Baylor University is accused of attempting to “sabotage” a Turning Point USA event by denying access to ticket holders from the wider Waco community, despite having initially approved their attendance, as the organization claims.
The event, organized by students from Baylor’s Turning Point USA chapter, will feature notable speakers including border czar Tom Homan, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and conservative podcast host Benny Johnson as part of their “This is the Turning Point Tour.”
However, even though non-student ticket holders were previously allowed, Baylor University is now blocking 4,500 people from attending the gathering at Waco Hall, a campus auditorium, according to Turning Point USA.
“The original plan was for the event to be accessible to both students and the local Waco community,” a representative from TPUSA remarked. “In a community as connected as Waco, it seems odd not to include everyone because the university plays a central role here.”
The spokesperson noted that they had secured a large venue, expecting the attendance to fill it, but found out recently that local residents would not be allowed entry.
“We booked a venue large enough for all the tickets we reserved, but ultimately the administration said no,” another Turning Point USA representative shared.
A TPUSA spokesperson expressed regret over the situation: “We are disappointed for the 4,500 people who won’t be able to join us, but we hope that Border Czar Homan, AG Paxton, and Benny Johnson will focus on our students and still provide a fantastic event.”
Meanwhile, Baylor city officials have organized a counter-event to protest Turning Point USA. This comes after the assassination of founder Charlie Kirk last September while he was speaking at an outdoor event in Utah.
To add further complications, Turning Point USA staff were “trespassed” from campus in the lead-up to the event while they assisted students in distributing promotional materials, the organization reported.
Additionally, the school administration informed Turning Point USA that livestreaming the event would not be allowed.
When asked for a comment, Baylor University Vice President for Student Life Shara Hines refuted the claims, stating that 125 non-students are allowed to attend the event.
“From the start, we made it clear to the organizers that the event was for students, faculty, and staff only, with 125 invited guests from the organizing group,” Hines indicated.
“Due to specific university regulations regarding this event, only Baylor students will be allowed to participate, and we won’t open it up for general admission,” said a letter from TPUSA sent to numerous potential attendees.
“We realize this is disappointing, and we truly apologize for any inconvenience. We have tried to open this event to the wider Waco community, but unfortunately, the administration rejected those efforts,” the letter stated.
The group went on to say that a large number of students had already booked tickets for the event, which they considered a significant achievement, alongside an additional 4,500 non-students who had also secured tickets.
“We understand the importance of Baylor University to Waco, which is why we chose Waco Hall—a venue spacious enough for the community—and we firmly believe this decision by the administration was mistaken,” the letter concluded.
