Rutgers University is defending a professor who signed a Change.org petition to disband the school's Turning Point USA chapter.
Tia Kolbaba, an associate professor of religion at the university, was noted as a "recent signer" on the petition's web page.
@RutgersU Very disappointing to see a petition to disband the @TPUSA chapter on your campus for “promoting hate speech and inciting violence against our community." Even worse to see a prof of Religious Studies, Tia Kolbaba, sign it. My guess she is a democrat as the reason is… pic.twitter.com/TX7zLXR46K
— Larry Prescott (@JinnRunner) October 10, 2025
"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 when asked about the incident. "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 petition, as of Wednesday, had received over 1,000 signatures. The description on Change.org read:
Our schools have been places where diversity is celebrated, where every student and faculty member, regardless of their background, is valued and respected for solely their qualifications. After all, that is how we provide the best, most well-rounded education for our youth. Yet, recently, I've witnessed a disturbing shift.
The Rutgers chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) has been continuously promoting hate speech and inciting violence against our community. This disturbing behavior has created a toxic environment that has already led to tragic consequences. Alarmingly, a respected professor felt compelled to leave the country, fearing for the safety of their family due to threats and harassment cultivated by this group.
We urge Rutgers University to immediately disband the Turning Point USA chapter from its campus. By doing so, we will not only be upholding our commitment to educational excellence but also ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for every individual within our community.
Allowing such a group to operate within our state, on our campuses, undermines the core values of respect, diversity, and inclusion that we, as a community, hold dear," Filipo's petition continued. "The activities of the TPUSA chapter are contrary to the educational principles we aim to uphold. They spread messages that breed division and intolerance, and these actions speak louder than any supposed academic freedom they claim to exercise.
The move is allegedly in response to a petition the TPUSA chapter started, calling on Rutgers to fire Professor Mark Bray over his support for the domestic terrorist organization Antifa. Bray moved to Europe shortly afterwards citing concern for his family's safety.