A speech titled "The Irrationality of Anti-Americanism" sponsored by the MSU College Republicans was presented Tuesday night, despite efforts by a Wilson Hall assistant director to stop it.
"They advertised a very different type of presentation," said Erin Belinger, a student affairs graduate student. The College Republicans gave Wilson Hall's student government the impression speaker Dan Flynn would address patriotism in a nonpartisan manner, she said.
But after Belinger saw a flier Tuesday advertising the presentation as "Why the Left Hates America," she argued the College Republicans were presenting something different than what they had told the student government. Hall governments must approve planned events in residence halls before they can take place. Flynn's book, "Why the Left Hates America: Exposing the Lies That Have Obscured Our Nation's Greatness," was published in 2002.
Belinger told the speaker and members of the audience the event could not continue and she would bring in security or police if they did not leave. Police never arrived at the event.
Flynn spoke anyway to a crowd of about 80 people. He called Belinger a "lefty" and said she tried to shut him down because she did not agree with his views.
"A tax-funded institution does not have the right to supersede the First Amendment of the Constitution," he said. "Tolerance does not mean tolerating only the people you agree with."
But Steve Lacy, director of MSU's Journalism School, said the First Amendment doesn't always guarantee citizens the right to say whatever they want wherever they want.
"First Amendment rights are not the same thing as being polite or being nice or not being impolite," he said. "There is no absolute right in the First Amendment to say anything you want anywhere you want."
Belinger said the event would be shut down because the College Republicans misled Wilson Hall student government about the topic of the speech.
"It's not about what he's saying or not saying," she said. Belinger refused to look at the speech notes to see whether the presentation dealt with patriotism.
Allen Mueller, Wilson Hall's Student Government president, said he instructed College Republicans to continue with the event earlier in the evening because he had not heard it was supposed to be canceled yet.
The hall mentor who was supposed to be monitoring the event didn't show up, Mueller added.
"I assume Residence Life will discuss the actions of the group, determine whether to take a step," he said, adding the College Republicans could have its official student group title revoked if ASMSU found rules were violated. ASMSU is MSU's undergraduate student government.
Matt Thome, spokesman for the College Republicans, said the attempt to shut down the presentation was censorship.
"We had Wilson's student government's approval of it, and (Belinger) went over their heads," he said. "It's obvious censorship."
Flynn, in his 30-minute speech, talked about left-wing college professors, how anti-Americanism is accepted and how tolerance of both sides of the spectrum doesn't exist - especially at college campuses where conservative speakers are shut down.
