When I first stepped foot on Penn State's campus,
as a high school student,
I fell in love with the people;
I fell in love with the community
and the campus.
But looking back on it now, what I had fallen in love with
was Penn State's identity.
I fell in love with what it means to be a "Penn Stater".
As a business student
and a member of the Smeal College of Business community,
from day one we are taught what is arguably the foundation of our college.
And that is our honor code.
Our code states that we, the Smeal College of Business community,
aspire to the highest ethical standards
and will hold each other accountable to them.
We will not engage in any action that is improper,
or creates the appearance of impropriety in our academic lives,
and we intend to hold this in our future careers.
This is Smeal's identity.
And it's an identity that is on every wall of our building.
It's an identity that our professors uphold and preach,
and it's an identity that we all sign onto and make our own.
Unfortunately, every year, a company called Altria
donates thousands of dollars to my college.
In return is given the title of corporate partner.
Altria is the parent company of Philip Morris, USA.
The largest manufacturer of tobacco products in this country.
Last year alone, 480,000 people died from smoking.
And about 42,000 people died from second-hand smoke.
With one in every five deaths in this country
caused by tobacco-related products,
I realized that this company's identity didn't align with my college's identity;
that while we're able to hold our students accountable to our honor code,
we aren't able to hold ourselves, our institution,
and our partners accountable.
A couple of weeks ago, while I was studying for an exam,
in a mandatory class about business ethics and corporate social responsibility,
I realized that something had to be done;
that I had to stand up for my college because it's college.
I started a petition called "Stand Up to Altria",
that requests that my dean
not allow Altria to renew their corporate partnership,
and reject any type of donations from them.
It also stops them from receiving
any type of elevated branding or support from my college.
That's what they receive now as a corporate partner.
But the one key thing that it doesn't stop them from doing
is from recruiting on campus.
Because I believe that at the end of the day,
it should be left up to each and every one of my fellow students and classmates
to make the ethical decision on their own
if they want to work for a company like Altria.
In the past couple of days, I've received a ton of support.
Hundreds of students from the business college
and across the Penn State community
have signed my petition, from professors to faculty,
and even the staff that maintain our buildings.
They have all said that they do not want Altria's money,
and that Altria's identity does not align with Smeal's identity.
But with the support that I've received, I've also had much push-back.
A lot of people have said that because we are a business college,
and because Altria fundamentally creates a product
that is demanded by the public,
that it shouldn't matter that we're partnered with them.
Others have said that this is a slippery slope;
where do you draw the line between the companies that you deny
and the companies that you allow?
To which I say it's important to realize that cigarettes have no safe use.
That while banks, while they were complicit
in the financial crisis, have a safe use.
And defense contractors,
while they do create weapons, are necessary for national defense.
I've chosen to take a stand against Altria because I fundamentally believe
that their identity does not align with my college's identity.
I've come here to TEDxPSU today
not to ask you to sign my petition,
and not to ask you to come and join me in collecting more signatures.
But I've come here today because I believe that it's important
to think about who we are, and what we stand for.
What is your identity?
And do the values that you uphold and believe in
align with the organizations and institutions that you care about?
If they don't, speak up for what you believe in.
Speak up for your identity.
I've chosen to hold my college accountable because it's my college.
It's my identity.
Thank you.
(Applause)