East Tennessee State University (ETSU)’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) demanded the university strengthen its “hate speech policy” in response to an upcoming visit from conservative speaker Kyle Rittenhouse for the school’s chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
However, an ETSU spokesperson said no such policy exists.
Jess Voden, ETSU’s chief marketing and communications officer, confirmed to The Tennessee Star via email that the university has no policy restricting hate speech. Instead, the school maintains a “Campus Free Speech policy” that complies with Tennessee’s Campus Free Speech Protection Act.
“ETSU allows all students and all faculty to invite guest speakers to campus to engage in free speech regardless of the views of guest speakers,” the policy reads. “ETSU does not disinvite a speaker invited by a student organization, or faculty member because the speaker’s anticipated speech may be considered offensive, unwise, immoral, indecent, disagreeable, conservative, liberal, traditional, radical, or wrong-headed by students, faculty, staff, administrators, government officials, or members of the public.”
The policy’s wording closely resembles the wording of the Campus Free Speech Protection Act. Changing ETSU’s policy so the university can disallow speakers from campus based on their speech or views would violate state law.
Vodden told The Star via email that ETSU is “always happy to listen to and consider feedback from students” when asked if the university would consider YDSA’s list of demands.
On January 27, YDSA launched an online petition containing YDSA’s demands, including that the school rewrite its nonexistent “hate speech policy.” The petition garnered nearly 1,000 signatures at press time.
“As an ETSU alumna, I am disgusted that the university would allow any figure representing hate and violence onto campus for any reason,” one petition signatory commented. “A speaker whose only platform revolves around open-carrying and murdering innocent people in a public place can only bring more violence and safety risks to campus… There must be standards against hate speech and violent speech for all groups on campus and any guests they might host.”
A jury acquitted Rittenhouse of all charges against him, including first-degree intentional homicide, after he shot three men and killed two in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020.
“Our best course of action is to be unbothered,” a spokesperson for ETSU TPUSA told The Star in a direct message when asked about YDSA’s demands. “If only they would realize that censoring speech is not the answer.”
YDSA also organized a counterprotest of the Rittenhouse event to take place around the same time, according to Monday Instagram post.
“Come out and support YDSA in our march in opposition to Kyle Rittenhouse on campus,” the post’s image reads. The organization will also host a “Rally for Gun Control” on Thursday, according to another Instagram post.
ETSU has the only YDSA Chapter in Tennessee listed by the organization, though there are other active chapters in Tennessee colleges. Apparent YDSA Instagram pages for Middle Tennessee State University and Rhodes College show recent activity.
The Democratic Socialists of America, the activist organization that administers YDSA, has five chapters across Tennessee’s three grand divisions, according to its chapter list.
TPUSA requires those who wish to attend the Rittenhouse event, known as the “Rittenhouse Recap at East Tennessee State University,” to register online for a free ticket on its website. It is scheduled for February 8 at 7 p.m. ET.
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Matthew Giffin is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Matthew on X / Twitter.
Photo “East Tennessee State University Sign” by East Tennessee State University.
