This week, Tulane Director of Admission Jeff Schiffman pledged that Tulane would not penalize prospective students for advocating for what they believe in and participating in peaceful protests.

“Here at Tulane, we understand that diversity of thought, and the ability to express it, is one of the most powerful tools a young mind can have,” Schiffman wrote in a post on his blog. “We believe that students should never lose their voice or passion.”

We will not penalize students for standing up for what they believe in or for making opinions known through… https://t.co/bG2qRB1Hiz

— Tulane Admission (@TulaneAdmission) February 22, 2018

After a student armed with an AR-15 killed 17 people at a school in Parkland, Florida,  many high school students across the country have organized to protest gun violence and in many cases to push for tighter gun control laws.

Several other institutions took similar measures to assure potential students their participation in walkouts for gun violence prevention won’t affect admissions decisions. Among these are Dartmouth College, Northeastern University, Brown University and University of California, Los Angeles.

Some leaders in higher education have chosen to continue taking disciplinary measures against students taking part in protests.

Curtis Rhodes, superintendent of the Needville Independent School District in Texas, is quoted in a Buzzfeed article as saying, “We will discipline no matter if it is 1, 50, or 500 students involved. All will be suspended for three days and parent notes will not alleviate the discipline.”

Schiffman clearly stated the promise at the end of his blog that Tulane will not penalize students for voicing their opinions and demonstrating peacefully.

“We will continue to support the voice and speech of young adults as this is, ultimately, why we are here,” Schiffman said.