In the bitter cold of Wednesday night, Nick Fuentes spoke, and at times yelled, to a crowd of Iowa State students crowded outside of Parks Library in the “free speech zone.”

Fuentes, the 20-year-old self-identified white nationalist, isn’t well known — unless of course his ideologies are similar to your own. A quick internet search reveals only his own America First YouTube channel and podcast, as well as his personal website.

Almost instantly, one can tell Fuentes is inflammatory, derogatory and hateful.

So how did Fuentes get invited to speak at Iowa State when neither College Republicans nor Turning Point USA, two groups whose names have been associated with the event but disaffiliated from Fuentes in interviews, hosted him?

No one is really sure, which is as confusing as it is encouraging. Either someone on campus invited him but doesn’t want to be associated with him, or no one invited him.

Fuentes originally tried to speak in a classroom, but learned quickly that a student organization needed to host him as well as reserve a room if he wanted to speak on campus. So after being removed from a classroom by campus police, Fuentes went to the only spot he could: “the free speech zone.”

For nearly an hour, Fuentes cited statistics of which he lacked data. He alluded to a “white” America and tried to link people of color with Democratic cities economically struggling. Fuentes yelled derogatory terms at protestors, who oftentimes silenced the crowd to allow Fuentes to speak.

So what should Iowa State make of all this?

One, a self-proclaimed white nationalist came to campus last night to share his opinion.

Two, no one outright hosted him due to the fact that the person or group who invited him doesn’t want their name associated with his presence on our campus.

Three, Nick Fuentes got exactly what he wanted and maybe even more. His first trip to speak at a college campus was supposed to be “hush-hush” and to be heard only small group of people. Was he hoping that his speech would be shut down by campus administrators so that he could claim “controlled free speech?”

All in all, the Fuentes speech had an opportunity to be productive. Not because Fuentes came and spoke, but because anticipation of his visit to groups together that would otherwise have polarizing perspectives.

While students waited in Carver 205 for Fuentes, some to protest and some to listen, they started having a dialogue that sought to understand where the other side was coming from.

It was productive, it was meaningful and it was impactful — if only for the 10 minutes that it lasted.

The ISD Editorial Board condems white nationalism. It condemns the guise of speech to spew hate on campus. However, we commend the activism and courage displayed Wednesday night to attempt a middle ground — it was truly the First Amendment being acted upon as it should be.