By V4 Agency
A university has suspended several conservative student organisations citing a flimsy pretext, saying the organisations had failed to comply with its social distancing and mask-wearing rules. However, according to the secretary of one organisation, these allegations are contrary to what happened.
The University of Florida has suspended three conservative student organisations on the grounds that they have violated the institution’s coronavirus policies. According to documents obtained by Campus Reform, the university informed Turning Point USA (TPUSA), one of the student organisations, that they would be suspended after their members had failed to wear masks and maintain appropriate physical distance during an event staged by the group.
A similar letter was also received by the Young Americans for Freedom and the Network for Enlightened Women, two groups that co-hosted the event with TPUSA. During their suspension, the organisations lose access to university resources and facilities, and they cannot participate in the university’s programmes.
However, the secretary of Turning Point USA found the decision odd, since they had complied with all the regulations, and all necessary precautionary measures had been in place during their event.
Abigail Streetman stressed that mask-wearing was mandatory during the event in question, yet the organisation was suspended. The university claimed that participants had failed to abide by the physical distancing rules and mask-wearing protocols and that the organisation didn’t file the appropriate paperwork for holding a gathering, thus breaking the university’s Use of Space policy.
The secretary of the organisation pointed out that, even though mask-wearing is not currently mandatory in the state of Florida, everyone wore their masks during the event, which “took place outside, in a big open field.” Abigail Streetman said the university’s decision to suspend all of the clubs seemed extreme, given the circumstances.
“Regardless of whether the University of Florida did this for political reasons, they managed to suspend all registered student conservative clubs in one motion.” Ms Streetman added. Their extreme action has affected not only the clubs in question, but also the thousands of students on campus who now have nowhere to go to feel heard and connect with like-minded peers in this incredibly divided time, she said.
Republican politician Madison Cawthorn also called attention to the case on social media. The North Carolina representative said the suspensions showed that leftists at universities “have always wanted to silence young conservatives.”
The extent of leftist woke culture pervading the universities is clearly visible from a case at Columbia University, which plans to hold racially segregated graduation ceremonies. This means there will be separate online events for members of the LGBTQ community, for indigenous people and also for blacks of Afro-Americans.
In his latest video covering the story, Campus Reform reporter Addison Smith said this move by the university is the result of a “hyper-racialized” culture, which teaches kids that “race and ethnic identity is paramount.” According to Smith, this means that the university – instead of strictly celebrating students’ accomplishments – tends to celebrate these accomplishments along racial lines.” He also pointed out that if one were to “swap out” these categories and replace it with celebrations of ‘White’ or straight people, there would be “nuclear outrage.”