Another alumnus and major donor to the University of Minnesota is ceasing financial support due to the university’s poor treatment of Ben Shapiro and bias against conservatism. This comes after Shapiro was forced to speak off-campus in February despite UMN hosting both Senators Elizabeth Warren and Al Franken on campus.
In a letter to UMN President Eric Kaler, the donor announced their decision, claiming, “for many years I have questioned the political atmosphere at the University and found it disheartening as a patriotic and conservative alumnus.”
According to the letter, after the donor’s daughter died, the donor created a scholarship endowment fund, which is responsible for giving more than $60,000 to the university since its establishment.
The donor was present at the Shapiro lecture and claims the troubles the university gave the organizers with securing a venue demonstrates the University’s “strong bias against a conservative message being presented to students on the campus.”
“I sincerely hope the University re-evaluates itself and truly adopts a free speech policy with equal access for all political viewpoints,” the donor wrote. “I believe the University serves its students when speakers like Ben Shapiro are welcomed. The faculty has ample opportunity to advance alternative points of view.”
Instead, the donor decided to donate to Young America’s Foundation (YAF) — the conservative student-focused organization that organized Shapiro’s lecture.
“The University demeans its mission when it mistreats or ignores conservative scholarship and conservative students.”
“Ben Shapiro gave a great lecture that was appropriate for all listeners,” the letter concludes. “He is brilliant and thoughtful. Such speakers should be encouraged on campus — always.”
You can read the full letter below:
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This is the second major donor to pull funding from UMN and instead donate to YAF. As The Daily Wire previously reported, another alumnus from the class of 1962 also pulled funding because of the treatment of Shapiro.
“What we’re seeing are alumni rightfully refusing to give back to the institutions that oppose and even censor their ideas,” YAF Spokesman Spencer Brown said in a statement. “This patriotic alumnus should be applauded for his decision to hold his alma mater accountable for its anti-conservative and unconstitutional actions.”
In June, YAF announced that it was suing UMN for suppressing free speech by moving the venue for Shapiro’s event.