Students at the University of Virginia are off this week for the holidays, but a controversy is brewing on campus. A non-profit group called Young Americans for Freedom wants to establish a chapter at UVA to promote conservative ideas, but the university has not agreed.
If you call the Young Americans for Freedom and are put on hold, you’ll hear a speech given by Ronald Reagan.
“Today, political correctness has replaced pro-Marxist ideas as the conventional wisdom on too many campuses,” he says.
Reagan is the darling of American conservatives and a long-time friend to the organization known as YAF.
“President Reagan was our honorary national chairman for a number of years," says group spokesman Spencer Brown. "Young America’s Foundation actually stepped in to save his ranch in 1998, and we own it and now preserve it today as a lasting monument to his accomplishments.”
YAF has more than 400 chapters at high schools and colleges around the country. UVA isn’t commenting, but Brown explains why the university is opposed to YAF.
“The administration there has said that the chapter cannot be recognized as long as it requires members and its leadership to ascribe to the values which are inscribed in the founding document of Young Americans for Freedom.”
Brown says there are students at UVA who want to promote the ideas of limited government, a strong national defense and traditional values, and unless the school changes its policy today, the group has threatened to sue.
UVA spokesman Anthony DeBruyn sent this statement after our story had aired:
The University has carefully reviewed the concerns raised on behalf of students seeking to form a Contracted Independent Organization (CIO) under the name Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). In November, after consulting with our Student Activities staff, Student Council had requested two changes to the constitution submitted by YAF, consistent with their reading of our non-discrimination policy. When no response was received, the YAF CIO application was temporarily denied pending future resolution of this open issue. The decision by Student Council was not viewpoint based, but rather based upon an error in applying the non-discrimination policy. The CIO application from YAF was never voted on by the Student Council representative body for final approval or denial. The University has now requested that Student Council take steps to remedy this as soon as possible.
On December 21, the Cavalier Daily reported: Student Council will propose the University chapter of Young Americans for Freedom be recognized as a Contracted Independent Organization by the council’s Representative Body during its first meeting of the spring semester. The decision comes after the conservative group sent a letter to the University claiming that Student Council violated the YAF’s constitutional rights and state law when previously denying it CIO status.
