UT’s Office of the Dean of Students ordered right-wing commentator and influencer Cam Higby to leave campus on the grounds of Senate Bill 2972 on October 31.
The removal sparked outrage among some conservative and libertarian students, including the UT Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) chapter, which had hosted Higby on campus. In a post on X last Wednesday, Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian), sent a message to UT President Jim Davis demanding answers as to why Cam Higby was removed from campus and what specific policies he violated. Rep. Harrison also shared a statement from UT’s YCT chapter in the post, which pointed out that the Students for a Democratic Society, as an organization, has not faced retribution for its progressive, yet disturbing and violent “expressive activities,” even prior to SB 2972’s injunction.
Cam Higby is an influencer known among conservative youth for his coverage of anti-ICE and anti-Israel rallies, street interviews, and Charlie Kirk-esque debates on college campuses. He has over 16 million likes on TikTok and almost 200,000 subscribers on YouTube.
On October 31, Higby, along with Ben Prax, set up a table outside the Perry-Castaneda Library, opening the floor to debates with UT students. After only a few hours, a UT administrator asked the party to leave campus, citing SB 2972.
Effective this September, SB 2972, known as the Campus Protection Act, prohibits “expressive activities” at public higher education institutions between the hours of 10 P.M. and 8 A.M. The bill also forbids a wide variety of daytime activities including use of a device to amplify expressive activities, erection of encampments or living accommodations on campus, and “lowering the institution’s flag of the United States or of this state with the intent to raise the flag of another nation or… organization.”
Proposed by former Texas State Sen. Brandon Creighton, SB 2972 originated in response to the 2024 UT Austin pro-Palestinian protests. This series of marches, demonstrations, and encampments took place in late April 2024, amassing over 1,000 people and resulting in more than 100 arrests. The protests drew national attention as local and state enforcement became involved and concerns mounted over free speech on campus.
On October 14, over two weeks prior to Cam Higby’s appearance on UT campus, Senior US District Judge David Alan Ezra granted a preliminary injunction against Creighton’s bill, concluding “the state failed to prove the restrictions were ‘narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling governmental interest’.” This injunction halted each of the bans within SB 2972 that had been enforced on UT System campuses.
According to a statement to the Texas Horn from UT-YCT, an administrator in the Office of the Dean of Students confirmed to them in writing that they should have been allowed to continue tabling on October 31.
