A booking at Cullen Performance Hall does not, in UH’s view, amount to university sponsorship or endorsement. That distinction applies to Shane Dawson’s planned Thursday screening of his television pilot “Cancelled,” which The Cougar reported has drawn objections from some students.
The university’s position on the booking
As reported by The Cougar, UH said an outside party organized the event. The university said it does not endorse the views or conduct of people or organizations using the hall, and a spokesperson described the venue as available for external bookings.
The hall’s university information says community groups can book it for events. The university’s rental information lists the venue’s capacity as 1,612 people.
A long-running campus venue
Cullen Performance Hall opened in fall 1950. According to the University of Houston, it is used for music concerts, public lectures, dance performances and theatrical productions. The university says past performers have included Linda Ronstadt, Devo, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, Joe Cocker, INXS, Eurythmics, Bruce Hornsby and Iggy Pop.
The University of Houston System policy allows internal and external groups to reserve or rent facilities if their use does not conflict with a facility’s purpose or substantially disrupt the institution. It says auxiliary-space bookings do not require sponsorship by a UH System entity. The system also retains the option to cancel, postpone or change an event when the space is needed for university purposes.
Student objections, as reported by The Cougar
The Cougar reported that some students object to Dawson’s appearance because of his past content. The newspaper said YouTube demonetized him in 2020 after backlash over videos that included racist jokes and material criticized for sexualizing minors. It described “Cancelled” as a story about an actress facing a scandal the night before the Oscars.
In interviews with The Cougar, Sebastian said the booking harms the university’s reputation and argued UH should cancel the event if most students oppose it. Felix also told the newspaper that the appearance reflects poorly on UH, but did not expect it to prompt changes to the hall’s future schedule.
The Cougar also reported that Brooke Baker criticized the university’s decision in light of what she viewed as insufficient support for people attacked on campus. She connected her criticism to a broader concern about universities failing to hold people accountable for past actions. These views come from The Cougar’s reporting; this article did not conduct interviews with the students.
