A Montana State University student was attacked by staff and professors as he gathered signatures for a petition opposing the university's mask mandate.

Dylan Dean is a senior in electrical engineering at MSU and says he attempted to deliver the petition to MSU President Waded Cruzado but was blocked from delivering the petition by armed law enforcement on campus, as The Daily Caller was first to report.

Rick Winking, who worked at the school’s Alcohol and Drug Assistance Center, sent a brief email to Dean that read “you stupid f*ck.”

Professor Seth Pincus sent Dean an email calling him “a selfish idiot who cannot even consider the potential suffering [Dean] can cause others.”

I spoke with Dean on Monday morning. Here's the audio of our conversation:

Dean told us that the attacks came as he was gathering signatures for the petition, and that he also reached out to faculty and staff:

Dean: There was some. There were some who didn't want to attach their names to it publicly for fear of retribution. But there were some who signed it, and there were some who responded to me with- 'Frig off you hoser'- which I think I can say that went on air.

As for the attacks from some of the professors and staff, he says it isn't really getting to him:

Dean: I've been doing this for a while. I'm kind of used to getting this kind of hate, but I have to imagine that students who are in their classes feel like they can't speak up. That students who want to make their voices heard are afraid of retaliation from their professors seeing things like this come out of their mouths.

Update: On Monday afternoon Dean wrote on Twitter that he ran into Dr. Waded Cruzado on campus. "To her credit, she was very respectful and willing to take the time to talk to me, even if she gave me non or nonsense answers to my questions," wrote Dean. Here's the full thread.

LOOK: See the iconic cars that debuted the year you were born

 

More From KBUL NEWS TALK 970 AM & 103.3 FM