Imagine this, you're at home and someone knocks on your door. You answer the door and the person behind it tricks you into inviting them inside under this facade of meaning no harm. Once inside, the facade disappears and the once pleasant dialogue you hoped to engage in turns to one of hatred of everything about you because you are not like them.

This is the University of Tennessee in a nutshell.

Home to a plethora of diverse people, our campus was deceived and under the impression that a church had reserved a space in McClung Museum for a lecture. Not long after this, the name of the group reserving the space had changed to one which was connected to a white supremacy group known as the Traditional Workers Party. The change in organization turned what was believed to be an unharming lecture into one filled with hatred for a great majority of the university's population.

Before the news of the group coming to campus broke, the Rock, our school's free speech news board, was vandalized with hatred and symbols by the TWP. Some students were so upset by this act they took to Twitter to implore Chancellor Davenport to speak up against this and do something.

In the weeks leading up to this event being held on Saturday, Feb. 17, Chancellor Davenport has addressed the school in multiple emails in regards to racism and hate speech. The emails display a sense of intolerance of the hate speech displayed on the Rock and in general regarding the group's visit to the university.

On Friday, Feb. 9, the school showed their disdain for this group and everything they stand for by hosting "United at the Rock Against Racism." At the event, hundreds of students came together to demonstrate the love, unity, and acceptance that UT has to offer all of its students.

With the event happening this Saturday, the university has taken steps to prepare and protect its students. The TWP's meeting that was originally set in McClung Museum will now be held in Buehler Hall on the Hill. The event will have extreme safety measures in place for the protection of all involved.

When I first found out about this event, I was shocked and discouraged. Rocky Top is home to myself and so many other diverse people that I call my friends. I find free speech to be incredibly important, but when its point is to bring harm and dehumanize students at this university, my university, I find an issue with it.

The TWP goes against everything this university stands for and allowing them on campus in some way is a stain on the school's reputation. I hope that in the future incidents like this are resolved in a different way and that no student should feel as though their very being on this campus is being jeopardized by anyone.

The University of Tennessee is home sweet home to ALL because being a Vol includes ALL!