Lawmakers and officials blast Loyola for blocking TPUSA chapter, threatening school's funding
Several Republican leaders are speaking out against Loyola University for denying official student organization status to a TPUSA chapter.
The GOP caucus chair has noted that the decision may jeopardize state funding that the school receives for scholarships.
A Louisiana school is under fire for denying a charter to a conservative student organization.
Several GOP officials and lawmakers took aim at Loyola University New Orleans for the decision of the university’s student government to reject a TPUSA chapter’s request for a student organization charter.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry condemned the move in a post on Facebook, which included a screenshot of Loyola’s mission statement that claims the school “welcomes students of diverse backgrounds.”
“Hmmm… so much for welcoming students with diverse backgrounds, Loyola University New Orleans,” he wrote. “I’ll be taking a look at this to ensure all voices are heard on campuses across Louisiana!”
State Rep. Beryl Amedee echoed the governor’s sentiment in a statement and questioned the future of the school’s eligibility for state funding.
“Loyola’s decision to silence conservative students is indefensible,” Amedee said. “Although Loyola is a private university, it accepts millions of dollars in state funding each year. When an institution takes public money, it assumes a public responsibility to uphold freedom of speech and association. Denying a lawful student group because of its viewpoint is a direct attack on those freedoms.”
“If Loyola wants to continue receiving taxpayer dollars, it should start respecting the rights of all Louisiana students—not just those who fit neatly into the identity politics narrative of the far left,” Amedee continued.
The school’s student government denied the group’s application at its Oct. 15 meeting, citing fairness and community as the motivating factors for the decision, according to a previous Campus Reform report.
The TPUSA chapter has since responded in a statement posted to Instagram, recounting the questions they were asked by the body and the responses they provided.
The group says they told SGA that it would “aim to offer a space where our faith can be shared and where students are welcomed to engage in open and sometimes polarizing conversations without fear of being ‘cancelled.’”
It also emphasized that they “will not hate or marginalize anyone for holding different or opposing perspectives and values.”
There is an option to appeal the decision and the group says they “officially moving forward” with that process.
All relevant parties have been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
