As a Millikin student, I feel so proud to call this university my home. Millikin is all about inclusivity and the freedom of speech and expression. When it comes to the hate that Millikin has received due to Connor Brewer’s choice to stand up for what he believes in, I almost wish that Millikin would rip the public a new one.

Yes, I understand that we want to be professional about this issue in order to avoid any more backlash. But really guys, we could at least correct people when they spell our university’s name wrong.

Millikin’s response to the backlash and the hate is admirable. They have been professional this whole time and have stood behind their views and their students. And because of this, I have seen Millikin students gather their numbers and fight back the hate.

But my fellow students are not fighting fire with fire.

They are talking about what makes Millikin great.

They are letting the general public know that we, as a community and as a family, stand by what Millikin stands for. We support our college. We love our college. And even though Millikin is not perfect, we will continue to support our university.

Our home.

I have considered Millikin my home for a while now. Not even three weeks into my freshman year I began to catch myself accidentally calling it “home.” I no longer do so accidentally.

The amount of pride I feel for my school surpasses any feelings that may come from hearing about the hate that my fellow students and I have experienced due to the anthem incident. I stand behind Brewer, I stand behind the players who stayed in the gymnasium, and I stand behind all of my fellow students.

I know that a lot of Millikin students feel the same way that I do. The amount of social media posts that I have seen that are from other students and alumni that praise Millikin and talk about how wonderful they feel about our university is amazing. I am proud of my Millikin family and how they have taken the backlash that they have received in stride.

Millikin’s goal is not to stop us from having a voice, rather, they want to help us get our voices out there. The football team staying in the locker room during the national anthem was one of the many ways that Millikin has tried to make sure that everyone is comfortable and that everyone feels included.

This controversy has allowed Millikin to show its true colors. It has allowed my university the chance to let thousands of people know that it loves and supports its students — no matter the race, sexual orientation, religion, gender or stance about standing during the National Anthem.

Millikin has remained strong and professional throughout this whole ordeal, not giving into the insults and the lies that people throw at them. I will continue to praise and admire my school and work to let everyone know the truth of what happened. Rather than the lies that the media seems to be determined to tell you.

We as the student body must continue our fight to prove to the rest of the country that what our team and our home has done is not wrong. It is not cowardly. It is not something to be ashamed of. We need to let our voices be heard through the almost constant stream of hatred that has begun to rain down upon our beloved university. United we stand.