Madison Kwiecinski – Editor-in-Chief 

Mvk5945@psu.edu 

Uncensored America, a student-led group at Penn State University Park has invited the founder of the Proud Boys organization to speak on campus this week. This has sparked a tremendous amount of controversy, as some students believe he has a right to be there, while others are appalled that the speech is funded and are planning to stage protests. 

Penn State University has stated that Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, the invited speaker, spouts “hateful and discriminatory” rhetoric, but they have also stated they will not be prohibiting the event, which is funded through student fees, from taking place. Students have launched a petition to attempt to prevent this event from taking place, and are also planning protests for the same time as the event. 

Uncensored America has stated McInnes and Alex Stein, who also will be speaking, are going to use comedy to provide a “unique perspective” on gender roles, political correctness, and immigration. The event has been titled “Stand Back and Stand By” an unsubtle reference to former President Trump’s 2020 remarks to the Proud Boys. 

The Student Fee Allocation Committee approved a total of $7,522.43 for the event, which included airfare for the two speakers and a combined $6,500 in speaking payments for the pair. General Admission to the event will be free, but there is an option to pay $99 for a “Royalty” package which includes a guaranteed spot up front and a dinner with both of the speakers. 

Last year, Uncensored America invited Milo Yannopolous to campus, who was also met with petitions and protests. Students responded to his presence on campus by hosting a “Love is Louder protest” after Penn State refused to cancel his appearance. 

The university is hosting two events as alternatives to the protest, stating that “responding with hate is never the answer.” The events are titled “Together We Are” which is meant to encourage belonging, and “Fighting Truth Decay: How and Why Fakers Fake” where speaker Al Tompkins will host a lecture. 

The petition that has been circulated around University Park begins by reading, “‘Free Speech’ does not mean ‘paid speech,’ nor does it mean ‘platforming fascists and promoting hateful, meritless disinformation with thousands of student-fee dollars,” and that states “this is not a speech issue, it is a safety issue in numerous levels. McInnes must be denied because McInnes poses the threat of neofascist violence to our community.” 

The petition goes on to explain that canceling this event would not be unprecedented in PSU history. In 2017, Penn State Administration denied far-right leader Richard Spencer permission to speak at Penn State in 2017, citing safety concerns and a commitment to equity. This has left many students wondering why this is not still the case. 

“As a public university, we are unalterably obligated under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment to protect various expressive rights, even for those whose viewpoints offend our basic institutional values and our personal sensibilities,” reads the official statement Penn State administration published about the event. “While the past statements and actions of these speakers are alarming and can elicit strong reactions from our community, we must continue to uphold the right to free speech — even speech we find abhorrent — because Penn State fully supports the fundamental right of free speech. To do otherwise not only violates the Constitution but would erode the basic freedom each of us shares to think and express ourselves as we wish.”

It was also noted that all funding decisions belong solely to the University Park Allocation Committee, which is a student-led group who is obligated to remain viewpoint-neutral throughout the allocation process.