Skip to main content
High school students who participate in protests were given assurance by Portland State University on Wednesday that their extra-curricular activism will not affect their admission to the school.
"Students who take part in protests like the March for Our Lives and the National School Walkout Day should not worry that these activities will jeopardize their admission to PSU," the school said in a statement.
In the days following the Parkland High School mass shooting, students around the nation have staged walkouts in demand of gun control. Some districts have chosen to penalize those who take part in the protests.
But universities across the U.S., including Dartmouth, Yale, MIT, and Brown, are sending similar messages to high school students: Speak out if you feel called to. It won't affect your admission.
"High schoolers have taken the issue of gun control personally," a Yale University blog post reads. "And rightly so."
Portland students, in particular, have ample opportunity to take to the streets. A little over a month ago, there were half a dozen protests in Portland in a single weekend alone.
And two weeks from now, on March 14, a nationwide "School Walkout to End Gun Violence" will likely draw a large Portland crowd.
John Fraire, PSU's vice president for enrollment management says that, "PSU supports the right of students and prospective students to engage in peaceful and lawful protest to bring social change."
In short: Stay pissed, high schoolers.