A professor at Central Michigan University (CMU) told student members of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) that she is “terrified” of their group, and that she tears down TPUSA posters whenever she sees them as “an act of civil disobedience.”
“I’ve known about [TPUSA] longer than you have, so you’re responsible for the organization you are a part of, and I just, I need you to know that,” said CMU professor Sara Moslener to two students involved with the TPUSA group on campus — according to audio obtained by Breitbart News.
“We actually had a long conversation in my class about this today, and I take [posters] down when I see them,” the professor added.
“Why would you do that?” asked one of the students.
“Because I’m terrified of your organization,” replied Moslener.
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“I’m terrified of the other organizations,” retorted the student.
“What other organization on campus?” asked Moslener.
“Students for Bernie,” the student quipped.
“I just feel like that’s kind of infringing on my free speech, you taking stuff down — we don’t take down your posters,” the student continued. “I don’t think anybody else should take down our posters.”
The professor reacted by telling the students that tearing down TPUSA posters is simply her “act of civil disobedience.”
“It is an act of civil disobedience for me,” affirmed Moslener. “And if you need to call me out on it, do it. And I will tell everyone exactly what I told you, okay?”
“There’s no reason you should be scared of us, honestly,” said the student.
The exchange continues, before the professor eventually falsely claims that TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk got his start as President Donald Trump’s “social media director.”
“He actually doesn’t work for him,” explained the student.
“That’s how he got started,” insisted Moslener. “He was his social media director.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
“Yeah, you should check out Wikipedia then,” retorted the professor.
“This whole situation was very disappointing and I thought a federally funded university faculty would know better and know that she cannot infringe on our Constitutional Rights,” said CMU TPUSA president Lauryn Gibas to Breitbart News. “After the ‘altercation’, one of the students in our group said that she saw that professor following us on the main floor while we were putting the posters back up.”
“We went to almost every room on all four floors again, in hopes it would not happen a second time,” she added. “We invited this professor to our event to ask these questions and experience TPUSA. I am saddened that a professor would slander the name of a student organization and foster hate toward students.”
A CMU spokesperson told Breitbart News that the school “encourages critical thinking and analytical thinking, particularly in the marketplace of free ideas and expression.”
“CMU recognizes that the intellectual growth if its students requires them to be exposed to vigorous debate and differing points of view on a variety of issues,” added the spokesperson. “CMU hereby affirms its commitment to academic freedom and free speech, and its commitment to upholding such freedoms in the face of external and internal actions or decisions which might threaten such freedoms.”
Professor Moslener did not respond to Breitbart News’ request for comment or clarification on whether Wikipedia is an acceptable source for students to use on her class assignments.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.