St. Cloud State Grad Sues to Stop Mandatory Student Fee That Supports Liberal Activist Group
“said she received minimal information that the university was charging her to fund the group”
This should become a national movement. Student fees are used in this way at schools across the country every single year.
The College Fix reports:
College grad sues to stop mandatory student fee that supports liberal activist group
St. Cloud State University and Students United are facing a lawsuit over a mandatory fee, which the plaintiff argues violates her First Amendment rights.
The federal lawsuit, brought by the Liberty Justice Center and the Upper Midwest Law Center on behalf of Tayah Lackie, argues that this mandatory fee to support Students United’s political activism violates Lackie and other students’ First Amendment Rights.
The state filed a motion to dismiss on Monday.
Lackie only found out that she was funding this political speech after she graduated. She opposes initiatives like “FCK Student Debt” given that she “paid [her] own way without taking on debt.”
The lawsuit says Students United is “a private corporation created for the purpose of engaging in political speech, which advocates for and takes positions on controversial policies and legislation, and which purports to speak on all students’ behalf.”
Attorneys for Lackey believe that this collection of fees is a form of compelled speech and therefore violates the First Amendment rights of students.
Jacob Huebert, president of the Liberty Justice Center, told The Fix via email “a victory in this case would establish that state colleges and universities cannot force students to pay fees to an activist group just to be allowed to attend.”
The current fee is “80 cents per credit,” according to Liberty Justice Center’s lawsuit.
But Lackie said she received minimal information that the university was charging her to fund the group. It was only in 2024 that she saw the charges on her “account statement” that showed fees deducted. “Apart from those account statements, neither St. Cloud State nor Students United informed Ms. Lackie that she was required to pay fees to Students United,” the lawsuit alleges.
The money goes to the Minnesota State University Student Association, also called Students United, for lobbying activities. This includes pushing for a taxpayer bailout of student loans.
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Comments
Paid her own way without taking on debt. Probably white. Therefore this is racist.
Since she has graduated and won’t be charged again, the court will decide she has no standing. That’s the usual way to avoid ruling against the side you like.
She actually suffered the injury. She should have standing.
Back in the 80’s, when I was at BC, MassPIRG (MA Public Interest Research Group) automatically took a “fee” as part of the tuition bill. Naturally (or unnaturally), they are into “climate change,” EVs etc.
Of course, people like me objected, so they had to set up a table in the Eagle’s Nest to return the money to those that didn’t agree with them or their funding methods.
It was a long line.
Update: they are still doing it. Here is a letter to the editor from 2003 at ZooMass, um, I mean UMASS:
“I really think that the debate over the waivable fee has gone on too long. As a member of the undergraduate student senate here at UMass Boston I find that this entire debate has shown how an issue, that is intrinsically trivial, can be stretched into something totally ridiculous. The fee for MassPirg is $7, which is not going to break the bank on anyone. The fee is a waivable fee that I find to be totally fair. Why? Because, as I have stated in senate meetings here at UMB I feel that the bill ITSELF is fair. If you are a college student, and you are receiving a bill, then it is your responsibility to read and understand the document. One should read and understand any document that one is issued, whereby you are being asked to pay any sum of money. The document is clear, concise, and fair. How hard is it to flip a piece of paper over and check a box if you don’t want to be charged a fee? It really should be quite simple for a person who claims to be a college student. That is why I have so much trouble understanding the contempt that so many people have for MassPirg and the waivable fee. How does this fee and the way that the tuition bills are set up place students in a position where they are being manipulated? I find this to be a ridiculous and offensive sentiment. If you are a college student then you should have the cognitive ability to read and understand a tuition bill, period. I waive the fee for everything, every semester, and have done so since I have been a student here at UMB. It’s simple, it’s easy, and all it takes is a stroke of a pen. Voila, I’m not getting charged for anything extra. I find that the document is fair, and if you can’t understand your bill, then go to the bursar’s office and have someone help you to understand it. I really hope this issue is put to rest because we have better things to deal with on the senate.
Will RoachCriminal Justice/Philosophy major”
Point one (first bold): these are the same people that claim college students didn’t understand their loan agreements.
Point two (second bolding): how about not being deceptive and have an “opt in” checkbox? It is just as easy to do that as opting out, and you won’t be deceptive in the process.
I also waived the UMB MassPIRG fee, 50 years ago. We used to refer to it as the “ignorant or lazy student who did not read the fine print” fee.