To the Penn State Abington Community,

On Wednesday afternoon, a group of protesters dashed past the Lares building and made their stage right at the heart of our precious campus. As many of us witnessed, these protesters came with disturbing signs aimed at disrespecting our cultures, ways of living, and most importantly, our beliefs. As I saw them get ready to lash out at students, I knew this would not end well. As with any childish display, reason tells us to not engage. But alas, we could not help ourselves. We needed to see how and why outsiders felt the need to disrupt our peaceful school environment.

What I witnessed left me with an array of emotions, as I do not doubt it left many of you. But there was one emotion that became most visibly present; anger. To be more accurate, I was outraged. Outraged by the vile language these intruders used to get their point across. Instead of using comprehension and logic, they lowered themselves to a standard I would hope to never see on our campus and home. I cannot deny that I reacted to their hate in a negative way. Growing up I was taught to fight back when someone disrespects what I hold dear, as I’m sure most of you have as well. I do not blame any of us for the ways we reacted, but if I leave you with one take away by the completion of this article, it would be this: I call upon you to evaluate one of America’s most valued rights; “freedom of speech.”

While this group of people used damaging words against us, they remained bodily and materially peaceful, there was nothing to do but let them speak their mind. Consequently, they were protected under the First Amendment. In response, I’m proud to say I saw our students do the same. It was remarkable and astonishing to see us sing together, make our own signs, and send the message, not to the protesters, but to our fellow peers that this act would not tear our campus community apart. When we rose and used our voices together, to embody the Penn State values, our positive energy fought back against all negativity that Wednesday.

Know that everyone matters at Penn State, this community is supportive and positive. If anyone felt and still feels emotionally hurt by this event, resources are here to help. Remember our slogan: WE ARE… PENN STATE! Remember that Penn State accepts you, and respects you, as you are. And that as students, we should always band together as a community, just like we did on Wednesday, October 24, 2018.

Sincerely,

Oscar Almonte- Espinal.
Student Government Association – Journalist

Approved by the Student Government Executive Board