Rutgers University is standing by a professor who signed an online petition calling for the disbandment of the school's Turning Point USA chapter. The Change.org petition, launched earlier this week, accuses the conservative group of promoting hate speech and inciting violence against the community. While the public cannot view the list of signatories on Change.org, Tia Kolbaba, an associate professor of religion at Rutgers, was identified as a signatory through a rotating 'Recent signers' carousel on the petition page. Rutgers University has stated that it is committed to providing a secure environment for all members of the community to share their opinions without fear of intimidation or harassment. The university also upholds the rights of students and faculty to free speech and academic freedom as fundamental to the community. However, the university does not comment on specific personnel or student conduct matters. The petition began circulating less than a month after Turning Point's founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated during a campus event at Utah Valley University. A TPUSA member at the school slammed the petition on Wednesday, calling the accusations of inciting violence and making threats complete lies. The Turning Point chapter has also launched its own petition demanding Rutgers fire professor Mark Bray, whom they call 'Dr. Antifa.' Bray is the author of 'Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,' a book that openly calls for 'militant anti-fascism.' Amid the Trump administration's crackdown on Antifa, Bray announced this week that he and his wife are fleeing to Spain. The petition to remove TPUSA at Rutgers suggests the chapter was responsible for Bray 'fearing for the safety of their family due to threats and harassment cultivated by this group.' There is no evidence to support that claim, and Kwan dismissed it. Fox News' Rachel del Guidice contributed to this report. Peter D'Abrosca joined Fox News Digital in 2025. Previously, he was a politics reporter at The Tennessee Star. Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to peter.dabrosca@fox.com.
