A Texas Christian University student hit with serious academic penalties because of offensive comments he made on Twitter said he's been reinstated.
Harry Vincent, 19, tweeted that he's been "reinstated as a student at TCU under disciplinary probation" with no suspension.
TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini called the Vincent home personally last night, according to Vincent, to tell the family that he had now "reviewed the case in full" and decided the punishment was too harsh.
As of now, per Vincent, he is no longer "Suspended Under Abeyance," the penalty which barred him from living on campus and participating in non-academic activities, like his fraternity, attending football games, etc.
Vincent was previously on "Disciplinary Probation" through graduation. That now exists only through the next two semesters, according to the 19-year-old.
Vincent told NBCDFW he must still complete a TCU diversity course and perform 60 hours of community service."Stand strong in your beliefs and don't let anyone try to quiet your opinion. We are entitled to our freedom of speech and we can't sit back and allow institutions such as TCU to attempt to silence us. Don't apologize for being a leader in a pack of sheep. Don't underestimate the power of activism," Vincent said in a statement Thursday. "I took my case and spread the word and with the help of people all over the nation, I was able to defend and protect my freedom of speech."
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Last month, Vincent was told he was accused of violating two Student Code of Conduct provisions, specifically "infliction of bodily or emotional harm" and "disorderly conduct."
The complaints came to the university from a Tumblr user in Maryland who took offense to several tweets Vincent sent out via Twitter, including:
- "#Baltimore in 4 words: poor uneducated druggy hoodrats"
- "This is clearly not a religion of peace. Stop islam 2k15, enough is enough! @BarackObama needs to step up and take action"
- "Almost as tan as a terrorist. Going to be thoroughly disappointed if I'm not racially profiled on my trip to gulf shores."
Free speech organization FIRE – the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education -- which championed Vincent's rights to free speech said TCU's actions were akin to "appeasing an angry Internet mob."
Vincent whose Twitter handle is @ClassyPatriot tweeted about being reinstated and thanked supporters using the hashtag #FreedomWins.
No other details of Vincent's suspension were available, TCU told NBC DFW they will not comment on the issue.
NBC 5's Ben Russell contributed to this report
