USC has a message for high school students planning to participate in protests

The University of South Carolina has a message for any high school students who might participate in a protest or rally in the continuing fallout from the deadly school shooting in Florida.

USC’s message, essentially, is if it’s OK, then it is OK with them.

For any students looking to apply to South Carolina in the future, or for those whose admission has already been accepted, there is still a place for you in Columbia. That is as long as any demonstration they are participating in is legal and nonviolent.

There was a post about the subject on USC’s official Twitter feed. It was as much tacit approval as it was a signal about how far students can go if they wish to avoid crossing the line and attending South Carolina.

“Any applicants or admitted students subject to disciplinary action solely for exercising their constitutional rights for by participating in peaceful, lawful protests should not worry about how it might impact their admissions decision.”

With that tweet, USC added another message encouraging critical thought, empathy, inclusion and integrity.

“The Carolinian Creed is central to who we are and what we do, including when standing up for one’s beliefs in a peaceable, civil and lawful way. #UofSC applicants and admitted students, you should not be concerned about how it might impact your admission.”

According to USC’s Department of Student Affairs and Academic Support, the Carolinian Creed is to “oppose intolerance by promoting integrity within our campus community. Our common values are formed upon the foundation of our creed, which emphasizes openness and civility.”

For all of the altruistic reasons to make this statement, there could be another bottom-line issue motivating this message.

USC has joined a number of colleges and universities across the nation that have shared similar messages to the next generation of college students. These institutions of higher learning don’t want to alienate large amounts of high school students and endanger their enrollments.

This story was originally published February 25, 2018 at 10:53 PM with the headline "USC has a message for high school students planning to participate in protests."