Penn State University on Wednesday reacted to a controversial tweet it sent out — and then deleted — highlighting the importance of conservative students’ viewpoints.
The university’s College of Liberal Arts posted a tweet on June 12 that read “Dear Students, Each of you belongs here.” The tweet went on to list Black, Muslim, Jewish, Latinx, female, LGBTQ+, and international students followed by messages of support and inclusiveness.
However a line that read “Dear conservative students, Your viewpoints are important” sparked backlash on social media from users who disagreed with the university lumping political affiliations with marginalized groups.
“Conservative students being included alongside race, religion, sexuality, etc.? This is..not the same, Penn State,” wrote one Twitter user.
"Conservative students" being included alongside race, religion, sexuality, etc? This is...not the same, Penn State.
— Louisa 🌈👭 (@LouisatheLast) June 12, 2020
penn state really addressed conservative students views being important while attempting to say “black lives matter” i’m confused
— jonna ♑︎ (@mckenziejonna) June 12, 2020
Conservative Lives Matter is certainly a take!
— Max Berger (@maxberger) June 12, 2020
The tweet was eventually deleted, a move that upset the university’s conservative student base and garnered national attention from right-leaning publications.
Penn State was forced to delete a tweet after daring to say... "conservative students viewpoints are important."
— Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) July 9, 2020
We've reached a point where even pretending to welcome both sides of a discussion is viewed as a punishable offense. https://t.co/yQx4xBvWsP pic.twitter.com/panIXRwIMc
Penn State deleted this tweet which affirmed that conservative students are welcome on campus after *checks notes* liberal students expressed outrage pic.twitter.com/KuCvJtoKfr
— Kara Zupkus (@kara_kirsten) July 11, 2020
However, in a statement released Wednesday, the university said it removed the tweet because the message was outdated:
“The removal of a tweet had nothing to do with the line about conservative students. As a university, Penn State seeks to be a marketplace of ideas and values different perspectives and viewpoints, including those on the left and the right.
The message was originally crafted years ago and was intended to express the inclusive values of the College of the Liberal Arts. Because it was an outdated statement, when it was posted following a number of recent specific hate-based messages in the Penn State community, it lacked context and resulted in anger and confusion.”
Jordan Clark, president of the Penn State College of Republicans, said he witnessed the negative response to the tweet in real-time but was surprised that the university took it down. He said it was removed within 24 hours of it being posted.
“It is very uncharacteristic for Penn State or Penn State College of Liberal Arts or any Penn State social media account to remove something or to go back on something that they’ve said,” Mr. Clark said.
The senior said he finds it hard to believe that the tweet was deleted for reasons other than the fact that it mentioned conservative students.
“I’m not trying to say that Penn State is being dishonest [in its statement] ... I think that they wanted to avoid conflict which in a time like today is moderately understandable,” he said. “But I think they created more conflict by removing the tweet than there would have been had they left it up.”
Alexis Johnson: ajohnson@post-gazette.com and Twitter @alexisjreports.
First Published: July 16, 2020, 3:52 p.m.