There has been an elephant in the room, and it’s one that’s tugging at Covino’s pant leg.
What happens when the Young Americans for Freedom CSULA Chapter brings a conservative speaker to campus? Historically, chaos, pandemonium—everything expected when a campus that has maintained a student of color majority since 1972 hosts a speaker on “When Diversity Becomes a Problem.”
There was little surprise when Ben Shapiro’s 2015 campus visit sparked an anarchic, student protest. But no one could have predicted the contentious debate left in its wake, leading to major changes in Cal State LA’s discriminatory speech policies after threatened litigation.
As of June 29, 2016, the university has abolished its practice of charging excessive fees for event security when “controversial” speakers visit campus. However, the higher administration still reserves the right to assess events on a “case-by-case basis,” using student reactions on other university campuses to determine whether a speaker should be permitted on campus.
If it hasn’t been made clear enough already, rabble rousers are rarely welcome on campus. The bad taste from Shapiro still lingers in the mouths of our student body.
But if we invite ethnic diversity, why not ideological dissidence? At least, this is the argument of the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), which orchestrated Shapiro’s campus visit and has since done the same for stalwart conservatives like Star Parker and Christina Hoff Summers.
This year, Cal State LA’s YAF chapter is back at it again to test just how effective these university-wide policy changes are and to undoubtedly ruffle some feathers in the process.
So who have they selected as this year’s conservative spokesperson?
On October 29th, YAF will welcome Jesse Watters, FOX News political commentator and long-time guest on the “O’Reilly Factor” through his man on the street interview segment entitled, “Watters’ World.” He is scheduled to deliver a talk in the U-SU Theater from 4:00 p.m- 5:00 pm on the “truth about fake news,” an event the YAF promises will foster a “free and open exchange of ideas.”
One anonymous journalism student said she would attend solely to hear a different opinion whilst validating Watters’ right to free speech.
“I’d probably bite my tongue a couple times, but that is what a journalist is supposed to do. You’re supposed to see both sides,” she said.
Chris Koo, Business Administration major, holds a contrary opinion.
“I have found that following up with recent politics has become an extreme mental drain,” he said. “With the sheer amount of information coming out and not knowing which info to trust, I just don’t have the time or energy to devote to keeping up”, said Koo.
Especially when it comes to judging Watters’ background, one requires this discerning acuity.
In recent years, the commentator has mired himself in a slew of political and personal controversies. His 2016 Chinatown segment, in which he interviewed several city residents in anticipation of the presidential election, garnered intense castigation for what many, including New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, perceived to be overt racism. Throughout the segment, Watters is seen espousing stereotypes such as sensationalizing martial arts, nunchucks, and foot massages. At one point, he asks his interlocutors whether he must bow before speaking, whether they know karate, and whether the street vendors’ watches are “hot.”
While Fox News has been Watters’ main claim to fame, his tenure on the station has not been all easy. Two days after joining Fox News’ panel talk show, “The Five,” he was momentarily ousted for an ostensibly lewd comment about Ivanka Trump. While commenting on Trump’s participation in a panel on female entrepreneurship, he made a derogatory motion that many deemed a reference to oral sex.
The question stands: why Watters?
“As one of the highest rated anchors on Fox News—the number one cable news channel—Jesse Watters’ appearance on campus is a rare chance for the Cal State LA community to hear directly from one of America’s leading commentators,” told the YAF to University Times in a statement.
But perhaps we’re searching for answers in all the wrong places. Why ask the YAF to justify when there should be no need to justify? Is it fair to force them into defending their choice of speaker when no other student organization receives this mandate? The YAF has made their stance clear: “It smacks of hypocrisy” that no other club jumps through the hoops that they do to secure their campus presence.
The YAF chapter represents the vestige of conservatism at Cal State LA and without it, it’s unlikely students would see any more right-wing dialogue. The students who comprise the chapter have received numerous encomiums from the Young America’s Foundation for their perseverance and alacrity, in spite of overwhelming odds.
And even though they are enduring fusillade from all angles, they’ve made it clear they don’t plan on retiring any time soon.
“Cal State LA YAF is currently working on bringing a familiar speaker to campus next semester and building relations with other organizations on campus to help better inform students on what it means to be a conservative,” wrote the YAF. “We look forward to continuing our proven record of bold activism to bring ideological diversity and conservative ideas to Cal State LA.”
Whether the YAF really executes “bold activism” in the name of “ideological diversity” is still up in the air. Only time, or at least the 29th, will tell.
