COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Texas A&M University officials released a statement clarifying the controversial speaker, Richard Spencer, was not invited through the university.
Spencer is scheduled to speak on the alt-right movement on Monday, December 6.
Any private citizen can host an event at a public university, officials say.
Spencer was planned to speak at Rudder Tower, according to Preston Wiginton who invited the speaker. He will now speak at Memorial Student Center at 7 p.m.
Wiginton says the venue change is due to safety concerns from the university.
Full statement:
Texas A&M University officials responded today (Wednesday, Nov. 23) to an announcement of a non-university invited speaker who will be on campus next month—and of which university officials were not previously made aware.
The following institutional statement is provided by Amy Smith, the university’s senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer:
“There has been deep concern expressed by our Aggie community about an individual planning to speak at our campus. To be clear, Texas A&M University – including faculty, staff, students and/or student groups - did not invite this speaker to our campus nor do we endorse his rhetoric in any way. In fact, our leadership finds his views as expressed to date in direct conflict with our core values.
”Private citizens are permitted to reserve space available to the public as we are a public university as is the case here. Public groups must cover all rental expenses so that state resources are not burdened. This rental is classified as a “Class 5: non-Texas A&M University-related” use of public space in the school’s events guidelines typically reserved for community events, wedding receptions and local high school events.”
