The vice president of Allegheny College’s recently established Turning Point USA chapter, Braeden Means, ’28, announced on April 1 that he will transfer from the college at the end of the academic year. Means announced his decision in a Facebook post that has since garnered over 160 comments and been shared more than 230 times.

“I came to Allegheny College to play golf and earn an economics degree,” Means wrote. “Instead, my time here has been spent shielding myself from an extreme agenda and constantly being attacked for my conservative, Christian beliefs.”
In the post, Means laid out the series of events that he said led to his decision to transfer and asserted that college leadership failed to support him in a time of need.
“The president of Allegheny College is fully aware of the treatment I’ve received, and my lug nuts being removed, nearly losing a wheel on the highway, being told to kill myself, and being called every name imaginable: ‘bootlicking cuck,’ ‘Nazi,’ ‘fascist,’ ‘racist,’ and more,” Means wrote. “Yet, he has done nothing. When he does acknowledge me, it’s only to complain about the Turning Point USA chapter I started on campus.”
Means alleged that if roles were reversed and it was the College Democrats who were making complaints to the administration, the college would have reacted more strongly.
“But because I’m a straight, white, Republican male, it apparently doesn’t matter,” Means wrote. “I encourage anyone reading this to look at Allegheny’s ‘Statement of Community’ and ask themselves if it truly applies to everyone.”
“This college fosters misery, fueled by professors pushing a radical agenda,” Means concluded. “Something needs to change. I refuse to waste any more time in this toxic environment. I’m officially transferring after this semester. And parents, if I had kids, this would be the last place I’d ever send them.”
Means declined to speak with The Campus about his decision.
When asked about the merits of Means’ social media post, President Ron Cole, ’87, provided a written statement to The Campus.
“Since learning about the social media posting, I’ve asked the appropriate college representative to meet with the student to learn more about their experience,” Cole wrote. “While I’m not going to engage in debate over social media, we are living at a time during which social media is a place where postings can be made without context or accountability.”
Cole did not respond to requests for further comment.
Erie News Now published a story about Means’ decision on April 10 titled “Allegheny College Student Says He’s Been Verbally Abused Based on Conservative Beliefs.” In it, Vice President for Enrollment Management Jennifer Winge, ’96, said the college properly responded to Means’ complaint.
“We made sure he understood that if he wanted to, he could go through our policies, our procedures that we have to make sure that students can share any misconduct or worries about bullying or intimidation,” Winge said. “My understanding is Braeden refused to do that.”
Means’ post has gained significant attention. The post had more than 320 reactions, nearly 165 comments and had been shared more than 230 times as of Wednesday, April 16. The chair of the Crawford County Board of Commissioners, Eric Henry, was among those who reacted by posting a crying face emoji. Most of the commenters expressed support for Means’ decision to transfer. Several encouraged Means to contact Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk, large media outlets like FOX News and elected representatives such as Sen. Dave McCormick and Rep. Mike Kelly.
In addition to serving as vice president for the Allegheny College chapter of Turning Point USA, Means is also listed as a Pennsylvania Investigator for Campus Reform, a nonprofit that describes itself as a “conservative watchdog in the nation’s higher education system” that “exposes leftist bias and abuse on the nation’s college campuses” by reporting on the “conduct and misconduct of campus administrators, faculty, and students.” Campus Reform is a project of the Leadership Institute, an Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit that describes itself as the place “where conservative leaders are made.”
In his Campus Reform biography, Means describes himself as being “dedicated to fighting against the rise of woke culture and advocating for more traditional perspectives.” Means has not published any stories.
Means’ decision to transfer comes just weeks after the Allegheny Student Government voted against recognizing Turning Point USA as a student organization and the group was forced to turn to the college for approval to operate on campus. Soon after, the chapter’s first public event was to invite conservative speaker Olivia Krolczyk to campus on April 10 to deliver a speech titled, “The Fight Is Far From Over: Defending Free Speech and Women’s Sports.” Approximately 40 students and people from the Meadville region attended the talk, while over 100 gathered nearby at the “Trans Joy Jamboree,” an alternative event its flyer said was designed to “celebrate trans joy, success, and athleticism.”
Means told Erie News Now that he believes his experience at Allegheny is not unique.
“Unfortunately, on campuses across the country, you have young conservatives like me that are fearful for coming out about their beliefs,” Means said, “just because these institutions are pushing so much propaganda that just creates a student wave of hate.”