Princeton University: Student Group Forced to Host Podcast Off-Campus

On September 16, 2024, the Princeton University Whig-Cliosophic Society hosted a live recording of Advisory Opinions, a podcast about American law and culture featuring journalists David French and Sarah Isgur. During the podcast, Isgur revealed Princeton had denied Whig-Clio access to university room reservations for the event, citing the university’s tax-exempt status. FIRE wrote Princeton on September 19, making clear that IRS rules governing nonprofits only govern the university’s activity and do not apply to events hosted by registered student organizations. Our letter also explained that Princeton’s commitment to protecting student expression barred it from excluding Whig-Clio from university facilities based on the perceived content of the podcast. On September 23, Princeton responded, claiming it did not cite the tax-exempt status in moving the event off-campus. Reporting from a subsequent episode of Advisory Opinions revealed Princeton instead cited a policy barring student groups from co-hosting events with non-university entities. FIRE wrote Princeton again on October 24 explaining that such a policy violates students’ associational rights and that this event did not meet the definition of a co-hosted event.