Not too long ago, death threats were sent to elected black student body officers at the University of Maryland in College Park. When members of the student body decided to fight back, they were met with undue resilience from detractors and naysayers.

I'm appalled by the reaction to the student-led protest at Penn State, specifically by statements like, "Disrupt[ing] university events will only further raise animosity" and "How many times have we heard the same slogans and the same cries for change?"

I would quickly point out that the civil rights movement — or any human rights movement for that matter — began with just that: slogans and cries for change. Change doesn't come quickly, but the people's voice cannot be long suppressed.