University at Buffalo Clubs Caught in Free Speech Crossfire

June 22, 2023 1 min read

Johanna Alonso
Inside Higher Ed

Excerpt: When Suha Chowdhury started a chapter of the humanitarian aid organization Islamic Relief at the University at Buffalo, she envisioned joining with her peers to fundraise for global causes and help Buffalo-area nonprofits—all with the support of her university.

But because of a new rule introduced by the Student Association, one of the university’s student government bodies, Islamic Relief Buffalo, as it’s known, was never officially recognized as a university club and therefore wasn’t eligible for institutional backing. Some students allege the rule was added to restrict one specific conservative organization, but it ended up thwarting dozens of existing UB clubs affiliated with outside organizations.


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