Many of Big Sean’s hits describe sexual conquests. “I got your dream girl/Yeah, she actin’ like a ho at that,” he raps on “All Your Fault,” from his newest album, and he often uses “bitch” to refer to women in his songs. Posters with lyrics like “If she look good she pay me in sex” were put up around campus, calling on students to “take down Big Sean” — by protesting the invitation — if they found his words offensive.

“His language provides the ideological basis for gender-based violence against women,” said Duncan Hosie, 21, a junior from Belvedere, Calif., who created the petition with Ms. Basaldua.

The two students also raised concerns about a 2011 case in which Big Sean and another artist were charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old fan after a concert. The men accepted a plea deal for unlawful imprisonment, a misdemeanor that carried a $750 fine, and other charges were dropped.

A publicist for Big Sean, 27, whose legal name is Sean Anderson, declined to comment on the opposition to his festival appearance. But word of the petition circulated quickly via Facebook, the social media app Yik Yak, and campus email lists more typically used to borrow a stapler or announce a party theme.

The petition drew hundreds of signatures, but many students also criticized the protesters, saying they were oversensitive or unfairly singled out the rapper.

“I don’t really understand why Big Sean, specifically, is an issue,” A. J. Ohiwerei, 20, a sophomore from Plainsboro, N.J., said. “A lot of people, when they listen to that kind of music, expect it to be extreme or radical.”

Some of the protest’s most pointed critiques came from advocates of another movement on campus, to address concerns of black students. Achille Tenkiang, 19, a sophomore from Bear, Del., said that he found it alarming that students were criticizing an off-campus figure to bring attention to sexual misconduct.