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On October 22, 2025, Turning Point USA’s University of Maryland chapter was set to host The Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips for a one-hour talk in a 40-person classroom. The university’s police department refused to approve the event unless TPUSA paid for four hours of security, despite similar security measures not being required for other recent on-campus TPUSA events. On October 17, ��֭���� wrote UMD explaining that the university may not impose financial burdens on student groups based on potential reactions to a group’s protected expression, as arbitrary and excessive security fees for “controversial” speakers amount to a heckler’s veto. FIREcalled on UMD to allow TPUSA’s event to proceed as planned. On October 20, UMD responded, explaining that security fees for events are based on a set of content and viewpoint-neutral criteria, and its policy includes the requirement that all event hosts are responsible for paying security fees. However, UMD also has an unwritten exception for events held in certain designated outdoor spaces, where UMD will absorb all security costs instead of the event hosts. FIRErequested that UMD amend its event policy to clarify how its event security fees are determined and when student groups are required to cover these fees.