White Supremacist Invited to Speak at CMU by Student Club

A white supremacist is slated to speak at Colorado Mesa University, sparking concerns from students and a response from school administration.

Jared Taylor was invited to speak on campus by the student organization Western Culture Club.

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John Marshall, president of CMU, wrote in an email to students on Tuesday that reiterated opposition to Taylor’s views and said he would not attend the speech. Marshall wrote that he plans, “to be there to peacefully and respectfully demonstrate our values” He also reinforced the university’s stance to allow Taylor to speak.

“This speaker has been invited by students of a campus student club. CMU’s role isn’t to dictate to student clubs, or faculty, who they can invite and what content they present,” Marshall wrote. “Our job as a university is not to ‘platform’ or ‘deplatform’ speakers invited by students or faculty. Our task is to empower you to pursue truth, create space for civil (nonviolent) disagreement whereby we can all continue to refine our understanding of the world and follow our conscience.”

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