I thought the 'heckler's veto' at our state university was just a talking point until I saw a guest speaker get shouted down for 15 minutes straight last Thursday.

What's the best way for a student group to actually ensure a controversial event can proceed without that kind of disruption?

4 comments

4 Comments

gray_morgan3mo ago

Hiring a bouncer like @the_max said is basically asking for a fight. That just makes you look like the bad guys. The real move is to work the system before anyone even shows up. Get the school's official approval in writing, have campus police there clearly as peacekeepers, not your muscle. Assign your own members as ushers with a strict plan, like one warning then they call the cops to remove a disruptor. It turns the whole thing from a shouting match into a procedure.

hollywhite3mo ago

My buddy's frat tried the bouncer thing and it went south fast.

the_max3mo ago

What if you hired a bouncer, like a real one?

troy_price1mo ago

Used to think having some big dude at the door was the only way to keep things from getting out of hand... but reading through this changed my mind. Having campus police there as neutral peacekeepers instead of your hired muscle makes way more sense, they've got actual authority and training for de-escalation. The one warning then call the cops rule is smart too, it takes the personal beef out of it and makes it a procedural thing. That way nobody can say you were looking for a fight or playing tough guy.