Controversial British author and social media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos will speak at UCCS Jan. 26 at the invitation of two registered student groups.<\/p>\n
The UCCS student chapters of the College Republicans and Turning Point USA invited Yiannopoulos, technology editor for Breitbart News, to speak on campus. The free event will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Upper Lodge on the UCCS campus. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are required. Tickets and other details are available at http:\/\/sa1.seatadvisor.com\/sabo\/servlets\/EventSearch?presenter=thw&event=MILO<\/a><\/p>\n Yiannopoulos is in the middle of a college speaking tour with nine visits planned at campuses in the Western United States. He will appear at CU Boulder Jan. 25.<\/p>\n As a public university, UCCS does not endorse the views of invited speakers. The university has been the location of presentations by many individuals who offer differing viewpoints on a variety of topics. For example, the campus was visited by Donald Trump in 2016 as well as by Barack Obama, then a United States senator, in 2008.<\/p>\n Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak has encouraged the campus community to reject Yiannopoulos\u2019 rhetoric while explaining his legal right to speak.<\/p>\n \u201cThe statements that Mr. Yiannopoulos has made at other campuses are clearly in opposition to the values of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and its commitment to creating an inclusive community that welcomes all,\u201d Shockley-Zalabak said. \u201cMoreover, his tactics of personal denigration, as well as racist and misogynist comments, are both personally reprehensible and contrary to the university\u2019s values of civil, respectful discussion of difference and difficult topics. We ascribe to The Board of Regents\u2019 Guiding Principle that the University of Colorado shall always strive to \u201cprovide an outstanding, respectful, and responsive living, learning, teaching, and working environment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, the University of Colorado system adheres to the freedoms embodied in the United States Constitution, which include the freedom of speech contained in the First Amendment. Under well-established constitutional principles, when a student group invites a speaker, the University of Colorado does not censor the speaker because it disagrees with his viewpoints.\u201d<\/p>\n