The Berlin Wall on the steps of Old Main sounds a little ridiculous, doesn't it? But not if you talk to the wall's architects, Young Americans for Freedom (YAF).

The group erected the structure, albeit a significantly smaller and cardboard version, last Thursday to convey the message that "politically minded" courses at Penn State differ radically from what exists in the real world.

But don't a wide variety of views exist in the real world?

There must be a misunderstanding. YAF doesn't like the notion of the "marketplace of ideas," right?

In order to formulate a credible argument, YAF should have taken their concerns to Academic Assembly or Faculty Senate. A protest may grab attention, but that doesn't mean this symbolic recreation of a structure that separated communism from capitalism is more credible. Of course, going before assembly and senate would require that YAF do actual research rather than simply slap together a cardboard protest.

At the protest, YAF President Shauna Moser even said that communism is alive and well at Penn State, despite the fact that it is "pretty much dead" everywhere else. If Moser is talking about communism at Penn State in the sense that communist theory is still taught in classes to give students a well-rounded education, then she's right. If she's implying that Penn State is reminiscent of a communist society, well, that's downright laughable.

Apparently, if a professor tries to teach his or her students to have an open mind and presents ideas that challenge a student's beliefs, it now equates indoctrination instead of a well-rounded education.

If a student doesn't want to learn about ideologies that contrast with what he or she believes, then the solution is simple: don't take the class.

But if these social theories weren't taught, students would complain that faculty members weren't doing their jobs and would question the quality of our rather expensive university. If you don't want to learn about Karl Marx's views on the struggle of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, than perhaps you shouldn't put yourself in a position to be challenged.

A student doesn't always have to agree with the finer points of a professor's arguments, either. That's part of the joy of living in a democratic society.

Isn't it the responsibility of a renowned university to offer courses that teach a wide variety of ideas, or the proverbial marketplace, to afford students the opportunity to make up their own minds?

The harsh reality is that when students graduate, they will most likely face people who challenge their beliefs. It goes hand in hand with a democratic society.