Latest news with #CollegeRepublicans
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
After message protests Trump, Carnegie Mellon University temporarily closes The Fence
The Fence at Carnegie Mellon University has become a staple for students to display messages on campus. Whether it be advertising their organization or giving a take on current events, it has served as a way to express their speech. But in a letter to students, CMU President Farnam Jahanian said the fence is closing after a recent message protesting President Trump. The fence sits as just a white fence now in the center of the campus. No messages, no pictures, just a plain fence. This comes after "no rapists on our campus" was painted during the AI and Energy summit at Carnegie Mellon on Tuesday. CMU's administration decided to paint over it and close it until sometime next week. "It strikes me as very uncharacteristic and concerning to see that they've made the decision to censor speech on campus," said Anthony Cacciato, a CMU senior and member of the College Republicans. Cacciato said CMU has championed free speech, and this goes against it. While he didn't agree with the message, he says students had a right to say it. River Sepinuck, a junior at CMU and communications chair of the College Democrats, said it's disappointing the university is censoring students. His group met with university leadership about the fence. "Unfortunately, [Jahanian] spent most of the meeting talking down to us, which we were disappointed by. We were hoping to get some form of concrete action about the change in policies surrounding the fence," Sepinuck said. Earlier in the week, "protest the summit" was written and protected by the school with space for the students to address their concerns about Tuesday's event. In a message from the university's president, he says CMU supports peaceful protest, public dissent, and the exchange of ideas. It goes on to say that after messages equating Nazism, Zionism and Hindutva earlier this year and this latest message, the school is looking at how to move forward. "It would be a great disservice to the culture on campus and the students on campus to go back and renege on this commitment to free speech that has been a cornerstone of how Carnegie Mellon has conducted itself in the past," Cacciato said. Jahanian's letter says recent years have seen more messages disconnected from "meaningful dialogue." Cacciato said once messages are allowed back, no one should feel a chilling effect to say their thoughts. Sepinuck says there is most certainly a chilling effect moving forward. "Knowing that just by unilateral decision, that President Jahanian can say, 'I don't like and I'm going to paint over it,' it makes us more hesitant to paint on the fence," Sepinuck said. According to CMU, it looks to reaffirm the purpose of the tradition. No word on when next week messages may continue.
Washington Post
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Young Republicans are fueling the GOP's generational divide on Israel
In the months after Oct. 7, 2023, the Miami University College Republicans' debate nights grew rowdier and more hostile. Disagreement was expected and encouraged among the Ohio college's 120-member conservative group. But this time, a small yet forceful faction refused to support many members' position that the United States should financially and militarily back Israel's war in Gaza, recalled Andrew Belcher, then a Miami University freshman.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dozens across Tampa Bay participate in May Day demonstrations opposing Trump Admin
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — From workers' rights rallies to marches for social justice, people around the country and in Tampa Bay took part in May Day demonstrations Thursday. 'Unless we have intense public pressure, nothing is going to change,' said Cathy O'Gara, while holding a sign in Seminole Thursday. State parks in Florida appear off-limits to development as lawmakers react to outcry It's been 100 days and President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders and made a lot of changes in the federal government. But protesters said they are not pleased and rallied outside local Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna's office. 'I'd like to see the Republicans stand up for democracy. I just don't see that happening,' said John Wise, a protester. A spokesperson for Representative Luna sent a statement reading in part, 'We hope all of these people join our upcoming tele-town hall with thousands of other Pinellas residents so they can get accurate information….' In St. Petersburg, people held signs on an overpass to get their points across. 'We need to be in a place that there's a greater diversity of people passing by — there's nowhere more diverse than I-275,' said Amy Weintraud, with the St. Pete League of Women Voters. 'I think democracy is at risk right now because we have unilateral power without due process,' said Nicole Jones, also with the St. Pete League of Women Voters. They said President Trump's actions on immigration have disrupted the norms of American democracy. They said they fear people who are here legally are being deported. Micahel Fusella, a member of the College Republicans of the University of South Florida, said he's not aware of that happening, and said if you are here legally you shouldn't be touched. 'I do believe in due process. But at the end of the day, this needs to happen… You need to see immigration enforcement and (it) went on way too long unchecked, too many bad people got into the country,' Fusella said. Protestors also expressed concern for the administration only catering to the needs of the president and not all Americans. 'I think that's one reason you can say he is a president of all people because he's trying to get his message out there — whether you agree with him or not, that's a whole other issue. At least he's trying. He's transparent enough where he tells you what he, he believes and what he's trying to do,' Fusella said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UW-Eau Claire professor placed on leave after flipping College Republicans table
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire placed a faculty member on administrative leave after he allegedly flipped over a table set up by the university's College Republicans chapter in support of conservative Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel. Tatiana Bobrowicz, who chairs the chapter, said she had just finished setting up the table outside the student center about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with candy, doughnuts and literature promoting Schimel and Brittany Kinser, the conservative-backed candidate for state superintendent. Bobrowicz said a man came up to the table and asked what the group was doing so close to the polling location, which is inside the student center. More: All our reporting on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Susan Crawford, Brad Schimel Wisconsin law does not allow electioneering — defined as any activity intended to influence voting at an election — within 100 feet of an entrance of a building where voting is taking place. Bobrowicz said she explained the chapter always tabled in that location and UW-Eau Claire had approved it. The man told her "the time for this is over," flipped the table over and walked away. She immediately called police and filed a report. She said UW-Eau Claire later notified her the man was José Felipe Alvergue, who chairs the English department. Alvergue did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment. "This takes it to a whole new level," Bobrowicz said. "Not just a professor, but a chair of a department. He's supposed to set an example for students and here he is setting an example of violence." Bobrowicz credited UW-Eau Claire for its response, saying police immediately responded and campus officials took her report seriously. The university did not immediately respond to a Journal Sentinel message seeking comment. The entire incident lasted only about 10 seconds, Bobrowicz said, but it reinforced to her the hostility conservatives face on campus. She said the student body's reactions in the aftermath were disheartening, saying she heard comments like the chapter "had it coming" and deserved it because of "how hateful" their views were. "It's scary to see how much hatred there is toward us," she said. In a statement reported by local TV stations, UW-Eau Claire Interim Provost Michael Carney said the campus is working with the University of Wisconsin System and the Office of General Counsel, which is "conducting a comprehensive investigation." "I am deeply concerned that our students' peaceful effort to share information on campus on election day was disrupted," Carney said. Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Brian Schimming retweeted a video on X showing the aftermath of the flipped table. Schimming said Alvergue "violently overturned a College Republican table on campus today." UW-Eau Claire sits along the western border of Wisconsin and has about 8,800 undergraduates. A ward in Eau Claire that serves a number of university dorms voted about 29% for President Donald Trump in November, an increase for Republican candidates in recent elections. More: Trump gained ground in battle for Wisconsin college voters, even flipping one UW campus ward This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW-Eau Claire professor placed on leave after flipping GOP table
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Elon Musk's PAC Gave $1 Million To College Republican Leader In Wisconsin Giveaway—Why That Might Not Be A Coincidence
Billionaire Elon Musk and his America PAC gave $1 million to two Wisconsin voters at a rally Sunday, one of whom leads the state's College Republicans and has worked in GOP politics—a choice that's garnered scrutiny but may have been intentional, as past statements by America PAC suggest the Musk-helmed group does not select its giveaway winners at random. Elon Musk presents a $1 million check to Nicholas Jacobs during a town hall March 30 in Green Bay, ... More Wisconsin. Musk and America PAC have been spending millions to elect Republican Brad Schimel in Wisconsin's Supreme Court race, including offering money to state voters who sign the PAC's petition against purportedly partisan judges—ranging from lower $20 and $100 payments to people who sign the petition or recruit others, to two $1 million prizes given out Sunday when Musk campaigned in the state. Musk gave $1 million to two individuals in Wisconsin Sunday, including one — Nicholas Jacobs — whose long history in Republican politics in the state raised scrutiny, while the other, graphic designer Ekaterina Diestler, was chosen to be a spokesperson for the PAC but did not appear to have any background in politics. Jacobs said in a video posted by America PAC he 'didn't believe it' when his name was called as a prize winner and that Musk is 'motivating people to go out and vote in a way that hasn't been done before.' Musk has classified the $1 million prizes as payments for the winners to be 'spokesmen' for America PAC and its petition against purportedly partisan judges—after outraging legal experts by suggesting in a now-deleted post on X that he was giving the million-dollar prizes out to voters who had already cast ballots 'in appreciation for you taking the time to vote.' Jacobs introduced himself in the America PAC video as the chair of the Wisconsin Federation of Young Republicans—with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting he's also worked on multiple congressional campaigns and with right-wing group Turning Point USA—and his win has garnered scrutiny on social media, as users have speculated Musk did not pick Jacobs at random given his background in GOP politics. Past statements by America PAC suggest Jacobs may have been chosen intentionally: When the PAC gave away $1 million to swing state voters during November's presidential election, lawyers for the committee admitted in court that winners were not chosen at random, but were selected based on their ability to be good spokespeople for the group. America PAC hasn't clarified how winners in Wisconsin were chosen, and the PAC and the Wisconsin College Republicans have not yet responded to requests for comment—but neither Musk's announcement of the Wisconsin giveaways nor court documents America PAC has filed in Wisconsin characterize the winners as being chosen at random. The Wisconsin Supreme Court race is taking place Tuesday, with Schimel facing off against Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford. Polls will close at 8 p.m. CDT, though it's unclear how long after that it will take to determine a winner. America PAC claimed last year it did not choose its $1 million giveaway winners at random, after Philadelphia's district attorney sued Musk and his PAC over their cash prizes being given out to swing state voters. While Philadelphia argued the $1 million giveaways violated Pennsylvania's rules against unauthorized lotteries, America PAC claimed the giveaways weren't actually lotteries at all, because winners were not chosen by chance. Instead, PAC director Chris Young testified during a hearing the winners were chosen based on their suitability to be spokespeople, and likened the petition that voters signed—which made them eligible to win the $1 million prize—to a 'job application' for a position as a PAC spokesperson. America PAC used a 'multi-step process' to select winners of the $1 million giveaways during the presidential election, Young said, as recounted by the judge in his decision allowing the giveaways. That process included looking at winners' public social media posts and meeting them in person before they were given the cash prizes 'to make sure their personality would be a good fit for the role.' How the winners in Wisconsin were chosen. While Wisconsin attorney general Josh Kaul sued Musk and America PAC to stop the giveaways, that lawsuit did not take issue with whether or not the winners were chosen at random, so Musk and America PAC did not disclose its process for choosing the winners. Both Jacobs and Diestler made videos for the PAC after being chosen. America PAC's admission in court that $1 million winners weren't chosen at random during the presidential election sparked a class action lawsuit against the PAC, as voters who had signed its petition because they wanted a shot at the $1 million prizes alleged they were defrauded. 'Had Plaintiff been aware that the lottery was not random, or that she did not have a fair chance to win the prize, or that her selection hinged on her perceived favorability to Defendants as a marketing prop, she would not have signed or supported the America PAC petition and would not have provided her [personal information] to Defendants,' voter Joy Harvick's lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. The litigation is still playing out in federal court. The Wisconsin Supreme Court election has become a major focus for Musk and his America PAC, with the PAC spending more than $12 million on the race, on top of millions spent by other groups Musk is associated with and donations the billionaire has given directly to the state's Republican Party. The election is the first downballot race Musk has waded into since he emerged as a major political force last summer, when he formed America PAC and became one of President Donald Trump's top political donors and most outspoken supporters. Musk said in the aftermath of Trump's win that America PAC would keep up its campaign operations, announcing the PAC would 'keep grinding' and 'increasing Republican registrations in key districts around the country, in preparation for special elections and the midterms.' Musk has highlighted the Wisconsin Supreme Court race as being important given that it will determine the ideological balance of the court, which is likely to decide key issues like redrawing House districts and voting rules for the 2028 election. Payments to voters have become a hallmark of America PAC's efforts—albeit a controversial one, given laws that prohibit giving things of value to persuade voters to cast ballots—and the committee has also offered smaller payments to Wisconsin voters who sign its petition or recruit others to do so.
