South Alabama YAF Chapter Says Student Vandalized Its Campus Table; University Silent

MOBILE, Ala. — The South Alabama YAF chapter, the University of South Alabama’s branch of Young Americans for Freedom, says a tabling event turned into a heated confrontation Wednesday, when a student allegedly vandalized the group’s table and harassed members, an incident the chapter has described as the latest in a series of run-ins between conservative students and others on campus. The university did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The chapter, known as USA YAF, posted video of the encounter online, where it circulated widely. According to the chapter, the video shows a student wearing a name tag that read “John Connor” approaching members at the group’s table, damaging chapter property and tossing other items away from the table.

When the student realized he was being recorded, he repeatedly demanded that members delete the video, according to the chapter’s account. The chapter said its members asked him to walk away to end the confrontation, but he continued yelling at them to comply with his demands.

The student’s identity has not been independently confirmed, and no response from him was available.

Chapter Files Incident Report

USA YAF said it filed an incident report after the confrontation and that chapter members were working to file a police report. No information about any campus disciplinary process or law enforcement action related to the incident had been made public as of Friday.

The confrontation took place just days before President Donald Trump’s scheduled appearance on the University of South Alabama campus at the Mitchell Center, the university’s arena, a visit that drew heightened attention to the campus.

Previous Incidents Described by Conservative Students

Members of USA YAF and other conservative student groups say Wednesday’s confrontation was not an isolated event. They have previously reported being threatened, shouted at, followed to their vehicles and having their property damaged.

The chapter has pointed to several earlier episodes:

• January: Conservative students who attended a “Sexual Health Bingo” event hosted by Planned Parenthood Generation Action said attendees threatened to “beat them up” and later followed YAF members to their car.
• Later in January: YAF members who went to an anti-ICE demonstration on campus said they were yelled at and insulted even though they were only observing.
• February: Conservative students said a University of South Alabama professor verbally harassed members of the campus Turning Point USA chapter and mocked the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

Those accounts come from the conservative students and organizations involved. The university has not publicly addressed them, and the other individuals and groups referenced in the students’ accounts were not available for comment.

What the University’s Policy Says

The University of South Alabama has a written policy governing expressive activity on campus, and conservative students say the incidents they have described run counter to it.

As described in the policy, the university “shall not permit” members of the campus community to materially and substantially disrupt another person’s protected expressive activity. The policy states that students who engage in fighting, violence or threats of violence that substantially interfere with someone else’s expression may face discipline, up to and including removal from the university community.

The same policy says the safety and well-being of members of the campus community “must be protected at all times,” and it prohibits physically abusive or threatening conduct on university property.

Policies like this are common at public colleges and universities, which, as government institutions, are bound by the First Amendment. In general, such policies aim to protect the right of students and student groups to speak, distribute materials and hold events, while also setting limits on conduct that would shut down someone else’s expression, such as physically interfering with an event, destroying property or making threats. Students who disagree with a group’s views are typically free to express that disagreement through their own speech, as long as they do not cross into the kinds of disruption or misconduct the policy prohibits.

Chapter Calls for Accountability

Members of the conservative organization say they increasingly question whether those protections are being enforced after repeated incidents.

“Universities should protect these freedoms and any individual or organization that infringes on these rights should be held accountable and punished appropriately,” said William Davidson, chairman of USA YAF.

The chapter has not publicly said what specific action it wants the university to take regarding the student involved in Wednesday’s incident, beyond the incident report it filed and the police report its members said they were preparing.

University Has Not Responded

The University of South Alabama and the office of university President Jo Bonner were contacted with questions about whether the university was addressing Wednesday’s confrontation, whether conservative students remain safe on campus and whether repeated incidents involving conservative students could carry consequences for the university.

The university did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Because student disciplinary matters are generally handled confidentially, a university may not publicly disclose whether it has opened an inquiry into a specific student. Federal student privacy law also limits what schools can share about individual student records.

About Young Americans for Freedom

Young Americans for Freedom is a national conservative student organization with chapters on high school and college campuses across the country. It was founded in 1960 at the Sharon, Connecticut, home of conservative writer William F. Buckley Jr., where its founders adopted a statement of principles known as the Sharon Statement. Today, YAF chapters operate as part of the Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth organization.

College YAF chapters commonly hold tabling events, host speakers and organize activism around conservative causes. Tabling, in which a student group sets up a table in a high-traffic area of campus to hand out materials and talk with passersby, is a routine form of student outreach used by organizations across the political spectrum.

About the University of South Alabama

The University of South Alabama is a public research university in Mobile. Its campus includes the Mitchell Center, a multipurpose arena that hosts athletic events, commencement ceremonies, concerts and other large gatherings.

Like other public universities, South Alabama is home to a wide range of registered student organizations representing differing political, religious, cultural and social viewpoints, including both conservative and progressive groups.

What Happens Next

USA YAF said it has filed an incident report, and chapter members said they were working to file a police report. Any campus disciplinary process would be handled by the university, and any criminal investigation would depend on the report filed with law enforcement.

Students who experience threats, harassment or damage to property on campus can report incidents to campus police or through the university’s reporting channels. In an emergency, call 911.

South Alabama News will update this story if the university or others involved respond.