The University of Maryland is defending its policy that allowed the college to charge a security fee to a Turning Point USA student group for a campus speaking event, rejecting criticism from a free-speech advocacy group. The decision to uphold the fee underscores ongoing debates about campus safety, free expression, and the costs student organizations face when hosting conservative speakers.
The campus chapter of conservative student organization Turning Point USA hosted an event featuring Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips. For that event, university officials required the group to pay nearly $150 for a contracted security guard to perform bag checks, even though the talk itself lasted about one hour. The fee was for four hours of contracted service, which the university counted under its standard event security policies.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) protested the fee, saying it could stifle free speech and unfairly burden student groups with controversial viewpoints. FIRE raised concerns about the fee’s impact and asked the university to revise its policy to make clear how security costs are determined and when they apply.
University officials responded by saying the security requirement and fee are not tied to any particular viewpoint. The university noted similar fees have been applied to other groups hosting guest speakers, claiming the fees are based on neutral safety considerations, not content or ideology. The school also pointed out it did not charge for University of Maryland police officers at the event itself.
FIRE highlighted that the university has an unwritten exception for events held in certain outdoor spaces, where the institution absorbs security costs, but argued the policy overall can still place undue burdens on student organizers. Advocates of Turning Point USA say they have held prior events without facing such fees, raising concerns that this charge could discourage campus discourse.
The dispute comes as many universities nationwide reassess event security in light of recent threats and incidents at campus gatherings. Administrators say heightened precautions are important for safety, but critics maintain that imposing additional costs on speakers with controversial or unpopular viewpoints could have a chilling effect on free speech.
