UNC Greensboro official shuts down YAL tabling at campus: EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Students tabling on a North Carolina campus for Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) were shut down by a school official.

Earlier this February, Daniel Purcell, Eastern North Carolina Field Representative for the Leadership Institute and alumnus of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, was tabling for YAL at the school along with student Desiree Di Gerolamo and alumna Quinn Whittington when a university official confronted them and insisted they move. 

In a statement to Campus Reform summarizing the occurrence, Purcell said: “I was tabling with the Young Americans For Liberty State Chair Quinn Whittington and a student named Desiree Di Gerolamo. After about 30 minutes of setting up and tabling a woman approached us with a security guard. Asking us to shut down. I tried to get words in but the woman kept interrupting me and would not let me speak so I asked to see an administrator. Her behavior was rude [and] abrasive.” 

“I had tabled there multiple times with no issue,” he continued.
 
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An exclusive video obtained by Campus Reform shows the group being confronted and told to move because they didn’t reserve the space, to which Purcell responded: “Anywhere that’s outside of a building is a public space and it’s within my right as a student.” He added: “We don’t need [a reservation], it’s a public university.” They were then taken to the office of Meredith Atchison, Director of Campus Activities & Programs. 

“I told him if he had made [a reservation] for the Southwest Lawn this wouldn’t be an issue, because that’s reservable space,” the official said. 

“So long as we’re outside and we’re not obstructing the walkway, we’re not violating any law,” Purcell claimed. “Even if you have a policy, that’s unlawful for you to enforce that policy with us.”

“I’ve done this many times, never had an issue. We’re always peaceful, and we’re just exercising our free speech,” he continued. 

“If you restrict us to another place, we basically lose our efficiency with our tabling. We want to be in the public areas where people are walking . . . we’re not trying to get in the way of where they’re walking, but so long as we’re off to the side, we’re not obstructing that, we’re within our legal right to do so,” Purcell said. 

The school’s policy on the matter, a copy of which was given to Purcell, states: “The University of North Carolina at Greensboro values freedom of speech as one of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution and as the best means for arriving at truth and mutual understanding,” and: “The University supports outdoor assembly of persons for free speech activities, including vigils, protests, demonstration, and similar activities.”

[Related: Campus Profile: University of North Carolina-Greensboro]

Whittington related to Campus Reform that being forced to move the YAL tabling location “impacts us because the location they would rather want us at is by the road and all you can hear are car engines and there is really a lack of space to even set up a table. It makes it harder to talk to students and we don’t get as many people as we would there compared to where we would like to be at.”

Di Gerolamo also spoke to Campus Reform, saying: “To make a reservation you need an RSO. . . . We are still waiting for YAL to get approved but it’s been over 6 months and we haven’t heard anything yet. I know that it is a public campus and you can table anywhere besides inside the [Elliott University Center]. . . . We asked a few months ago and haven’t gotten a response as of why we have a delay.” 

Campus Reform contacted UNC Greensboro for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.