The decision was based on concerns that her criticism of "woke culture" and comparisons of this ideology to her experience under communist rule could be deemed offensive or hurtful, as reported by Campus Reform. The private Christian university in Spokane, Washington, saw its student government vote 9-4 against the proposal during an April 12 meeting.
Xi Van Fleet, a Virginia mother who lived through Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution before immigrating to the United States, has gained prominence as an outspoken critic of critical race theory.
She often warns of parallels she perceives between the "woke revolution" and her experience during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, including the suppression of dissenting opinions.
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Grace Stiger, president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Whitworth University, expressed her desire for Van Fleet to "tell her story" and offer students a unique perspective as a survivor of Zedong's regime.
April 24, 2023
However, the student government opposed Stiger's request, citing Van Fleet's anti-woke tweets, which they claimed target diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), Black Lives Matter, the LGBTQ community, and "environmental justice," among other social justice initiatives, according to Campus Reform.
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In an interview with the website, Van Fleet condemned the student government's decision to prevent her from speaking on campus, stating that it was "extra concerning that this happened [at] a Christian college, which is supposedly more conservative."
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She questioned the motives behind the decision, asking, "What are they afraid of?" Van Fleet emphasized that her perspective is based on lived experience, not merely an idea she read or researched. While she claimed not to be surprised by the outcome, she expressed hope that students would learn from the history of China's Cultural Revolution.
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Van Fleet cautioned against canceling others, saying, "When you cancel people now, you have to be prepared to be canceled later." Stiger told Campus Reform that her Republican group faced more opposition and dissenting votes "than any other club" when requesting speakers.
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The student government has previously rejected proposals from conservative groups, including a 2019 request by the Young America's Foundation (YAF) to host Ben Shapiro, as reported by the website.
Whitworth University's website states that the institution seeks to affirm "freedom of expression for its students, staff, and faculty" through faith. The commitment to free expression is grounded in the university's belief in the triune God, who creates and redeems a good world for flourishing through his life-giving Word, Jesus Christ.
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The institution takes Jesus Christ as the model for engagement in public discourse and exploration and expression of ideas.
Whitworth University's statement on free expression emphasizes the importance of this principle for exploration, asserting that "every aspect of God's creation is worthy of study because God's creation reflects God's glory and is bound together by the life-giving Word, Jesus Christ."
Despite these affirmations, the university's student government decision to deny Van Fleet the opportunity to speak on campus raises questions about the institution's commitment to free expression and intellectual diversity.
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