Turning Point USA

In a letter addressed directly to Charlie Kirk, Arizona State University President Michael Crow requested that Turning Point USA remove all ASU faculty members from the Professor Watchlist.

The request from President Crow follows an event that took place on the ASU campus in February featuring Charlie Kirk and Dennis Prager, titled “Health, Wealth, and Happiness.” Crow claims that since faculty members have been added to the Professor Watchlist, they have been harassed and intimidated.

“I would like to request that you remove the ASU faculty members from the Professor Watchlist,” Crow asked. “If you will not do so, please add me to the list, as I will continue to support all of ASU’s faculty members in their right to teach, engage in scholarship, and advocate for their views without the kind of intimidation, abuse and antisemitism which is found in the enclosed attachments and which occurs when faculty are placed on your list.”

President Crow went on to claim that the only reason faculty members are listed is because they have expressed views that TPUSA disagrees with. However, this is not the mission of the Professor Watchlist.

The TPUSA Professor Watchlist aims to expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom. The watchlist does not condone harassment of these professors, and it is not designed to remove left-wing viewpoints from the classroom. Rather, it is designed to shed light on biases on college campuses and show how conservative voices are treated.

TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet clarified that the Professor Watchlist, “simply gathers already publicly available quotes, comments and videos from professors, like those employed at ASU, in one searchable database.”

President Crows stated in his letter to Kirk that, “If being on the list means believing that viewpoints from across the ideological spectrum are welcome on college campuses, I would be honored to be on it.” However, ASU has failed to adequately prove all ideological viewpoints are welcome on its campus.

Prior to Kirk and Prager speaking at the “Health, Wealth, and Happiness” event on ASU’s campus, a number of faculty members from the school’s honors college petitioned to have ASU “disassociate” from the event. One faculty affiliate who signed the petition stated, “I do not think that the decision to host these speakers at ASU’s premier venue is in congruence with Barrett’s principles as an institution.”

Educational institutions across the country have become increasingly far-left and often suppress conservative voices and values. According to a 2018 report published by the National Association of Scholars, almost 40% of colleges across the country do not have a single conservative professor. This is an alarming statistic, as college students seeking education deserve to hear multiple ideological viewpoints.

ASU’s TPUSA chapter is set to host an event on September 27 that will see Kirk and Prager speak on campus once again.