Richard Spencer paid Auburn University $700 to rent space in the school's James E. Foy Hall for a speech he plans to deliver Tuesday evening. The fee also paid for the Auburn Police Division to provide security for the event, according to a university spokesman.

Meanwhile, students and others who disagree with Spencer's divisive views plan to protest Spencer - a self-avowed white supremacist and "alt-right" leader described by many opponents as a "Neo-Nazi" - both before and during the controversial event.

"We are a public university and our meeting space is for rent," Mike Clardy, a spokesman for Auburn, told AL.com via email Wednesday evening. "Auburn supports the constitutional right to free speech, so we don't make decisions on who can rent based on content. Spencer is paying $700 for the space, plus all costs for security (Auburn Police Division)."

Spencer set off an online firestorm when he announced via Twitter early Wednesday morning that he plans to speak at Auburn on Tuesday. Scores of people, including Auburn alumni and students, decried the event on social media.

By mid-day Wednesday, plans had been laid out for at least two separate protest events. One dubbed "Protest Richard Spencer at AU" initially called via Facebook for a protest on campus beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday and running through 9 p.m., the scheduled end time for the Spencer event.

"PEACEFUL protest of Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer," the Facebook Event description read. "He has a history of saying the left wants to silence free speech, so let's let him talk, but make certain we let him know his ideas are not welcome here. Bring signs, wave flags, make chants, but NO VIOLENCE or hate speech whatsoever."

But by Wednesday evening, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) had weighed in on the controversy, calling on students to refrain from confrontational counter-protests.

"We've talked to some students who are organizing counter-protests or are planning to go and confront him and such," Lecia Brooks, the SPLC's outreach director, said, according to the Auburn Plainsman, the university's student newspaper. "We highly recommend against that."

The "Protest Richard Spencer at AU" Facebook Event description was also updated to reflect the SPLC's views.

"A rep from the Montgomery SPLC advised not to seed the audience or counter protest," the update read as of Wednesday night. "She said he thrives on that, and it increases his impact. She's trying to set something up off campus. The group will be updated to reflect those details as soon as we have them!"

By Wednesday night, more than 80 people had indicated via Facebook they plan to attend the event, and more than 140 others said they were "interested" in attending.

Another event was organized Wednesday on Facebook with the name "AUTogether Hashing it Out." Scheduled to take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Auburn's Lowder Hall, it is billed as a forum for "further dialogue" among the university community.

"'Hashing it Out' will provide an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to engage in further dialogue, in a small group setting, on topics of concern raised at the town hall (such as cultural, political, and campus issues)," the Facebook Event description reads. "It is our hope that this follow-up discussion will help individuals better understand and respect differences in perspectives and experiences."

As of Wednesday night, more than a dozen people had indicated via Facebook that they plan to attend the event, and more than 50 had said they were "interested" in doing so.

Spencer has been a lightning rod of controversy ever since he rose to national prominence when video was posted online showing him espousing white supremacist views at a speech in Washington, D.C. last year.

He was back in the news in January, when video of him getting punched in the face on Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C., went viral.

Auburn College Republicans, a student organization, hosted alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos in October. But a representative told AL.com that the group did not invite Spencer to speak, and Auburn confirmed that neither it nor any student group had invited him.