A Statement Regarding Recent Dialogue on Campus by the 2015-2016 Pitt Student Government Board
In
light of yesterday’s event with Milo Yiannopoulos, we feel compelled to write to the Pitt community regarding Student Government Board’s stance on his v
iews and the reasons for which the funding request for this program was approved. If you were in the audience and were disgusted and hurt by the speaker
’
s remarks, we understand and empathize with you. If you felt marginalized and disparaged by many comments he made regarding your identity and the opinions of others who disagreed with him, we understand your feelings. To the students of color in the audience, we can only begin to imagine how painful it was to hear what both audience members and the speaker said regarding race and social justice issues in this country. Finally, to the survivors of sexual assault, we undoubtedly support you. SGB has funded and taken an active role in many events including the Undy 500: Race against Sexual Assault, lectures by Bernice King and Laverne Cox, and has taken a major role in the
implementation of the It’s On Us Campaign on Pitt’s campus. These are just some of the numerous events
that take an alternative perspective from last night
’
s speaker on issues of race, gender identity, and sexual violence on campus. We as an organization wish to make something clear: the decision by Student Government Board to allocate funds for this speaker in no way represents an endorsement of his views or opinions. Under Supreme Court precedent in
Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth
, a student governing body at a public institution like Pitt’s Student Government Board must
operate under the principle of viewpoint neutrality. In short, we are expressly forbidden from choosing to fund speakers based on the content of their speech, however heinous or uncomfortable we personally may believe their topics are. All registered student organizations, no matter their viewpoint, must have an equal chance to receive funding. By lawfully complying with the principle of viewpoint neutrality, we reinforce the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the principles of free speech that the speaker yesterday claimed were under siege. Our challenge as Student Government Board is to fairly represent the voice of
all
students in the allocations funding process, no matter how much we may personally disagree. We hope to move forward from what took place last evening, but understand the hurt and pain that it caused. In that vein, the Pitt Promise encourages students to contribute to the development of a caring community where compassion for others and freedom of thought and expression are valued. We encourage students to challenge the dialogue that took place through their various organizations by submitting proposals for speakers that they feel offer an alternative to the rhetoric from last night, in the hope that we can build a more diverse Pitt community of thoughts and ideas and engage the campus in a conversation that holds true to the ideals of the University and the Pitt Promise. We will continue to make ourselves available for any further dialogue that students wish to have
and hope that this clarifies our stance with regard to last night’s event.
Students are welcomed to attend tonight
’
s Public Meeting at 8:45pm in Nordy
’
s Place to share their perspectives and viewpoints during either of our two Open Floors.
848 William Pitt Union 3959 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260 412-648-7969 Fax: 412-648-2141
Student Government Board
University of Pittsburgh
