NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 1:32 PM
Jay Paul/Bloomberg
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) stands with his wife Heidi Nelson Cruz and two daughters after announcing his presidential campaign at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where he delivered, to a huge crowd, a speech that frequently drew on the song “Imagine” by John Lennon.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) filled the auditorium at Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Va., during his campaign announcement because the event was held during a “convocation,” meaning attendance for students was mandatory.
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Well, imagine that.
Sen. Ted Cruz may have stressed liberty at his presidential bid announcement this week, but many who came to the packed Liberty University event were present only because they lacked the freedom to do otherwise.
The Texas Republican packed the house at his rally on the campus of the evangelical Christian school because it was held during a “convocation,” subjecting students to fines if they had skipped it due to a school policy enforcing mandatory attendance at such events.
Mandatory convocations — which the school calls assemblies meant "to develop campus unity, disseminate information, and challenge students spiritually, socially, morally and intellectually" — are held for Liberty students every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but under the university's conduct guidelines, students face financial penalties for missing them.
In a statement, Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. — the son of school founder, the late Jerry Falwell — said that convocation "is part of the educational program at Liberty" and compared the Cruz event to a number of other events the school has held in recent weeks.
"Requiring attendance is no different than what happened this past Thursday at Liberty when Cal Thomas, a prominent journalist, shared a presentation for journalism classes for which attendance was required," he said.
Under school conduct guidelines, students face four "reprimands" and a $10 fine for missing a convocation or creating a "disturbance" during one.
Students also face one "reprimand" for being late to a convocation, with an additional "reprimand" being tacked on for every 15 minutes of tardiness. Students face various levels of discipline and counseling for different numbers of "reprimands," with the most severe penalty falling after 30 are assigned.
The forced attendance at the Cruz event appeared to enrage many Liberty students — especially those who preferred other political candidates, namely Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
"I strongly object to Senator Cruz's choice of venue for the announcement of his 2016 presidential bid," Joseph McGowan wrote on Facebook.
McGowan, a leader of the school chapter of Young Americans for Liberty — a group founded by Paul's father, former Rep. Ron Paul, added that he "(bears) no ill will toward Sen. Cruz, but his choice to announce his 2016 presidential bid at convocation at Liberty University is a starkly deceptive one."
"Should the general public be unaware that all students are required to attend convocation, it would seem to the average viewer … that 10,000 supporters came to Liberty University to hear Sen. Cruz's announcement. However, every student in attendance has no say in the matter. Students will either attend convocation and lend to the illusion of widespread support for Sen. Cruz, or they will be subject to administrative punishment."
"It is a highly deceptive, albeit politically savvy, move on Sen. Cruz's part to make his big announcement here," he wrote. "I do not support this action, and I am not alone in my belief that such deception is wrong."
In fact, dozens of Liberty students were spotted during Cruz's Monday announcement sporting bright red "Stand With Rand" shirts, loudly advertising their support for the Kentucky senator, who is likely to announce his own 2016 bid in coming weeks.
Paul took a few swipes at Cruz's strategy himself, ripping the Texas conservative for holding his event in a setting where students were forced to attend.
"I went to Baylor University and we were all required to go to convocation, so all these kids (were) required (to attend Cruz's event) and some of those kids wanted to make sure that just by having to be there they weren't expressing their support," Paul said Monday night on FOX News Channel.
Paul also hit Cruz over his chances at actually winning the GOP nomination, claiming that the Texas conservative lacked electability.
"Ted Cruz is a conservative, but it also goes to winability," he said. "People will have to make a decision, which is the Republican who can not only excite the base but also bring new people into the party without giving up their principles."
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