SW Valley Times

State Rep. Jacqueline Parker (R-AZ) backs State Rep. Austin Smith’s (R-AZ) June 21 letter to the Arizona board of regents. The letter called for the board to investigate recent cases of free speech rights infringements on Arizona State University’s Campus.

“The state universities are all so hopelessly corrupt, it’s time they were defunded,” Parker said in a June 21 tweet. “Turn them over to the free market & see if they are successful enough to survive without taxpayer handouts.”

On June 19, Ann Atkinson, the executive director of the T.W. Lewis Center for Personal Development at the Barrett Honors College at ASU, posted an opinion piece on the Wall street journal, claiming that she was fired by the University because she was supportive of conservative beliefs and speakers, as reported by 12News. The University responded saying this was not the case. They said that funding for the four year project at T.W. Lewis would not extend past June 30 because of a decision from donors, and that although Atkinson’s position would end with the project, she could apply for another position. 

In February of this year, an event arranged by Atkinson to be hosted at the Honors College featured high profile right-wing speakers and drew the ire of three dozen University staff members who condemned the event, saying it was full of hate. The event was not canceled, and was held peacefully without incident.

Rep. Smith wrote a letter to Arizona State board of regents requesting that they uphold the constitutional rights of all staff and students at the university. “I am writing in my official capacity to express my concern regarding the disturbing trend of apparent free speech suppression at campuses in your charge,” Smith wrote in his letter. He detailed the Lewis speaker event and an earlier incident in which a student was arrested for handing out copies of the Constitution on campus. “I respectfully request the Regents to investigate ASU's actions and provide me with a response no later than July 21, 2023.”

Rep. Parker is a Mesa, Arizona native. According to Ballotpedia she attended Brigham Young University for her bachelor’s degree, the University of San Francisco for her J.D., and received a master’s degree from ASU in 2019. She was elected as a state representative in 2022, assuming office in January of 2023.