Education

Conservative Student Group Sues Texas A&M Over Funding Discrimination Claims

Texas Aggie Conservatives Sues Texas A&M University Over FundingThere’s a major battle unfolding at Texas A&M University, as a conservative student group is suing after the higher education facility denied its request for funding. The Texas Aggie Conservatives claim that the refusal to fund their activities serves as a constitutional violation.

World on Campus has more about the drama, which is serving as a surprise to those who generally regard the university’s student population as right-of-center:

The student body at Texas A&M University has a reputation for its conservative bent. It‘s even been reported that more of the school’s graduates enter Christian ministry than their peers at the Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated Baylor University, about 90 miles to the northwest.

So it came as a surprise when school officials denied the Texas Aggie Conservatives funding from a school account established to help pay for student organizations’ activities. The organization has responded with a lawsuit charging the denial violated its constitutional rights.

The Texas Aggie Conservatives needed $6,800 to host a February speaking engagement featuring black social conservative Star Parker. The group’s leaders requested $2,500 from Student Organization Funding to offset the cost. Officially recognized student organizations have access to the account for special events and general budget funding.

However, the university denied the funding to the conservative student group, causing outrage and allegations that Texas A&M is acting in a manner contrary to the constitution. Currently, any organization is able to receive funds so long that it was not formed on the basis of religious, social or political reasons. In addition to these purposes, sports clubs and those with ties to the student center and health science center aren’t eligible for funding.

Texas Aggie Conservatives Sues Texas A&M University Over Funding

A screen shot from the Texas Aggies Conservatives web site

The Texas Aggie Conservatives are fighting these restrictions, as they’ve enlisted the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)’s David Hacker to take the case to the courts. The lawsuit, which is drawing quite a bit of attention, was filed against the school on June 19. Hacker claims that Texas A&M must “provide…funds on a viewpoint-neutral basis” and that their current restrictions aren’t permissible.

But there‘s a larger issue that goes beyond the university’s stance on funding student groups. According to Hacker, there have been major inconsistencies in how monies have been doled out. World continues:

Hacker said the university’s policy was not only unconstitutional but inconsistently applied. Other student organizations, including the NAACP, the Muslim Student Association, the Black Student Alliance, and TAMU V-Day, which hosts “The Vagina Monologues,” a racy stage play, all received money from the fund.

Hacker said the students with Texas Aggie Conservatives discovered the discrepancies. They also discovered the school had denied funding to Christian fraternity Beta Upsilon Chi.

Rather than calling for specific groups to lose funding, the conservative organization wants every organization, regardless of the basis of its founding, to be eligible to receive funds from Texas A&M. In the past the ADF has had success in winning similar cases.

Read more about the intriguing legal dilemma over at World on Campus.

Comments (46)

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  • Wildape
    Posted on June 24, 2012 at 10:11pm

    I don’t know of any conservatve colleges. The proffessors are 95% left in most places I’ve been.

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  • JUSTANOTHEROPINION
    Posted on June 24, 2012 at 1:58am

    I guess at this higher (and I laughingly use this term) learning institution not only do they teach Progressive ideas, they inforce them too. I hope they win and would like it if the blaze follows this story through to the end and keeps us informed along the way. I think we would all find this very interesting and informative.

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    • dheard
      Posted on June 24, 2012 at 2:29am

      This is where I graduated with my bachelor’s in Dec 2010. I can say that the school is predominantly Christian minded but many of the people are conservative just b/c they were raised that way. There are a lot of thinking conservatives there as well but there are also some that are the types of conservatives a bad name. Having said that, this student org. has had it’s fair of bumps in the road. Do you recall the “throw away your nest egg on Obama” incident that went on the national news back when he was running for POTUS? It had participants take an egg and throw it at a large picture of Obama and it sparked cries of racism, of course. Anyway, after that the University looked down on this org b/c they felt it gave TAMU a bad name. I don’t really doubt that this was a calculated move by the university and I hope they get nailed for it. There’ve been some pretty shady goings on there in the university presidency the past few years.

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  • stotlaat
    Posted on June 23, 2012 at 4:28pm

    They’re right to pursue this. Good for them!

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    • JGraham III
      Posted on June 23, 2012 at 5:23pm

      I have long thought the term “institute of higher learning” was and is grossly misapplied to virtually all colleges and universities in this country. Pathetically few will allow dissenting opinions on the two so called forbidden subjects, namely, religion and politics. The methods “higher learning” takes makes them the lowest of the low ( and rather like whale poop in my humble opinion). Tow the line or you are out, ostracized, passed over or some other petty form of peer pressure designed to force confomity. Unfortunately most students in the 18-25 yr old range have not developed enough self esteem and realistic self worth to be able to stand against this type of mind control. Shame on the professors and insturctors for committing such crimes.
      I am glad to see Christians standing up for what is right and not being “doormats for Jesus” as the unbelieving world wishes all Christians to remain. the Church as too long been reactive instead of proactive in this country. If they had stood at the right time we would not have abortion on demand and prayer would have remained in so-called public places and institutions. It is too late to return to the days when the government was a partner with the Christian church in such matters as welfare and those laws that govern public conduct without a fight. Better to be a light in a dark place even if one gets a bloody nose than to roll over and play dead for the rank unbelievers.

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  • GrayPanther
    Posted on June 23, 2012 at 2:26pm

    Conservative groups have allowed liberals to dominate schools forever. Fighting back is necessary and should be supported. Often faculty will push student leaders into doing their bidding. Money collected from all students as activity fees MUST be openly and fairly disbursed. Get active people! fight back!

    Report Post » GrayPanther  
  • dadsrootbeer
    Posted on June 23, 2012 at 10:51am

    Glad to see people on the hunt who are watching for dominate liberal ideology at schools that discriminate. This will get worse until we clean the government of radical progressive socialists.

    Report Post » dadsrootbeer  
    • angelcat
      Posted on June 23, 2012 at 11:03am

      I can’t vouch for the present, but A&M was very conservative when my son went there. It was a pleasure to visit the campus since the young people there were unfailingly polite, friendly, and helpful. There has been a change of administration since them, and I have heard inklings that the new administration doesn’t much like the conservative atmosphere at the university. If that is the case, that makes me doubly glad that the conservative group is bringing this lawsuit. Gig’Em!

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  • dontbotherme
    Posted on June 23, 2012 at 12:17am

    The Alliance Defense Fund wins many (if not all) of the lawsuits that they represent because they follow the Law & the Constitution. I have faith that they will win this also.

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  • JesusWasBlack
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 11:39pm

    America needs to move forwards to be an accepting, socialist democracy that respects all races and ALL RELIGIONS!!!! THE CONSTITUTION was the original sin, made to oppress the black man and women.

    It’s time to rewrite the constitution as a socialist democracy that respects all races, religions, and genders! America needs to re-learn the teachings of Derrick Bell so we might become a more perfect union. God Bless America.

    Report Post »  
    • EatsAbortedFetuses
      Posted on June 22, 2012 at 11:59pm

      You, sir, are a dick.

      Black Critical Race Theory is intended to only keep the white man down. The white man is oppressed in today‘s society in his attempts to function autonomously in a ’post-racial world’.

      There should be a constitutional amendment that returns the white man to his rightful place above the lesser races.

      Report Post »  
    • dontbotherme
      Posted on June 23, 2012 at 12:13am

      You just signed up for the Blaze. You are a race baiter who basically keeps repeating the same comment. Fool.

      Report Post »  
    • JesusWasBlack
      Posted on June 23, 2012 at 12:19am

      It‘s because I couldn’t stand the fact that nobody on this site even cared about the truth, and after spending months here I needed to finally speak. I want to be heard. Accusations aren’t making anything better.

      Report Post »  
    • EatsAbortedFetuses
      Posted on June 23, 2012 at 12:26am

      Socialism is devil-worship.

      Report Post »  
    • Mapache
      Posted on June 23, 2012 at 9:04am

      Perhaps you would be more comfortable in a country that had a constitution more in keeping with your beliefs. The U.S. Constitution was here and in effect before you got here and most of us are completely fine with it. It is not an outfit that we change at whim or to stay stylish.

      Report Post » Mapache  
  • xstone1970
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 9:26pm

    What has happened? When I went to A&M it was one the most conservative schools in the nation… in fact none of those orginizations would have gotten funds, because none of them would have existed on campus. Texas Aggie Conservatives would not have been a group, because it was the entire student body. How far have we fallen? I thought we had hope, but when the liberals have taken A&M, one of the last bastians of conservatism, I fear all is lost!

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    • CoyoteDKM
      Posted on June 22, 2012 at 10:22pm

      Those groups are what happened. In universities where the progressives do not own the professors they use special interest student groups to take over. All they had to do was use their own lawyers to make sure the school was intimidated enough to fund their student groups, and then they had their foot in the door. From that point the student groups the progressives own become the poison that spreads through the well water.

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  • hlrothe
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 9:18pm

    Will As a member of the Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 2012 (Whoop!), I am not surprised at all by this. The artical is true when it says that most people think TAMU is “right of center” but once you step foot into one of the classrooms it is the same as any college in America with most professors pushing their liberal agendas. Being an Agricultural Economics major, most of the professors in the AG college are right leaning, if not conservative. However I did have to suffer through many classes to get my basics who had very liberal agendas. My POLISCI professor wrote the book for the course. many of my peers don’t care enough to get involved, the ones who do are liberal and because of that their agendas get pushed through. We had over 50,000 enrolled for the 2011-2012 school year, but when it came to voting in the school’s elections not near that many got involved. There in lies the problem, so many people are inclined to assume they cant change anything

    I do believe Texas A&M is one of the top-notch Universities in the nation, I will be proud to walk across that stage in December and I wear my ring with pride. I do though pray for the future of our nation and our universities. I made it through college with my conservitive beliefs intact, and am thankful for that. (I think maybe because I’ve prefered to listen to talk radio since I was 4 above anything else. Thanks Mom & Dad! I know y’all are reading this <3 )

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  • rickc34
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 9:16pm

    When good is considered evil and evil is considered good…God told us these days would happen… what will you do?

    Report Post »  
  • The Third Archon
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 8:46pm

    “Currently, any organization is able to receive funds so long that it was not formed on the basis of religious, social or political reasons”
    As long as they don’t EXCLUDE membership on these grounds, I don‘t see why these kinds of student organizations can’t exist and get funding–plenty of schools have them. College Republicans, College Democrats anyone? How about the Jewish Student Union, or the Filipino Student Association? And there are several Christian student clubs and worship groups at my school, a public school that you all think is a Marxist stronghold to boot.

    So I don’t know why TEXAS, of all places, would be so restrictive. They’ll probably walk this back–it’s a lot of negative PR to risk over such a pittance of money they asked for. And I personally think they should less restrictive in the future–as long as they are open membership, students should be free to form associations representative of their interests.

    Report Post » The Third Archon  
  • Marc Conder
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 6:27pm

    Living in Texas, and knowing as many aggie graduates as I do, the fact there is even a muslim college group is of note. The NAACP in endemic in the south, a bit past their prime, but one we have all grown up with. The ****** monlogues is just vulgar feminist twatspeak, and for the life of me how it got funding I can not even guess? maybe as a sop to the womens cow tippin team? (Them aggies are a bit scary). Regardless, if those groups could make the cut, then Miss Star should have without a doubt. I pretty much pity any aggies grad, but rights right. “HOOK em HORNS!

    Report Post » Marc Conder  
  • Walkabout
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 6:02pm

    What governor Walker did for workers being forced to pay dues, needs to happen on campi across the nation.

    Public universities forcibly collect student activity fees from all students, which are doled out by student government. The student government is usually run by people left of center.

    Take a $50 student activity fee. Multiply it by 20,000 person enrollment. That is $ 1 million dollars.

    For large campi that is million dollars.

    Report Post »  
  • Walkabout
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 5:53pm

    CARD CHECK!

    This is typical of the left. If they had their way fraternities & sororities would be run off campus & banned. Of course the College Republicans would be banned.

    Lets put it this way. Every group that was not political & left of center would be banned. I asked in my college days. They actually ran a non political group off campus.

    What is necessary is to get rid of campus funding for groups. Universities run a campus CARD CHECK!. You have a negative check off for campus fees to extracurricular activities. If you don;t want to fund them you have to remember during 2eek 4 or so to claim $50 of so dollars back. So during the 1st round of tests & everything else you have to physical walk to a campus office to get your money. Other wise whoever won campus elections divies it up as part of a political spoils system.

    Leftists politicians get an early start with campus politics

    Report Post »  
  • Chuck Stein
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 4:44pm

    If this suit can win, then similar cases can be brought at literally HUNDREDS of colleges and universities in America.

    Report Post »  
    • Thomas
      Posted on June 22, 2012 at 5:05pm

      50 or 60 years of the civil rights attack on the individual constitutional rights has gone on for to long. Its time to put a stop to this nonsense. I hope is the beginning or the end for the reverse racism and denial of our individual constitutional rights brought by the racist movement hid behind a “Nice Title” called the civil rights movement. Either we are to be treated as individuals and our freedoms are guaranteed or to hell with the United States. I am not a patriot of the United States but of freedom. When the United States ceases to be free then it no longer has my respect or love.

      Report Post » Thomas  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 4:43pm

    Texas A&M had better get with the program and treat everyone the same or they may have a mass exodus. Who do they think they are…..the federal government? How can A&M support the giving of money to Muslims, the NAACP, or other black alliance groups and say that these groups or not religious or formed for social are political reasons? Run these libs out of our colleges.

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    • angelcat
      Posted on June 23, 2012 at 1:58pm

      My guess is that A&M will lose the contributions of many of the alumni once this lawsuit becomes more widely known. The alumni are know to make their views known loudly through withholding their dollars when the university veers too much from its conservative roots – and money talks.

      Report Post »  
  • sallyredneck
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 3:37pm

    Religious , political, or social reasons, than are they saying no group gets money, social is a can go anywhere word, it is a college, what else is there? Oh, yes, learning, you learn that they don’t like your group.

    Report Post »  
  • OklahomaBound
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 3:11pm

    “The student body at Texas A&M University has a reputation for its conservative bent.”

    Probably true, but the administrations in almost all of the colleges and universities in this country are run by anti-American leftist who are there to redistribute the wealth that originally came from hard working conservative tax payers and give it to the students who have embraced their indoctrination in hating all things American and all things immoral.

    Report Post » OklahomaBound  
    • USACommoner
      Posted on June 22, 2012 at 3:51pm

      It’s been my experience that the college administration gives NOTHING to the students but keeps everything for themselves. High pay, travel expenses and stays at 4- and 5-star hotels, nice cars to drive and conduct “university business”, excellent benefits and retirement plans…colleges and universities are no longer in it to teach. It’s a business, and business is good. Kansas Board of Regents recently approved another tuition hike, too.

      Report Post » USACommoner  
    • woodyb
      Posted on June 22, 2012 at 3:58pm

      This organization is not un-American enough to satisfy the faculty!!!!!!!!!!

      Report Post »  
  • blackyb
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 2:42pm

    Arizona funds half the tuition for illegals. Citizens are working to put those who have no stake in this country over citizens. This is another one where students need to withdraw and go where they are appreciated as Americans. There are many retired teachers and professors who could start up schools and teach skills, including technology to those who want to learn. These big named universities only offer you a piece of paper with their names on it. They are mostly Socialist institutions any more to indoctrinate the students. Withdraw and do some restructuring. To hell with them. Who needs them? They have nothing for Americans but trouble.

    Report Post » blackyb  
  • blackyb
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 2:38pm

    Students need to withdraw and not attend the University and find a good school that is comparable to A&M who can teach. Find retired teachers who can teach and set our own universities up. Take Federal funding out of all universities and issue them a set voucher each year to help offset costs. A&M does not have a monopoly on good teachers and professors, they only want you to think so. Without students, they will close their doors. Good enough for them.

    Report Post » blackyb  
  • RightPolitically
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 2:38pm

    The Left in this country MUST BE destroyed politically!

    Report Post » RightPolitically  
  • jackact
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 2:32pm

    Reverse discrimination in this form is practiced on college campuses across the country.
    During the past 30 years it has replaced curriculum in importance (to the respective scool board).
    If we do not challenge this public display of obvious racism it will not cease.
    Just as Obama and his acolytes insist on “keeping their boots on our necks” we too must return the favor.
    We are the majority and in America majority rules.
    We will remind them daily.
    Kudos to this young conservative group.

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    • normalmom
      Posted on June 22, 2012 at 4:25pm

      It actually isn’t racist however it is obvious discrimination. To give funds to the other programs and not to this one is very obvious that they want the group not to have their program.

      Report Post »  
  • Landon410
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 2:14pm

    there it is plain as day, conservatives and christians are treated differently by those who cry for equal rights more than any other people group treats others differently.
    Tollerance, you must be tollerant of everyone, unless they are a christian or politically conserative. backwards left wing nuts

    Report Post »  
  • Meyvn
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 2:13pm

    “so long that it was not formed on the basis of religious, social or political reasons…” It looks to me like they broke their own rules by funding the orgs they funded.

    Report Post » Meyvn  
  • T-2
    Posted on June 22, 2012 at 2:12pm

    Gig’em.

    Report Post »  
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