On college campuses across America, universities are abusing COVID-19 policies and denying students their First Amendment and due process rights. At Florida Atlantic University (FAU), students are required to maintain six feet of separation, wear masks, and avoid large gatherinds. This means that student clubs can’t even table on campus to increase membership – unless you are protesting social justice. In that case, FAU not only looks the other way, but actualy commends student protests over “racial inequality” where students are unmasked, gathering in large numbers, and violating the six-foot rule. Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) has sent a letter to FAU, advising it to revise its discriminatory COVID-19 policies.
Members of the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter at FAU set up a table on Diversity Way on September 1, 2020. This was after the student group observed other organizations—including the FAU Student Government—tabling the day before. The TPUSA members wore facemasks the entire time except to drink water, used hand sanitizer and gloves, and kept their distance from each other and from students who approached the table.
While they were tabling, several students walked past the TPUSA members and shouted obscenities at them. One student took a photo of them. Later in the afternoon, the members received an email notifying them that they were reported for a COVID violation and asking them to meet with the Assistant Director of Student Activities. During the meeting, the students were told they failed to follow social distancing and mask guidelines, and that they were not allowed to table because they did not receive approval. However, they were also told that the University is currently not approving facilities use applications
Since then, other student groups have gathered without maintaining social distancing. Although the members of TPUSA were recently informed that the meeting with administrators will not appear as a disciplinary infraction on their records, they are still uncertain about how FAU will enforce its policies. As SLF mentioned in its prior letter, university policies must apply neutrally to everyone, and students must know what conduct is punishable and what that punishment will be.