Friday, Nov. 20, Young Americans for Liberty raffled off three firearms at the University of Oregon as a form of protest against the concealed-carry ban policy.
YAL President Thomas Tullis says he understands concerns about raffling firearms, especially after the Umpqua Community College shooting, but says the event was to inspire academic conversation about the concealed-carry ban.
“The university participated in a political action by creating a policy, and the policy itself is a threat to students,” Tullis said. “We’re interested in symbolically protesting that political actions rather than just a political dialog.”
YAL originally requested funding for food and space for Liberty Poker Night, Tullis said, but the ASUO senate declined this request on Nov. 11.
Senator Cavan Davies said the poker tournament was not educational and because the top prizes were for students over 21, the event was also not inclusive.
“It’s great that a minor group has a voice on campus,” Davies said. “But I think there are enough reasons weighed in the decision to vote down on the event.”
YAL managed and secured funding in the form of a donation from Students for Liberty. YAL came back to senate asking for a reimbursement, but was turned down again on Nov. 18.
The national Foundation for Individual Rights in Educations or FIRE, representing YAL, accused the ASUO of viewpoint discrimination and asked the UO to overturn the ASUO vote the same day.
The university will not act on the ASUO Senate decision regarding the allegation of viewpoint discrimination towards Young Americans for Liberty, according to UO spokeswoman Laura McGinnis.
“It’s frustrating that the senate is so willing to fund other events,” Tullis said. “But they can’t look at our events with a neutral manner just due to the controversial nature of it.”
Senator Zach Rentschler was one out of five senators who initially voted “yes.” He declined the second request, because ASUO is not responsible for reimbursing outside funding. Rentschler said it’s “a big shame.”
“The guns created a lot of buzz,” Rentschler said. “But [because YAL got secured funding] we never have an answer of how we can push the boundaries of free speech on campus.”
Tullis said it is up to FIRE to continue pursuing a response from UO. He hopes that the ASUO senate will handle viewpoint neutrality better after the incident.
Davies said he decided to abstain from voting on the Nov. 18 meeting after reconsideration.
“Senators should keep an open mind when a controversial topic is brought to the table,” he said.
Rentschler said viewpoint discrimination is hard to pinpoint.
“But I hope FIRE’s letter and free speech don’t get lost in the noise of the buzz,” Rentschler said.
Despite opposing viewpoints about the event, YAL welcomed more than 100 UO and Lane Community College students as well as other community members, to the five-hour poker event.
Rentschler said the event was successful, as it notified the administration about students’ concerns of the firearms policy and gets people thinking about the concealed-carry ban.
UO student Connor Weinstein won a rifle. He said he participated for a “fun time” and was excited to win first prize, but disagreed with YAL’s political stance.
UO will not act on allegation of viewpoint discrimination against ASUO Senate
Tran Nguyen
November 23, 2015
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