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In a significant political clash, nine members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pushing to withdraw funding from South Carolina State University following the institution’s decision to cancel Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette’s commencement address.
Initially scheduled as the keynote speaker for SC State’s spring commencement, Lieutenant Governor Evette’s invitation was withdrawn after student protests erupted over her selection. A petition demanding her removal from the event garnered over 20,000 signatures by Thursday afternoon, with organizers expressing concerns about her political views and affiliations as a gubernatorial candidate.
In response, a group of nine House members penned a letter to Representative Bruce Bannister, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. They urged him to exclude the university from state funding in the forthcoming revision of the state budget.
The letter stated, “Taxpayer dollars should not support a state institution where all South Carolinians are not welcomed. If our Lieutenant Governor is considered unwelcome due to differing political beliefs and concerns for her safety, it is time to reconsider the funding and purpose of such an institution.”
Representatives Gil Gatch, Thomas Beach, Jackie Terribile, Sarita Edgerton, Josiah Magnuson, John McCravy, Melissa Oremus, and Cally Forrest Jr. signed the letter, signaling a significant political stand on this contentious issue.
The full text of the letter can be read below:
Chairman Bannister,
We, the undersigned members of the House, are deeply concerned about the decision made by South Carolina State University to rescind the invitation to Lt. Governor Pamela Evette as the speaker at their upcoming commencement ceremony next week.
In recent days, we have seen widespread protests on the campus of SC State due to Lt. Governor Evette’s political stances. Protestors cited her opposition to DEI practices, her pro-life record, and being a “Trump Conservative,” among others.
It is shameful that a state institution, supported by taxpayer dollars, would capitulate and rescind an invitation to our sitting Lt. Governor – seemingly because some students do not agree with her political views. Institutions of higher learning are intended to be a space where young adults are presented with a variety of viewpoints and ideas, not center of indoctrination where conservative are not welcome.
In announcing their decision to rescind Lt. Governor Evette’s invitation, the university also explained that there were concerns about safety. It is inexcusable that a commencement speech from the Lt. Governor of South Carolina had to be canceled because her safety could not be guaranteed on a state-funded campus.
We are hereby requesting that no funding for South Carolina State University be included in the second version of the budget. There is no reason why state tax dollars should continue to fund a state institution where not all South Carolinians are welcome. If the Lt. Governor of South Carolina is unwelcome due to different political ideologies and an inability to keep her safe, it is time to defund and reevaluate.