Regardless of its sponsorship or lack thereof, it goes to demonstrate the mentality of those persons involved. If it is an official function and forum, as it appears to be, this is one of those easily exploitable, flawed systems of the current educational enterprise. If it is entirely the decision of the students, only using the facility and their prior involvement as a point to gather, it sits less poor off, but still betrays their character, especially with regard to the students they groom,
@Kassarock.
The whole conflation as you called it has a valid argument and more valid sentiment; these institutions
allow or in worse cases, encourage or endorse this behavior. If I was to step aside and view a such a place as a sum of it's parts, what am I to think about students who feel fictional soldiers of a science-fantasy universe are "Too much like Nazis and thus need to be banned."? Given this hypothetical is asking of me
my opinion, and my less than stellar perspective on the entirety of the education system from pre-education up to college, I would say this is a perfectly good sample of what is wrong with it. These children, for lack of better words, cannot tolerate anything outside their realm of comfort and are often coddled by professors and staff who have an agenda of indoctrination.
If such organizations are allowed to be public at all, or even private, they perfectly deserve scrutiny and especially ridicule when appropriate. I add to this that, more importantly, that it is a laughing matter at minimum. It is not about to change my opinion of them - the censoring of legitimate free speech in the halls of education at all levels has much more my ire as a whole - but if I wish to think less of people over such forged "controversy" I will. They are free to have and voice their opinions, even if bad ones, just as I am entitled to reply with my own.
As an addition for frame of reference, I view most college students and graduates, at least in our current era, as spoiled children who haven't had to experience much of reality or confront it. Granted not all are this way, but I have low expectations for their lot until generally impressed. Needless to say, few people impress me at all.