidate on campus. We encourage public and civic engagement by all members of our University and we endorse the idea that the answer to speech that one does not like or finds offensive is more speech and not censorship,” Amiridis continued.
The university refusal to back down on free speech issues is a rarity, one that upholds the diversity of opinion on college campuses that echoes statements from the University of Chicago and Purdue University, among others.
Trump rallies on college campuses haven’t been free of free speech concerns, however. Students at Virginia Commonwealth University and Valdosta State University have been removed and assaulted at Trump events, and another half-dozen violent incidents have occurred. Some instances had the involvement of police and security forces in silencing protests, while others were from Trump supporters.
The university, according to Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Mark Donovan, is working with security forces, protest organizers, and the Trump campaign to provide safety without infringing on free speech.
