South Carolina State students made their voices heard regarding Lt. Governor Pamela Evette’s intention to serve as commencement speaker. Now, Republican lawmakers are threatening to punish the university for exercising their right to free speech.
Columbia TV station WIS 10 reported on a letter circulating from a group of Republican lawmakers demanding that $5 million dollars in funding for a potential SCSU convocation center be removed from the state budget.
Rep. Melissa Oremus, R-Aiken, and other lawmakers said the money should be excluded after SC State canceled Evette’s commencement speech following student protests.
“This issue is not about whether South Carolina State University is an HBCU,” Oremus said. “It’s about whether a publicly funded university should allow a small group of students to decide which viewpoints are acceptable to hear.”
The controversy stems from the university’s May decision to withdraw Evette as its spring commencement speaker following student protests.
A petition opposing her appearance drew more than 20,000 signatures by Thursday afternoon, with organizers citing her political positions, including opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and alignment with conservative policies.
Republicans had long desired to target SC State funding as punishment
In response, opposing Republican lawmakers sent a letter Thursday to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bruce Banister, urging that SC State receive no funding in the next state budget.
“There is no reason why state tax dollars should continue to fund a state institution where not all South Carolinians are welcome,” the lawmakers wrote. “If the Lt. Governor of South Carolina is unwelcome due to different political ideologies and an inability to keep her safe, it is time to defund and reevaluate.”
In response to the school’s decision, Evette released a statement on social media suggesting the developments validate her fight to end DEI initiatives on college campuses.
“The fact that a speech had to be canceled for credible safety threats is exactly why we cannot give up the fight to end indoctrination and DEI on campuses once and for all,” she said in a Facebook post. The root problem is professors who gin up feigned outrage at the detriment of their students, who they should be teaching to think critically. End tenure now.”
