Statement by NYU Spokesman John Beckman On College Republican Club Event

“At universities, providing a forum for the exchange of ideas - even difficult and unpopular ideas - is a key mission. We hope the debates will be conducted with respect and civility, and will be driven by an impulse to provoke thought rather than anger. Illegal immigration is a totally appropriate topic for debate, though this event seems principally calculated to produce outraged reaction rather than dialogue.

“Our inclination is always to support free speech. Just as one group of students will conduct this so-called ‘game,’ many others will be expressing their objections by protesting it. At a university, the vigorous exchange of views is something we hope for from engaged students and scholars.”