UCI overturns CR suspension following outrage
The University of California, Irvine has revoked its suspension of the school’s College Republican chapter after facing national criticism from both liberals and conservatives alike.
Breitbart reports that CR President Ariana Rowlands was informed Thursday afternoon that the group’s “ability to access space on campus has been restored.”
An initial message stated that the club had been suspended for one year, but the school later insisted that the group was never technically suspended, but had merely lost privileges to reserve space on campus, effectively rendering the group impotent since its main purpose is to host events and hold routine meetings.
[RELATED: College Republicans suspended by UC Irvine after hosting Milo]
The CRs challenged this claim, saying the administration had exploited a technicality to oust conservative views from campus and had made no prior mention of the penalty until CR members hinted at Yiannopoulos’ return to campus.
[RELATED: UCI attempts to walk back CR suspension following outrage]
“UCI administration has recently claimed that our club is not suspended, and is merely barred from holding meetings and reserving rooms,” CR Chairman Emeritus Rob Petrosyan duly noted. “However, as with any other club, our function is to meet and exercise our freedom of assembly, so such a suspension is an act of least resistance.”
The CRs even garnered the support of the schools “Anteaters for Bernie Sanders” club in an unprecedented bipartisan stance against college administrators.
[RELATED: UCI Dems stand with CRs after suspension for hosting Milo]
“While we disagree with the College Republicans on a range of issues, the decision of the UC Irvine administration to suspend the campus club was a clear demonstration of the repeated mistreatment of all political organizations that take part in open discourse on campus,” the group announced in statement. “We hereby firmly stand against this decision and are vehemently against the administration for their over-reaching bureaucracy. Effective immediately, we call for this decision to be overturned.”
Now, the school has completely overturned its prior decision, but still invited the CR chapter to enter an appeals process.
“At this time, your ability to access space on campus has been restored,” the email stated, adding that “the vice chancellor invites you [Rowlands] to submit your appeal by July 1.”
The CRs, however, quickly declined to enter any sort of appeals process, saying it could be construed an admission of guilt, which they firmly deny.
“We will under no circumstances be submitting an appeal for the decision by UCI as that would be an admittance to a wrongdoing we did not commit,” the CRs wrote in a statement. “We will not be silenced and we will not be stopped.”
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @AGockowski
