The incident occurred on October 14 when students Madelyne Arrowood and Lillee Dent set up a table at the Wildcat Central Campus Center on behalf of ACU for Life, a recognized student organization. Their display included a handwritten sign reading, “Abortion is Murder. Disagree? Let’s talk.”
According to the students, university staff—not fellow students—objected to the message.
ACU Assistant Director of Student Services John Mark Moudy approached the table and told the students to remove the sign.
“So, I mean, you can take it down or … there will be some kind of conduct,” Moudy told the students, according to a video of the exchange.
Arrowood said the group had used similar signs in the past and was hosting the table in honor of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s birthday, according to video of the exchange.
Moudy later returned with his supervisor, Lyndi Felan, ACU’s dean of retention and student success.
“So you can change the sign or you can get up. It’s one or the other. Are you recording?” Felan said.
“I am currently in the middle of a meeting and this is inappropriate language. I can call Tamara, I can do whatever you want to do, but this is inappropriate. And you can either remove the sign, or you can leave,” Felan said.
“You can do whatever you want to do. It is just inappropriate for you to have a sign like this up here. That’s all I’m saying,” Felan said.
After the exchange, Arrowood defended the group’s actions and criticized what she described as increasing suppression of free speech on college campuses.
“Student conversation and open debate is an important part of college,” Arrowood told LifeNews, a pro-life outlet. “Conversation moderated by faculty is often canned, as students are worried for their grades and unlikely to correct faculty that they may disagree with.”
The Dallas Express reached out to ACU for comment and received the following statement.
ACU’s Full Statement (Verbatim)
On Oct. 14, ACU for Life – a student organization that had reserved a table in the area immediately adjacent to the dining hall – was asked by a Student Life representative to modify the wording of a sign on their display. After ACU staff engaged with the students and provided direction, the students were allowed to continue using the space in the campus center. The university has been supportive of the ACU for Life organization and has provided tremendous encouragement for their work.
During the interaction, the Student Life staff member unfortunately used the phrase “hate speech” in a broader conversation to describe the sign. The employee has since apologized for the choice of words and acknowledged that the sign is not an example of hate speech. To be clear, the university does not believe the sign represented hate speech.
ACU’s campus center is frequented by students, faculty and staff, community members, guests and families. It is intended to be a welcoming space, and activities that take place there should be in keeping with that intent.
Open discussion of ideas, challenging topics and areas of disagreement is welcomed and encouraged at ACU, and opportunities for such activities are provided at appropriate times and settings. Discussions are underway to better communicate guidelines and expectations moving forward.
No disciplinary action was taken in response to this situation, and productive conversations have taken place between the students, the organization’s faculty sponsors and ACU Student Life staff.