FIRST ON FOX: is defending a professor who signed an online petition that seeks to disband the school’s Turning Point USA chapter from campus.
The Change.org petition launched earlier this week accuses the of “promoting hate speech and inciting violence against our community.”
While Change.org does not allow the public to view the list of signatories, each petition features a rotating “Recent signers” carousel near the top of the page.
While monitoring the “Recent signers” carousel, Fox News Digital noticed that Tia Kolbaba, an associate professor of religion at Rutgers, signed the petition to boot the right-leaning group.
“Rutgers University is committed to providing a secure environment — to learn, teach, work and research, where all members of our community can share their opinions without fear of intimidation or harassment,” a spokeswoman for the school told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Rutgers is committed to upholding the rights of students and faculty to free speech and academic freedom as fundamental to our community.”
“The university does not comment on specific personnel or student conduct matters,” the statement finished.
A vigil with American flags, balloons, flowers, and signs in memory of Charlie Kirk outside the Turning Point USA headquarters.
