Editor’s Note:
The following story has been edited since publication in the Jan. 22 print issue, due to an erroneous identification.
Coastal Carolina University became a topic of online discussion after an influencer drew a crowd at Organizational Kickoff (OK) Day on Jan. 14.
Surrounded by campus security, curious students and a camera operator, New York-based YouTuber Savannah Craven opened the floor to debate. The conversation focused on controversy surrounding recent actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Craven held a sign showcasing her support for the federal law enforcement agency while commenting on the shooting and death of Renee Good by ICE officer Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“So, there’s been a lot of craziness with the news lately about ICE officers, and there’s been a lot of misinformation around it. A lot of people haven’t watched all the video angles,” Craven said.
Craven held a poster over half her height showcasing images of individuals with the words “killed by illegals” written below, and “we support ICE” written above. The sign did not provide any further information about the alleged victims or deaths.
“I’ve also come to stand up for the four women on this poster that were brutally raped and then murdered by illegal immigrants, thanks to Biden’s open border policies. So just here to have a productive conversation about it, get people’s opinions,” Craven said.
The display drew in a crowd of students who were invited to speak to Craven while recorded by her camera crew. Some conversations were posted on her social media.
“If you’re coming to a campus and you’re going to try and get an emotional response out of people, it should not be students. It should not be people who are in class. It should not be kids who are actually learning, who are going to school for what they believe in and what they want to do,” an anonymous student said. “And you are coming here, forcing your opinion on a bunch of people who, honestly, half of them don’t give a fuck.”
The student asked to remain anonymous because they did not want their statements to reflect the student organization they participated with at OK Day.
Other CCU students were vocal in their disapproval of Craven’s presence on campus but declined speaking with The Chanticleer.
As of Jan. 19, Craven’s video featuring the Coastal event titled “College Dems LOVE Illegal Criminals” has over 54,000 views.
“There is no need to put any student, any person, in danger, no matter their race, no matter their beliefs,” the student said. “I don’t care if they’re conservative, liberal, whatever. I mean, safety comes first, especially at school, and that’s what my issue is.”
However, students like Alexis Barbour, a freshman early childhood education major, believe it is important to bring discussions like this onto campus.
“I totally support this on college campuses,” Barbour said. “I feel like, since we’re all adults, we have a voice, and I feel like we should be able to talk to people, even if we don’t believe in the same things. I think that’s totally okay, and I totally support that.”
Zak Watson, a senior health science major, disapproved more so of Craven’s approach than her general presence.
“She did it like that on purpose. She definitely could have done it a million different ways, but I don’t think she would have gotten the reaction she wanted out of everybody,” Watson said. “Everybody’s entitled to their own, you know, freedom of speech. I mean, I think it’s a little bit controversial at this time.”
