Bruin Republicans invite Ann Coulter to UCLA
By Megan Beauchamp
March 30, 2010 9:10 p.m.
Editor’s Note: This event has been cancelled because Ann Coulter is ill, according to an e-mail from Matthew Miller, chair of Bruin Republicans.
Bruin Republicans will host today American conservative commentator Ann Coulter, who will address current events and politics in a lecture entitled “Why Liberals are Wrong about Everything.”
Afterwards, the floor will open up for a question-and-answer session.
The exact topics to be covered in Coulter’s lecture are unknown because she does not pre-disclose the outlines of her lectures, said Lydia Mazuryk, external vice chair of Bruin Republicans.
Coulter is famous for her right-wing political opinions and the way she defends them. For example, during an appearance at the University of Western Ontario earlier this month, a female Muslim student quoted Coulter as having once said Muslims should be banned from airplanes and use flying carpets instead. Coulter responded by telling the student to “take a camel” as an alternative to flying, according to The New York Times.
Coulter’s presence on college campuses has been met with both praise and protest, and UCLA is no exception.
“(The Bruin Democrats) believe in (Coulter’s) right to free speech, but we believe she is an inflammatory speaker,” said Erienne Overli, Bruin Democrats treasurer. “Many of her views are offensive to a large portion of the campus community. We have a large population of immigrants on campus and her views on immigration are offensive,” Overli continued.
Even within Bruin Republicans, there is a broad range of reception for Coulter because of the spectrum of club members’ conservative views, Mazuryk said.
“As a whole, the club is excited we could get a big name to come to UCLA,” Mazyuryk continued.
Bruin Republicans booked Coulter with the aid of Young America’s Foundation and Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute, national organizations that help bring speakers to college campuses, Mazuryk said.
“The Young America’s Foundation often works with Ann Coulter, and when (Bruin Republicans) showed an interest in having her speak, they have been integral in bringing her to campus,” Mazuryk said.
Coulter describes herself as a political commentator who does not pretend to be impartial or balanced.
“A lot of people disagree with what (Coulter) says, but what she says is relevant to current topics and stimulates debates on topics that may have fallen wayside, and in that way she is influential,” said Anneliese Mondorf, external vice chair of Bruin Republicans.
Earlier this month, Coulter lectured at three Canadian universities. The tour made international headlines when Coulter’s speech at the University of Ottawa was canceled because of student protests.
Despite the strong protests against Coulter’s lectures in Canada, the UCLA Center for Student Programming and university police do not anticipate security problems for Wednesday’s event.
“The Center for Student Programming and the police department are aware of the occurrences that took place in Canada, but the security measures being taken are standard for events that take place on campus,” said Phil Hampton, a university spokesman.
Because UCLA hosts a multitude of speakers with various viewpoints, the university has a lot of experience putting on these events in a manner that allows people to voice their opinions, Hampton said.
As a security measure, attendees must show their BruinCards in order to be issued a ticket and to enter the event.
“We decided to make the event specific to the Bruin community because it is the safest way to have an intellectual debate. When events like this are open to outside interests the focus is not on debate but on controversy,” Mondorf said.
