Powell said she is speaking out because she does not want other students with different ideas to face the same hostility.

"I'm just trying to promote and expose a different viewpoint," Powell said. "And so it does make it incredibly difficult for students who are more shy and don't want to face the attacks from a professor and other students."

***

Powell said she is accustomed to debating ideas, but the students who confronted her in recent weeks crossed a line. She said she never felt unsafe and no one physically threatened her, but they swore at her and attacked her as a transplant.

She said she transferred to UM from the University of North Dakota because she wanted to join the political science department in Missoula: "These students were personally attacking me because I'm from North Dakota, which seems to be an issue."

Powell had been pleased that Turning Point, U.S.A., became an officially recognized club on campus last semester. She was volunteering to recruit members. She said she anticipated debates and isn't bothered by civil discourse.

"I think it's important to have these conversations, even if we do disagree," Powell said.