Protests erupt at Boise State University after professor claims about women in fields like medicine and law

(CNN) – Hundreds of people demonstrated at Boise State University (BSU) in Idaho over the weekend following comments made at a conference by a professor who said that men should be prioritized in fields of study such as Engineering, Medicine and Law.

BSU Political Science Professor Scott Yenor made derogatory comments about women and spoke critically of the feminism on the National Conservatism Conference held in Orlando, Florida, on October 31, in a speech titled “The Family Form Nations Need.”

“Every effort must be made not to recruit women in engineering, but to recruit and demand more from men who become engineers, “Yenor said.” The same goes for medical schools, law schools, and all trades. “

CNN contacted Yenor for comment, but has not received a response.

In response to the recent attention the video received on social media, Yenor said on Twitter to stop “doing special efforts to recruit women in fields they don’t seem to want to be in, “and denied wanting to prevent let women get those professions.

He also posted a video saying that the country should “raise the importance of family life for both men and women in the United States.”

The university issued a statement saying it does not endorse Yenor’s comments, but “cannot infringe” on its ability to make them.

“Boise State University understands that the open exchange of ideas, which is critical to education, can introduce uncomfortable and even offensive ideas,” the statement said. “However, the university cannot infringe the First Amendment rights of anyone in our community, regardless of whether or not we, as individual leaders, agree with the message. No member of the Faculty defines what Boise State, or any public university, endorses or defends “.

Idaho State Representative Brooke Green told CNN that Yenor’s beliefs “are not only outdated, but completely sexist and reflect a society that no longer exists. “

Green helped organize Saturday’s event at the university to counter Yenor’s comments, and said about 500 men and women attended.

An act Saturday condemns the Boise State University professor’s anti-feminist speech.

“Many young women in college are concerned that their future is in the hands of a senior lecturer who believes they don’t deserve to be there and take a seat that belongs to a man,” Green said.

“Women should not have to spend time today defending our value in society or our rights as human beings, however, women wanted to come together to send a message saying that we will continue to occupy professional spaces, be it a boardroom, a court or a leadership role within our community, “he said.

Boise State University is the largest university in Idaho, with nearly 20,000 students.

– CNN’s Travis Caldwell contributed to this report.