UNIVERSITY. THE STUDENTS HAVE LAWYERED UP, SAYING THEY SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE TO PAY MORE THAN $18,000 WORTH OF SECURITY FEES BECAUSE OF PROTESTS AT ONE OF THEIR EVENTS. IN OUR VIEW, FREE SPEECH MEANS SPEECH. THAT IS NOT PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE. AND HERE THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH IS TRYING TO CHARGE THE COLLEGE REPUBLICANS AND ISI BECAUSE OF THE CONTENT OF THE SPEECH. AND THAT IS NOT FREE SPEECH. THE LETTER CLAIMS THE UNIVERSITY THE T HAS VIOLATED THE GROUPS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS BY ASKING THE STUDENT ORGANIZATION TO PAY MORE THAN $18,000 IN SECURITY FEES. THOSE FEES STEM FROM AN APRIL EVENT THAT FOCUSED ON TRANSGENDER RIGHTS. THE EVENT CAUSED MASSIVE PROTESTS LEADING UNIVERSITY POLICE TO WARN OF A PUBLIC SAFETY EMERGENCY. ATF SPECIAL COUNSEL PHIL SECHLER REFERRED TO WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT AS A HECKLER’S VETO, A SITUATION IN WHICH A PARTY WHO DISAGREES WITH THE SPEAKER’S MESSAGE IS ABLE TO TRIGGER EVENTS THAT RESULT IN THE SPEAKER BEING SILENCED HERE WHERE THAT HAPPENED. BECAUSE DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE UNIVERSITY WAS IS CHARGING OVER $18,000 FOR SECURITY, THE SECURITY WAS COMPLETELY INEFFECTIVE. ATF IS ASKING THE UNIVERSITY TO RESCIND ITS DEMAND FOR PAYMENT AND TO EXAMINE THEIR GUIDELINES FOR FUTURE EVENTS. A PITT SPOKESPERSON SAYS THE UNIVERSITY HAS RECEIVED THE LETTER AND IS CAREFULLY REVIEWING IT, SAYING, QUOTE, GIVEN THAT THIS LETTER WAS ONLY RECENTLY RECEIVED AND WITH AN IMPLICIT THREAT OF LEGAL ACTION, THE UNIVERSITY IS NOT IN A POSITION TO COMMENT ABOUT THESE SPECIFIC ASSERTIONS AND ALLEGATIONS. ATF SAYS THEY ARE ASKING THE UNIVERSITY TO RESPOND BY NEXT
Pitt students claim First Amendment rights violated after being charged security fee following April protest
A Pitt spokesperson says the university has received the letter and is carefully reviewing it
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Updated: 9:11 PM EDT Jun 6, 2023
Students from two University of Pittsburgh student organizations claim their First Amendment rights were violated after the university billed them more than $18,000 in security fees following protests in April. On Tuesday, the Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to the university on behalf of students from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and College Republicans. The letter claims that the ISI and College Republicans were charged an $18,734 security fee following an April event hosted by the organizations. The fees stem from the event that focused on transgender rights. The event caused massive protests on campus, with university police warning of a "public safety emergency" that night. "In our view, free speech means speech that is not prohibitively expensive," said Phil Sechler, ADF senior council. "Here, the university is trying to charge College Republicans and ISI because of the content of the speech, that is not free speech."ADF is asking the university to rescind its demand for payment. They also are calling for the university to review its policies and safety guidelines for future events. ADF is asking the university to respond within one week before they "take legal action."Watch below for footage of the protests that rocked Pitt's campus in April: A Pitt spokesperson says the university has received the letter and is carefully reviewing it. A statement from the university reads in part: "...Given that this letter was only recently received with an implicit threat of legal action, the university is not in a position to comment about these specific assertions and allegations." The university directed further questions to its webpage on free speech.
PITTSBURGH — Students from two University of Pittsburgh student organizations claim their First Amendment rights were violated after the university billed them more than $18,000 in security fees following protests in April.
On Tuesday, the Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to the university on behalf of students from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and College Republicans. The letter claims that the ISI and College Republicans were charged an $18,734 security fee following an April event hosted by the organizations.
The fees stem from the event that focused on transgender rights. The event caused massive protests on campus, with university police warning of a "public safety emergency" that night.
"In our view, free speech means speech that is not prohibitively expensive," said Phil Sechler, ADF senior council. "Here, the university is trying to charge College Republicans and ISI because of the content of the speech, that is not free speech."
ADF is asking the university to rescind its demand for payment. They also are calling for the university to review its policies and safety guidelines for future events. ADF is asking the university to respond within one week before they "take legal action."
Watch below for footage of the protests that rocked Pitt's campus in April:
A Pitt spokesperson says the university has received the letter and is carefully reviewing it.
A statement from the university reads in part: "...Given that this letter was only recently received with an implicit threat of legal action, the university is not in a position to comment about these specific assertions and allegations."
The university directed further questions to its webpage on free speech.
