Shapiro turns down GCU invitation to speak
Controversial conservative speaker Ben Shapiro has rejected Grand Canyon University’s invitation to speak at the Phoenix campus after the university said it would not work with the group Shapiro uses to coordinate his speeches on college campuses.
Controversial conservative speaker Ben Shapiro has rejected Grand Canyon University’s invitation to speak on campus after GCU said it wouldn’t work with the group Shapiro uses to coordinate his speeches on college campuses.
On Tuesday, the private Christian university reversed course after initially denying Shapiro a venue for a speech on campus. GCU said it didn’t want to work with the Young America’s Foundation, a national organization for conservative youth, because the group’s tactics created a negative publicity storm for the university.
In a post on Twitter Wednesday, Shapiro said he has worked with YAF and its students for years.
“I will not go around the hard working, dedicated YAF students at GCU; I’ll go to GCU when YAF brings me to GCU,” Shapiro wrote.
GCU said it didn’t “fully understand” Shapiro’s Twitter post. The school’s offer yesterday made clear the YAF students at GCU would be involved in the proposed event, GCU said.
The university had a meeting planned with students in the GCU YAF chapter Wednesday so that the group could officially invite Shapiro and provide him with potential dates.
GCU also said it would waive any additional security costs associated with Shapiro coming to campus.
GCU’s YAF chapter would plan and coordinate the event, and the university’s event logistics team would provide any help and support they needed, GCU said.
“Per Mr. Shapiro’s tweet, we are not asking him to go around the hard working dedicated YAF students at GCU, as they will be the people working directly with him and his organization,” GCU said.
“If the students wish to consult with the national YAF office to make it happen, they are free to do that.”
Shapiro speech initially denied
Shapiro had not yet scheduled a date to speak at GCU when the controversy erupted last week.
Young America’s Foundation coordinates college visits each semester for Shapiro. Schools apply to bring him to campus, and the invitations are whittled down to six campuses. YAF had selected GCU as one of those campuses for this spring.
GCU’s decision, announced Feb. 1, to not allow the GCU chapter of YAF to bring Shapiro to campus led to strong, vocal opposition, particularly from high-profile conservatives.
In explaining that initial denial, GCU said Shapiro’s values aligned with the university, but a visit from him would be divisive to the campus. Instead, the university wanted to focus on unity.
On Tuesday, GCU offered a technical explanation for the denial, saying the proper process wasn’t followed to bring Shapiro to campus. YAF announced he would be coming before the university had approved anything, GCU officials said.
After the announcement, a committee of students, faculty and staff reviewed the proposed event and recommended denying it, which GCU President Brian Mueller agreed with.
Mueller said the committee had concerns over Shapiro coming to campus because he’s a “polarizing figure” and the university is “hugely diverse.”
What is concern with YAF?
Over the past two days, GCU and the national YAF group have traded barbs publicly over why the university canceled the Shapiro speech in the first place. YAF said GCU keeps changing its story.
On Monday, representatives from YAF came to GCU to meet with Mueller and other administrators, hoping to reverse the denial. The two sides agreed to release a joint statement to that effect, but things fell apart in the drafting of it.
“The meeting appeared to be productive and the University agreed to bring Mr. Shapiro to campus this spring,” GCU said in a statement Tuesday. “The process of releasing the information became very contentious as the parties could not agree on the exact language that was going to be used.”
On Tuesday, GCU said it wanted to continue working with the university’s chapter of YAF, but not the national group. The university personally invited Shapiro to come to campus.
YAF said GCU won’t take responsibility for its actions in denying Shapiro’s visit and the school is instead “scapegoating” YAF.
“GCU administrators claim to support conservatives, but at every turn they have attempted to shame, bully, and intimidate the young people working hard to bring Ben Shapiro to campus,” YAF said in a statement Wednesday.