A group of religious advocates came to Shippensburg University on Wednesday afternoon, which led to a protest from SU students.

Outside of Reisner Dining Hall, nearly one hundred students could be seen protesting and arguing with members of Key of David Christian Center because of the controversial remarks made by the group.

One of the individuals on campus was Aden Rusfeldt, the pastor of the Key of David Christian Center Church. Several students reported being called slurs or other offensive terms by Rusfeldt and the other individuals present.

Some of the statements made by the group included “What we need is a great bleaching in America,” “Hitler was right” and “Women belong in the kitchen.”

In addition to these statements, the group also held up signs with similar slogans.

SU Director of Communications and Marketing Megan Silverstrim said, “We are an inclusive campus that works to foster a sense of belonging for all within our community. As a public institution we also prioritize freedom of inquiry, speech, action and expression.”

Several administrators and staff members of the university stood around the group, holding signs that read “Do not engage, they will go away.” The staff members are a part of the Shippensburg University Peacekeepers, a group that is trained as first-responders when any group comes to campus and targets members of the campus community.

SUPD was also present, with several officers standing between the crowd of students and the religious group.

The students of the university, however, did engage.

Some students yelled back at the group. Some students played music to make it difficult to hear the group. Some students made their own signs, with statements like “Get a job” and “Hate is a choice for the weak.”

Several students within the LGBTQ+ community brought out Pride flags and would kiss their partners in front of the group.

Some students did attempt to have a peaceful dialogue with the group, but it did not stop Rusfeldt or his associate from insulting students and making other hateful remarks.

One of the students who engaged in an argument with the group, Gage Gehris, said “From my own personal standpoint, I find it productive for myself to be here to examine in the wild what these kinds of people are like, because I have never experienced something like this.”

This perspective was not shared by all SU students who attended the protest.

“There’s no point in trying to fight or argue with someone who’s whole purpose being there is trying to start an argument,” said SU student James Carpenter. “They’re not going to change their minds.”

During the protest, Silverstrim and other SU staff members measured the noise level of both the members of Key of David Christian Center and students, making sure that the entire crowd was compliant with the university’s expressive activities policy. The policy states that any sound amplification cannot exceed 90 decibels. The policy also states that certain areas of the campus, which includes the Reisner lawn, are “Designated Public Forums” and can be used for the expressive activities of everyone.

As more and more students joined the protest and got closer to the religious advocates, a barrier was put up to prevent the situation from escalating.

Silverstrim said that the organization has come to campus several times over the past decade, along with other PASSHE schools. She said that the university was notified that the members of Key of David Christian Center were coming to campus “several hours before the group arrived.”

The group left at 4 p.m., and students protesting their presence left shortly afterward.

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