Protesting Won't Affect Admission To Monmouth, School Says

LONG BRANCH, NJ — Disciplinary actions taken against students who participate in peaceful protests will not affect high schoolers' chances of getting into Monmouth University, the college announced in a Tweet.

"Monmouth University has a long tradition of and commitment to responsible citizenship. We believe strongly in the empowerment of our campus community and a lifelong commitment to students," the school said, calling freedom of speech "essential to democracy."

The school "wholly supports active citizenship and will not penalize applications for their participation in a peaceful protest," they tweeted,

High school students across the country have been planning walk-outs to protest gun violence in the wake of a shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 dead. While some administrators have been supportive of the protests, others have said participating students will be suspended.

Monmouth was among a handful of New Jersey college to take this stance.

Drew University and Rutgers both tweeted out their stance on the protests. The College Of New Jersey told nj.com that they would be overlooking protest-related punishments.

Drew University admissions offers will not be affected by high school disciplinary actions that result from a student's peaceful participation in protest activities.
— Drew University (@DrewUniversity) February 26, 2018

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