Campus Conservatives RSO status revoked

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Campus Conservatives is unable to meet as a registered student organization because of outstanding debt owed to Central Michigan University, officials from the Office of Student Life said.

“Until this debt is resolved, your organization will not be recognized as a registered student organization and granted the privileges that are associated with being a RSO,” said Assistant Director of Student Life Tom Idema in an e-mail dated Aug. 17 to Hart junior and Campus Conservatives president Bryant Greiner.

Without RSO status, Campus Conservatives is unable to use university resources, including reserving classrooms for meetings and events.

Dennis Lennox II, a Topinabee senior who is a part-time alumni adviser to Campus Conservatives, said the outstanding charges in question are $220 in fees for uniformed police officers acting as security for David Horowitz when the conservative speaker appeared on campus Oct. 14, 2008. University officials said the outstanding bill is $911.50, which includes waivers in charges for police, a stool and a table.

Lennox said Horowitz and his representation requested additional security because of previous threats and attempts at attacking Horowitz, but Campus Conservatives never authorized the security detail or agreed to pay for them.

“We stated very clearly, ‘If you send the police, we won’t pay for it,’” Lennox said.

According to a statement released by the Campus Conservatives on Tuesday morning, the group requested “full restoration of the registered student organization standing of Campus Conservatives” and a “‘personal apology’ from Idema for his ‘reckless and inexcusable conduct’” with a deadline of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Greiner said Campus Conservatives has yet to receive any response from the university.

Lennox said he believes Idema has a “mission” of removing the Campus Conservatives from campus.

“Tom Idema has done this before, and he’s been reversed by his superiors in his past,” Lennox said. “He has made it his mission to go against our Campus Conservatives. This is the third time he’s done this.”

Idema denied any such vendetta and said this is a simple matter of the group needing to pay a debt.

“Dennis Lennox doesn’t know me very well,” Idema said. “I have nothing against any organization. They just didn’t pay their bill. The minute they pay their bill, they’ll have their RSO status back.”

Lennox said in the past, RSOs including the Campus Conservatives that required event security in the past have had it provided free of charge.

All members of University Events contacted were declined comment on the university’s policies on charging for security.