(State College, Pa.) A Penn State University junior sparked widespread anger and protests after he said colleges were designed for higher education, not activism.
“To me, that is the most non-controversial thing in the world to say because it seems so obvious, at least to me,” Justin Parker, 20, of Kansas City, Kan., said. “I mean, I came here to get a degree and learn things that will help me earn a better living, not spend my days out on campus hollering and screaming at everyone for every little cause.
“So imagine my surprise when my comments actually sparked a protest,” Parker went on. “It seems so silly to me to protest someone who said protests are not the primary objective of going to college. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for free speech and things like that, but I dunno. Color me weird, I guess.”
Sarah Stevenson, a 19-year-old sophomore from Pittsburgh who organized the protest, had a different view.
“No, it’s not ‘free speech’ when you say something that so harmful and triggering like that,” she said. “It’s an attack on my conscience and an invasion of my space. That guy should be expelled for what he said or even jailed, in my view.
“‘Free speech.’ He’s a terrorist!” she screamed.
