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That talk with a poli sci prof changed how I see campus speaker fees
I was at a bar near University of Washington last week and ended up talking to this poli sci professor. He told me that when controversial speakers get invited, the real issue isn't the speech itself, it's the security costs that can hit $50,000 or more. That money comes out of student activity fees and other budgets, so it's basically the students paying for the disruption. Has anyone else looked into how their own school handles that cost split?
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loganburns3mo ago
@jordancoleman same thing happened at my school. they hid the security costs in our mandatory fees.
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jordancoleman3mo ago
That "student activity fees and other budgets" part really got me thinking because when I was at Arizona State a guest speaker from some debate group came through and the drama was insane. Turned out the real cost was way more than the fee because they had to rent out a whole bigger venue and pay for extra security guards who just stood around looking bored. I ended up dropping an elective that semester because the fees jumped so much and nobody ever explained where the money actually went.
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