College Loses Funding Thanks to Hostility from the Left

(ProsperNews.net) – A major donor to Arizona State University (ASU) refuses to provide more funds to the institution because of left-wing activities on campus. T.W. Lewis, a real estate developer with a center in the honors college named after him, said he would no longer donate after a faculty member claimed she was fired for inviting conservative speakers to address students. Lewis added that he no longer has confidence in the honors college, named Barrett, to adhere to the terms of his gifts as it no longer supports freedom of speech.

“I regret that this decision was necessary, and hope that Barrett and ASU will take strong action to ensure that free speech will always be protected and that all voices can be heard,” he said.

Ann Atkinson of the university’s T. W. Lewis Center for Personal Development says she was fired after organizing an event featuring conservative speakers Charlie Kirk, Robert Kiyosaki, and Dennis Prager. She said faculty members were outraged by their presence and accused them of propagating “hate” toward women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community.

A spokesperson for ASU denied Atkinson’s allegations and said she lost her job because Mr. Lewis withdrew his funding.

However, a letter shared on social media by Dennis Prager’s organization PragerU, and signed by 37 of the 47 Barrett faculty members, insisted that the three conservatives were a threat to democracy and as such, they no longer had faith in the leadership of the T.W. Lewis center.

Many conservatives believe that left-wing activism on American college campuses is turning learning institutions into indoctrination programs. Daily Signal columnist Jarrett Stepman wrote in 2020 that a large percentage of conservative students are self-censoring on campus. Stepman cited a study by the University of North Carolina that found large numbers of left-wing students would protest against speakers they disagree with because allowing right-wing discourse to be heard would place left-
wing and right-wing opinions on an equal footing.