Syracuse University’s Student Association passed a resolution Monday condemning a planned visit from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro.

Justine Hastings and Ryan Golden, president and vice president-elect, co-authored the resolution with over 200 students. The bill, passed at Monday night’s virtual Assembly meeting, requests that the university take “whatever measures are necessary” to prevent Shapiro from speaking at SU.

SA’s Finance Board on April 6 approved the College Republicans’ $39,000 request to invite Shapiro to SU. Shapiro is scheduled to come to campus in early October.  

“To be clear, by condemning Ben Shapiro, SA is not against controversial or conservative speakers – only speakers who engage in hate speech and perpetuate discrimination against any group on this campus,” the resolution states. “This is about the mental and physical harm that Ben Shapiro’s hateful, dehumanizing ideas incite against members of our community.”

Hastings and Golden began working on the resolution in April and officially introduced it at last week’s Assembly meeting. The duo were elected president and vice president of SA on Friday. 

The resolution was originally titled “A Resolution Condemning the Appearance of a White Supremacist at Syracuse University,” but was changed in order to address other issues, according to the resolution. These include racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism and xenophobia, it reads.

While free speech is protected under the First Amendment, SU’s Code of Conduct bans hate speech from campus, the resolution states. 

“Many of our lives are the exact ones Shapiro’s hateful speech galvanized violence against, our bodies the antithesis to his beliefs,” the resolution reads. 

The College Republicans’ executive board released a statement April 10 that rejected the resolution and said the organization “emphatically” disputes the notion that Shapiro is a white supremacist.   

The Department of Public Safety and the Office of Student Activities still has to go through the process of vetting Shaprio before he can be invited to campus, Hastings said in a statement to The Daily Orange. Hastings and Golden plan to work with SU to take a stronger stance against hate speech and hateful acts, she said. 

“Students, but especially those of marginalized identities, now know that the Student Association unequivocally respects their humanity, identities, and safety,” Hastings said. “By passing the resolution, the Student Association set the precedent that hateful speakers and speakers who engage in hate speech are not welcome on the SU campus.”

Other Business:

• Patrick Penfield was elected as the Board of Trustees representative for the 2020-2021 academic year. 
• David Bruen was elected as the Class of 2023’s alumni board representative.

Published on April 21, 2020 at 10:34 am

Contact Mira: mlberenb@syr.edu