'Toxic' by design? The law students who say campus discomfort is the point

At the University of North Dakota School of Law, the Federalist Society prides itself on bringing different viewpoints to the table. 

In the lead-up to Turning Point USA’s "This Is The Turning Point" tour stop, Federalist Society members Sara Ziegler and Naomi Bromke told Fox News Digital why open conversation matters, and why they’re speaking up, no matter the pushback.

Sara said about TPUSA, "I don't think there's any other organization that's had such an impact on college campuses. And I think it shows that those students are probably scared that it's making people turn their heads and wake up to the reality of, 'Hey, people aren't going to lie down and just listen to what your opinions are. We're going to stand up for what we believe in now.'"

This comes after the Turning Point USA chapter at Rutgers University launched a petition to remove a professor, Mark Bray, over concerns about past statements supporting Antifa.

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Since then, a counter-petition has been launched calling for the disbanding of the Rutgers University Turning Point USA chapter, accusing the conservative group of promoting "hate speech" and creating a "toxic environment."

Naomi said groups that oppose Turning Point, "don't want to hear the opposing side." 

"I think these people that say they want freedom of speech but then get offended by Turning Point USA groups don't actually want freedom of speech. I think they want to compress speech, and they only want to hear, it's like, what's the phrase? It's like the echo chamber of what they believe."

On Sept. 10, the same day of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, The Guardian published a study regarding how college students feel about controversial speakers. A study conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) on Sept. 9, found after surveying 70,000 students that a majority oppose controversial speakers on campus, regardless of political affiliation. 

Furthermore, Naomi said schools should be open to hosting speakers who are controversial or not, as long as the speaker isn't advocating for violence. 

"I think that the determining point is that if a speaker should come or not is if they advocate for violence. I think if you want to talk about controversial subjects, I mean, you should be able to, right? And a school shouldn't… inhibit your ability to do that."

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Naomi added it is important to have controversial speakers on college campuses, stating, "We need to be able to hear both sides."

However, according to Naomi, UND has been good about supporting free speech. 

"I think with Turning Point continuing on doing the events and the speakers just show that we will not be silenced," she said.

Their Federalist Society group has seen an increase in involvement this year as TPUSA is seeing growth nationwide.

Naomi said she will never shy away from a debate, even though she said there is a stigma because of how "vocal" she is, but added no one is outwardly rude toward her. 

"I'm always respectful, I will never turn away a debate," she said. "That's just who I am, and I wish that people could have the same level of respect that I have for them."

Sara said, "every group has some toxicity. I don't think there's a club on campus that wouldn't have some type of toxic trait," but silence isn't the answer.

Naomi said, "I think that bringing in speakers specifically to talk about controversial issues is needed because we need to be able to hear both sides. We need to hear, especially in academia, we need to hear both sides' logic and reasoning, because I think that's how you persuade people and Charlie was a champion at that. That's why his movement grew at the rate it did and why people are still continuing to preserve his legacy."

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Students at Rutgers are asking the university president, William F. Tate IV, to publicly support Bray, the Antifa-aligned professor who recently fled the country after students in the school’s Turning Point USA chapter raised concerns about him. 

Bray, who is the author of "Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook," "The Anarchist Inquisition: Assassins, Activists, and Martyrs in Spain and France," and "Translating Anarchy: The Anarchism of Occupy Wall Street," said he would be moving his family to Europe due to safety concerns. 

In "Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook," Bray noted that "at the very least 50 percent of author proceeds will go to the International Anti-Fascist Defense Fund which is administered by more than three hundred antifa from eighteen countries."

The "Resolution in Support of professor Mark Bray’s Academic Freedom and Free Expression," is slated for consideration and vote Friday by the Rutgers University Senate, according to a document obtained by Fox News Digital.

The document asks Tate and his leadership to "Publicly reaffirm its commitment to Dr. Bray’s academic freedom and free expression, and make clear to the Rutgers community and the public that disagreement with the political content of faculty scholarship and speech, absent violations of law or University policy, does not constitute grounds for discipline or institutional distancing." 

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Fox News' Rachel del Guidice contributed to this report.