Hit 40th speaker invite in 18 months, noticed a scary pattern

I coordinate campus events and we just booked our 40th speaker since January 2024. What surprised me is that 28 of them came with a demand list from student groups, not about content but about who can ask questions or sit on stage. Has anyone else seen this shift where the invite process feels more like negotiating a hostage release than hosting a talk?

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umabailey23d ago

Honestly, are we sure this is a "scary pattern" and not just student groups finally realizing they have a tiny bit of power? In my experience, people who ask for the most stuff are usually the ones who are also the most organized. Maybe the real problem is that your speaker lineup attracts groups who think they're getting a bigger deal than they actually are. Seems like a lot of drama over who sits in a folding chair for an hour.