Herman Cain, a Republican presidential primary candidate, speaks to students Dec. 1, 2011, at MTSU in Murfreesboro, Tenn. His speech was interrupted by protesters demanding answers about recent campaign scandals. (TMP/D. Gardonia)

Although Republican presidential primary candidate Herman Cain said he would avoid politics Thursday during an MTSU guest lecture, Occupy Murfreesboro protesters attempted to force him into addressing recent campaign scandals – only to be drowned out by students.

“We actually want to hear him – now get out,” one student shouted, as a protester kept chanting.

About 20 minutes after Cain began speaking to a crowd of more than 250 students, a member of the Occupy movement stood up and began reading from a script demanding an apology “to the oppressed genders of America.”

In recent weeks, Cain has faced immense scrutiny due to allegations he sexually harassed a female employee while he led the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s and a claim that he engaged in a 13-year extramarital affair with another woman.

Several students who were seated next to the woman angrily told her to “shut up,” while others began booing in her direction.

“Sexual abuse is unacceptable,” another heckler yelled, moments before the man left the lecture hall to avoid being detained by security.

Another counter-protester hollered at one man, “Cut your hair, you hippie.”

Despite the intense reaction from students who were visibly outraged by the hecklers’ actions, Occupy protesters then joined together and began loudly chanting, “We are the 99 percent.”

The outbursts abruptly ended when more than 25 students began cheering and yelling back at the protesters in support of Cain, who stood quietly as the incident occurred.

As the Occupy protesters, many of whom are also MTSU students, filed out of the State Farm Room of the Business and Aerospace Building, the audience erupted with applause and gave Cain a standing ovation.

“I committed to Dean (Jim Burton) that I’m not going to address any political issues today,” Cain said, referring to the original intent of the event. “But do you know how tempting that is? (I’m) not going to do it – not going to do it.”

He then paused for a moment, before carefully alluding to his primary campaign.

“Now I think I was on my way to becoming president of something,” he said, prompting laughter.

The educational event was planned almost a year ago, long before Cain announced his bid for the Republican presidential ticket, said Tom Tozer, director of MTSU News and Media Relations, in a press release last week.

The event, titled “Leadership Lessons Learned in a Turnaround: The Godfather Pizza Story,” was co-sponsored by the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and the Young America’s Foundation to give students the opportunity to discuss entrepreneurship with Cain, who is the former president of Godfather’s Pizza.

Even though Cain stayed on message for the remainder of his speech, he did address the outbursts again at the end of the event.

“Don’t be embarrassed that those people wanted to talk about that they’re part of the 99 percent,” Cain said, during the question-and-answer session after the speech. “We have freedom of speech. Some people abuse it. That’s why I don’t get rattled. They wanted to disrupt my party because they couldn’t attract anyone to come listen to them talk.”

After the event, a group of students noted that they disagreed with the protesters' actions.

“They were just hippies,” said William Lemonds, a freshman in the University College. “But, it's still embarrassing.”