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Should a private university that does not honor the First Amendment still be entitled to federal funding?
That’s a question Rep. Randy Fine, a Florida Republican, asked during a House Education and Workforce subcommittee hearing Wednesday focused on free speech concerns.
Fine referenced a situation from March during which Catholic University of America denied speaker requests from the Students Supporting Israel chapter, citing a lack of balance in viewpoints and requiring both sides be presented.
Administrators denied the request for Israeli homeland security expert Col. Dany Tirza from speaking about the construction of the border wall separating Israel and Palestine. A submission to invite Fine also prompted a requirement from campus brass that the event focus be restructured.
“I’ve got plenty of people who want to hear me talk, some who don’t who get to hear me anyway. But it’s the students who missed out on the opportunity of hearing me of hearing me speak. Is it fair to the students,” Fine asked during the hearing.
Emerson Sykes, senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union and a panelist at the hearing, replied that Catholic University of America “is not bound by the First Amendment, so they can create policies as they wish.”
However, Fine noted private universities take plenty of money from the federal government.
“There’s very few institutions in this country that could survive without money that comes from this building. They want to be private? They can do it on their own,” Fine said.
CUA’s Students Supporting Israel praised Fine for his line of questioning in a news release Thursday.
“It is deeply concerning that Catholic University selectively applies equal-time policies, uniquely burdening Jewish and pro-Israel students,” said SSI chapter President Felipe Avila stated. “When we host programming to discuss our community and its security, we shouldn’t be forced to platform competing viewpoints as a condition of participating in campus life.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is also demanding CUA rescind its decision or face an accreditation complaint.
“CUA is currently undergoing the process of reaccreditation. Should CUA persist in its inexplicable and arbitrary restrictions on SSI’s speech, FIRE is prepared to raise our concerns regarding CUA’s continued violation of the accreditation standards directly with MSCHE,” the group stated in an April 17 memo to the university.
The group gave CUA until May 1 to respond.
Karna Lozoya, vice president of communications for Catholic University of America, said in a prepared statement provided to The College Fix on Friday that the school stands “firmly against antisemitism.”
Regarding the request for Rep. Fine to speak on campus, Lozoya stated: “We made a decision to reach out to the student group to discuss how to structure this important conversation on antisemitism so that the topic itself would be the main focus of the event.”
“We miscommunicated that decision. We invited the student group to restructure the event to represent ‘both sides,’ which misrepresented our policy, did not reflect our intent, and understandably caused confusion,” she stated.
“To be abundantly clear, Catholic University never required SSI to invite an antisemitic voice or ‘Muslim terror advocate,'” she added.
“As a private, faith-based institution, Catholic University reserves the right to shape events on our campus. Our offer stands to work with the student group to host a thoughtful, educational event on the alarming rise of antisemitism on college campuses.”
Editor’s note: The post has been updated to clarify the circumstances regarding Tirza and Fine speaking at CUA, as well as the addition of a statement from the university.
MORE: Catholic U. denies pro-Israel student group’s speakers, citing ‘lack of balance’
