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SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Friday, March 29, 2024

Aggie club claims university denied funding for speaker's appearance

Fiddler

HOUSTON - A Texas A&M University student organization alleges the school refused to approve funding for the group to host an appearance by a syndicated columnist.

A lawsuit filed June 19 in Houston federal court says Texas Aggie Conservatives requested student organization funding in December to bring Star Parker to College Station to discuss poverty, race and social justice issues. But the suit claims TAMU declined two months later because TAC is "a social and political organization and the event involved social, political and religious content and viewpoints."

The suit contends TAMU allocated the same funds to the NAACP, the Muslim Student Association and the TAMU V-Day at the same time it turned TAC's application down, stating the NAACP bore the same status as the complainant, the MSA hosted a religious event and the TAMU V-Day involved a self-proclaimed feminist.

According to the suit, the university "violated TAC's constitutional rights and caused irreparable injury to the plaintiff."

"This action is premised on the U.S. Constitution concerning the denial of the plaintiff's fundamental rights to free speech, equal protection and due process," the original petition states.

"The aforementioned policies and actions are challenged on their face and as applied to the plaintiff."

Attorney G. Scott Fiddler with The Law Office of G. Scott Fiddler P.C. in Houston is representing the complainant.

Case No. 4:12-cv-1833

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