A letter from UF’s general counsel said avowed white nationalist Richard Spencer will be allowed to reschedule his speech at UF.
The National Policy Institute, which Spencer is the president of, filed a request earlier this summer to rent the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for Sept. 12. On Aug. 16, Fuchs said Spencer would not be allowed to speak at UF due to the threat of violence. When Spencer’s organizers and lawyer vowed legal action Wednesday, Fuchs released a statement saying the university would “vigorously defend” its decision.
On Friday morning, UF sent a letter saying UF never intended to “permanently bar Mr. Spencer from speaking at an appropriate time and location.” The letter was signed by Amy Hass, UF’s interim vice president and general counsel, and sent to Gary Edinger, the National Policy Institute lawyer who notified UF of the possible lawsuit.
If Spencer files another request, UF will accommodate it while keeping in mind university policies, including safety and security assessments, according to the letter.
“At this time, we have not been presented with a new request for a future date,” UF said in a statement released Friday afternoon. “However, should that occur, we will use the same careful deliberation and consideration of safety and security factors that we did previously and make that decision accordingly in order to meet our legal obligations."
The letter stated that UF did not consider the exchange between Edinger and Hass a settlement negotiation.
Albert Tieu, a UF pre-pharmacy sophomore, said he didn’t agree with the university denying Spencer’s request.
“I don’t agree with what he says, but I still think he has the right to rent a public space,” the 19-year-old said.
Tieu said he thinks many people will see UF’s reaction as backtracking on their previous statement, but he doesn’t see it that way.
“It doesn’t make us look bad,” he said.
Henry Senyondo, a UF visiting scholar, said UF did well in initially refusing to allow Spencer to rent a space on campus.
While Spencer has the right to request to speak as many times as he wants, UF also has the right to deny him every time, he said.
“Everybody has the right to go into a company and request a job, but the company also has a right to say ‘No, you’re not getting a job. You’re a criminal,’’” Senyondo said.
He said he thinks UF should promote political discussions on campus, but since Spencer’s ideals incite violence, they shouldn’t be included.
“We don’t want any of that hate to associate with UF,” he said.
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