Funding for Mike Pence speech denied at Stanford University

College Republicans at Stanford University are once again sounding the alarm on alleged liberal bias from the Undergraduate Student Senate.

This time, the undergraduate senate voted to decline funding for a speech to be given by former Vice President Mike Pence. 

The group announced in November they plan on inviting Pence to speak on campus in February 2022. Since then, the group has begun conducting efforts to secure funding including applying for a $6,000 grant from the Undergraduate Student Senate. 

[RELATED: SLU students petition to bar Matt Walsh from campus. Walsh counters.]

The Senate deliberated Nov. 29 over the request in a “closed session vote over Slack”. The request for funding was ultimately denied in a 7-6 decision with one absentee.

All other Standard Grant requests were approved. 

Campus Reform obtained emails in which Undergraduate Senator and Appropriations Committee Chair Jaden Morgan asked for the following clarifications on the College Republican’s application before informing the student organization about denial of funds: 

“The first is given the large projected attendance, to what degree will the event be open to the outside community, and what measures are being taken to promote public health? The second is will ASSU funds be used to provide security, and has SUPD been consulted?”

Campus Reform reached out to Morgan and the Undergraduate Senate for comment, but did not receive a response at time of publication. 

[RELATED: Stanford conservatives stand up to ‘leftist fascism’ amid calls to cancel]

The College Republicans told Campus Reform in a statement, “In applying for a funding grant through the Stanford University Student senate, the senate has voted to categorically reject our request for funding, even as they approved every single grant of the same kind submitted by every other student organization.”

The statement continued: 

The student senate did not provide a single reason to us for the rejection of our grant application, though the actual reason is clear—our grant was rejected explicitly because our speaker was a conservative. Moreover, the vote was carried out with 7 in favor, 7 abstentions, and 1 in opposition, clearly indicating there was no clear reason for the student senate to reject our application either.

Spokesman for the Stanford College Republicans and Vice Chairman of the California College Republicans Stephen Sills told Campus Reform that the group is confident that the senate will “ultimately approve the grant as it is their Constitutional obligation.”

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education provided Campus Reform with the follow statement, “We’re asking the Undergraduate Senate to transparently explain the basis for the denial. Students must be able to know why elected representatives have made a decision.”

Campus Reform reached out to Stanford University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.