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When I first stepped foot 
on Penn State's campus,

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as a high school student,


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I fell in love with the people;

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I fell in love with the community


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and the campus.

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But looking back on it now,
what I had fallen in love with

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was Penn State's identity.

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I fell in love with what it means
to be a "Penn Stater".

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As a business student

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and a member of the Smeal College
of Business community,

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from day one we are taught what is 
arguably the foundation of our college.

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And that is our honor code.

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Our code states that we,
the Smeal College of Business community,

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aspire to the highest ethical standards

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and will hold each other
accountable to them.

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We will not engage
in any action that is improper,

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or creates the appearance
of impropriety in our academic lives,

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and we intend to hold this
in our future careers.

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This is Smeal's identity.

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And it's an identity
that is on every wall of our building.

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It's an identity that our professors
uphold and preach,

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and it's an identity
that we all sign onto and make our own.

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Unfortunately, every year,
a company called Altria

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donates thousands
of dollars to my college.

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In return is given the title
of corporate partner.

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Altria is the parent company
of Philip Morris, USA.

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The largest manufacturer
of tobacco products in this country.

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Last year alone, 480,000 people
died from smoking.

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And about 42,000 people died
from second-hand smoke.

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With one in every five
deaths in this country

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caused by tobacco-related products,

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I realized that this company's identity
didn't align with my college's identity;

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that while we're able to hold our students
accountable to our honor code,

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we aren't able to hold
ourselves, our institution,

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and our partners accountable.

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A couple of weeks ago,
while I was studying for an exam,

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in a mandatory class about business ethics
and corporate social responsibility,

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I realized that something had to be done;

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that I had to stand up for my
college because it's college.

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I started a petition called
"Stand Up to Altria",

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that requests that my dean

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not allow Altria to renew
their corporate partnership,

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and reject any type
of donations from them.

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It also stops them from receiving

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any type of elevated branding
or support from my college.

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That's what they receive
now as a corporate partner.

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But the one key thing
that it doesn't stop them from doing

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is from recruiting on campus.

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Because I believe
that at the end of the day,

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it should be left up to each and every one
of my fellow students and classmates

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to make the ethical decision on their own

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if they want to work
for a company like Altria.

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In the past couple of days,
I've received a ton of support.

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Hundreds of students
from the business college

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and across the Penn State community

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have signed my petition,
from professors to faculty,

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and even the staff
that maintain our buildings.

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They have all said
that they do not want Altria's money,

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and that Altria's identity
does not align with Smeal's identity.

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But with the support that I've received,
I've also had much push-back.

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A lot of people have said
that because we are a business college,

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and because Altria
fundamentally creates a product

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that is demanded by the public,

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that it shouldn't matter
that we're partnered with them.

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Others have said
that this is a slippery slope;

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where do you draw the line
between the companies that you deny

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and the companies that you allow?

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To which I say it's important to realize
that cigarettes have no safe use.

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That while banks,
while they were complicit

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in the financial crisis, have a safe use.

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And defense contractors,

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while they do create weapons, 
are necessary for national defense.

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I've chosen to take a stand against Altria
because I fundamentally believe

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that their identity does not align
with my college's identity.

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I've come here to TEDxPSU today

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not to ask you to sign my petition,

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and not to ask you to come and join me
in collecting more signatures.

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But I've come here today because
I believe that it's important

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to think about who we are,
and what we stand for.

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What is your identity?

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And do the values
that you uphold and believe in

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align with the organizations
and institutions that you care about?

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If they don't, speak up
for what you believe in.

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Speak up for your identity.

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I've chosen to hold my college
accountable because it's my college.

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It's my identity.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)