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A security fee-for-all

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Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:

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by Badger Herald Editorial Board

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

This October, the College Republicans hosted conservative commentator David Horowitz at the Memorial Union Theater as part of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week. The event, which drew many protesters and much controversy, was provided security by the University of Wisconsin Police Department in order to ensure the safety of the contentious speaker as well as those in attendance. For their services, the UWPD charged the College Republicans nearly $1,300.

The fact that the event drew such significant security concerns — and consequent fees — is undoubtedly due to Mr. Horowitz's far-right views being promoted on our predominantly liberal campus.

To be sure, an event as controversial and potentially violent as the Horowitz speech deserves adequate security to ensure the safety of everyone involved. We believe the UWPD's security bill was merely a reactionary measure taken to cover costs of ensuring public safety and not an explicit act of bias against conservatives on campus as some, including Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, have claimed.

In concurrence with the oft-cited motto of "sifting and winnowing" for truth, no campus group should be expected to incur extra security costs simply because of the controversial views a speaker may convey. This type of misplaced burden has the potential to discourage the dissent and debate that hallmark healthy public discourse, and we hope the university takes the proper measures to fully fund any additional security fees for future campus events.

To do otherwise would be to jeopardize the academic mission of this university.

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Anonymous (December 11, 2007 @ 11:01am):

Well said. Grothman is a moron, Sara is annoying.

Anonymous (December 11, 2007 @ 11:42am):

When are we going to have Christofascist Awareness Week?

Oh, wait -- that's every week the College Republicans have an event!

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