Jared Taylor invited to speak at Colorado Mesa University by student club

A white supremacist is slated to speak at Colorado Mesa University, sparking concerns from students and a response from school administration.

Jared Taylor was invited to speak on campus by the student organization Western Culture Club.

Although Taylor may not associate with the white supremacist label, he has been widely described as one and as a white nationalist by experts and watchdog groups. He believes in what he calls "race realism," often seen in that context as a euphemism for the pseudoscience of scientific racism, and believes in other racist conspiracy theories.

John Marshall, president of CMU, wrote in an email to students on Tuesday that reiterated opposition to Taylor's views and said he would not attend the speech. Marshall wrote that he plans, "to be there to peacefully and respectfully demonstrate our values" He also reinforced the university's stance to allow Taylor to speak.

"This speaker has been invited by students of a campus student club. CMU's role isn't to dictate to student clubs, or faculty, who they can invite and what content they present," Marshall wrote. "Our job as a university is not to 'platform' or 'deplatform' speakers invited by students or faculty. Our task is to empower you to pursue truth, create space for civil (nonviolent) disagreement whereby we can all continue to refine our understanding of the world and follow our conscience."

Hate speech is generally protected speech until it crosses over into threats of violence. The CMU Board of Trustees adopted a resolution essentially reiterating that belief.

Students in vulnerable communities the Sentinel spoke with acknowledged that while speech from the likes of Taylor may not be outwardly violent, it can create a more hostile climate for them, and they worry it will lead to more harassment. In recent weeks, messaging urging students to report others to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have sparked fears from these students. They also worry that allowing Taylor to speak will legitimize him. Taylor is slated to speak later this month.

In 2020, CMU became the 56th school in the country and third in Colorado to earn the top rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Marshall has frequently touted the school's purpose to be to teach students how to think, not what to think.

In his letter, Marshall pointed to the school's welcoming of Nadine Strossen, the former director of the American Civil Liberties Union, as an example of campus values.

"I will acknowledge that controversial and offensive speakers test the limits of our civility. It is difficult to abide ideas and speech that denigrate human beings," Marshall wrote. "But for my part, I intend to use this as an opportunity to reinforce and live out our values — specifically by drawing attention to how racism in all its forms cuts directly at our values of love and dignity."

Taylor has written for a publication that the Southern Poverty Law Center lists as a white nationalist hate group, and has often been associated with white supremacists and Neo-Nazis.

"For those students who choose to attend, I believe it's the opportunity of your life to peacefully and respectfully demonstrate kindness, goodness, manifest our campus values, and to carefully deconstruct his dehumanizing ideas," Marshall wrote.

It's like we're back in 2017 with Dangerous Cute twink events going campus to campus to farm outrage.

It's cool that administration is at least sticking to principles of free speech even if they vehemently dislike what Taylor has to say. Let's see how the readers feel on this issue...

Oh...