Texas A&M President announces event same night as controversial speaker
Texas A&M president Michael Young announced an event Tuesday that is scheduled to take place when Richard Spencer is speaking on the A&M campus in December.
Spencer is the President of the "National Policy Institute" and a white nationalist. He is scheduled to speak on December 6 at the university. His planned visit has caused many to be upset.
"Students, faculty, staff, former students and members of the community expressed their outrage over the speaker's previously-expressed views and have roundly condemned everything for which he seems to stand," Young said in a statement Tuesday.
He also said he strongly agrees with the community and believes Spencer's views "simply have no place in civilized dialogue and conversation."
Young, however, argued freedom of speech as the reason Texas A&M will not prohibit Spencer from speaking at the university.
"At the same time, as I articulated on the President's page on September 27th regarding the essence of an academic enterprise such as ours - especially a state institution governed not only by our core academic principles but also by the U.S. Constitution - private citizens have a right to free speech on and off this campus. And while many have asked us in no uncertain terms to cancel the event, many others, including students, faculty, staff and former students (and even the editorial board of The Battalion, our student newspaper) acknowledge this right to free speech, a right enshrined in our Constitution from the very beginning and steeped in the blood of patriots who have served over the centuries to protect that right."
As an alternative to Spencer's speech Young announced an event on December 6, "Aggies United." It's a chance to give students, faculty, staff and the community an opportunity "to add their name to a large wall expressing their commitment to unity."