Just saw the numbers on how much campuses pay for controversial speakers

Found a report from FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) that broke down speaker fees. Turns out the most expensive ones arent even the far right guys. Ben Shapiro got like $50k but some corporate diversity speakers pull in $100k+. The wild part is that schools with the most protests often pay the most. My school spent $15k on a speaker last semester then had to spend another $8k on security. Does your college release the numbers on what they pay?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jenny2mo ago

Feel you on this one. My cousin's a professor at a state school and they spent like $60k total on a speaker last year, $20k on the fee and the rest on security and travel. It's wild how the money just piles up, especially when the whole thing turns into a circus. Makes you wonder if the admin even asks if the talk is worth the headache before they sign the check.

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aaron6772mo ago

$50k for Shapiro sounds about right. My own wallet weeps just thinking about it since I spend about that much on my whole annual "live my life" budget. I'm pretty sure my college spent more on the speaker's hotel room than I spent on textbooks that year. Honestly makes me feel a little better about my own boring life choices knowing I at least saved myself the security bill.

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