Nine organizations have been denied approval to participate in this year's Homecoming parade in addition to Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine, according to a document filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine sued Mun Choi, president of the University of Missouri System, last month to secure a place in the parade.
Choi was ordered by the court Wednesday to file a document listing all of the organizations that had been approved for parade participation and the ones that had been denied. The document did not provide a reason for any of the denials.
The non-approved organizations on the university's list included:
- The Brazilian Student Association
- Central Missouri Chapter of the Links, Inc.
- Girl Scouts of Northern Boone County
- League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County
- Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine
- Be SMART for Kids (Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America)
- Spanish Theatre Club
- The Diva University
- The Elite Royal Lionettes
- University of Missouri Children's Critical Care
The document also lists 28 invited parade participants, including city, state and university officials; 26 approved community organizations that paid $250 each to participate; and 42 approved student organizations, including fraternities, sororities and clubs.
Mizzou spokesperson Christoper Ave said those on the non-approved list were denied for a variety of reasons: safety, failure to communicate how entry supports the theme, lack of payment by deadline, etc.
"We are still working with a handful of entries to finalize their applications in the next few days," Ave said.
He declined to comment on the list since it is part of an active lawsuit.
Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine filed a motion Sept. 5 seeking a preliminary injunction that would allow them to participate in the Homecoming Parade on Sept. 26. They had also been excluded last year.
In a federal court hearing Tuesday in Kansas City, the group argued that Choi has violated their First Amendment rights by forbidding them to participate in the parade because of their views on Israel and Palestine.
Choi's legal team argued that the First Amendment does not apply to the university's actions in this case, and that Choi had legitimate safety concerns to deny the group a place in the parade.
They cited "concerning actions" involving Students for Justice in Palestine organizations on other campuses that resulted in disciplinary action, violence and property damage.
During Tuesday's hearing, Choi also testified that the group's application did not fit the Homecoming Parade theme, "celebrating black and gold."
Earlier this year, the university updated its Homecoming Parade policy to exclude political expression. The new policy also denies participation of organizations that don't adhere to the parade's "black and gold" theme.
According to the updated policy, "the purpose of the Homecoming Parade is to celebrate Mizzou and its supporters. It is not a venue for protests."
In order to limit the size and duration of the parade, Mizzou's policy notes that "it is not an open forum for expression on topics identified by participants, but rather is limited to expression on topics identified by the University."
The acceptable topics identified by the university are to celebrate Mizzou's traditions and accomplishments; cultivate alumni connections to the institution; honor university-selected achievements of Mizzou students, personnel and/or alumni and rally support and enthusiasm for the Homecoming football game.
Be SMART for Kids (Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America) was disqualified from parade participation under the new criteria.
Kristin Bowen, a volunteer for Be SMART for Kids, said the organization originally applied as Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which was not approved for being "politics-adjacent."
She said the university offered them the opportunity to reapply as Be SMART for Kids, an apolitical campaign that shares information on gun safety.
"We never use the donations that we get for doing Be SMART for Kids education campaigns to do anything political, so we think of them as truly distinct," Bowen said. "When we give a Be SMART presentation, a part of the presentation has in the script that we are checking our politics at the door."
Bowen said the volunteers were planning to wear black and gold bee costumes, but she said they heard last week that Be SMART for Kids was also not approved for failing to follow the parade's theme.
She said volunteers with Moms Demand Action have been in the parade every year for the past decade.
"It's a tradition that we have carried on for all the years we were able to, and moms come from Joplin and St. Louis — it's not just Columbia," Bowen said. "It's hard to let go."
Another organization, League of Women Voters, was also denied participation for not fitting the parade's theme.
"The LWV is nonpartisan, so we support all candidates and give info about both sides," President Susie Adams said about the updated parade policy.
"We do take a stance on issues, but we are a nonpartisan organization. It feels like in this atmosphere MU is being cautious and trying not to have political associations," she said.
On Thursday, Choi's attorney Christopher Wray filed a motion for dismissal of the case, challenging the student group's standing and validity of the constitutional basis for its lawsuit, arguing that gives Choi qualified immunity.
Editor's note: KCUR 89.3 is licensed to the University of Missouri Board of Curators and is an editorially independent community service of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
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