Richard Spencer requested the use of the Ohio Union Performance Hall space. Credit: Courtesy of TNS
Ohio State denied white nationalist Richard Spencer’s request to rent campus space for the second time this fall, putting concerns over public safety in front of free speech.
In a letter to Spencer’s lawyer, Kyle Bristow, Ohio State’s senior vice president and general counsel of legal affairs, Christopher Culley, said the university is “currently considering other alternatives” to Spencer’s originally requested use of the Ohio Union Performance Hall space.
The university is not currently commenting further on the letter sent denying the request. However, the letter said Ohio State will be in touch with Bristol by the end of the week with possible event alternatives.
The request was made by Cameron Padgett, a Georgia State University student, for Spencer to use the hall for a Nov. 15 event, which would have taken place from 7 to 9 p.m.
University of Cincinnati President Neville Pinto released a statement Friday announcing the university will allow Spencer to rent a space on its campus.
Ohio State denied Spencer’s first request to use campus space in September, also citing safety concerns.
The Lantern reached out to Bristol for comment, but did not receive as a response by publication time. The Lantern also left a voicemail for the National Policy Institute, a white supremacist think tank at which Spencer is the chairman.
Spencer’s lawyer has previously filed lawsuits against universities which have not granted him campus space to speak.
