Brigham Young University is not famous for civil disobedience. In fact, student protests are virtually unheard of at America's "No. 1 stone sober" university — a place even Dick Cheney feels secure in giving a commencement speech undisturbed.

Still, if something utterly unjust and fascist occurs — a BYU student's blood can boil like Abbie Hoffman's.

Nathan Langford didn't want to be a hero. He certainly didn't want to be the center of a protest movement. He just wanted to wear his long gray cloak and sing outside the Joseph Smith Building.

The BYU Daily Universe reports:

Nathan Langford isn't trying to be weird when he stands outside, dressed in a cloak and singing between classes. He's just passing the time between classes. Unfortunately for Langford, some people have found it annoying enough to call campus police. "My cloak is what I wear to keep warm," said Langford, a math major from Wisconsin. "Sure it's a little bit different, but it works."

What are you, Nate — a nonconformist? Fortunately, BYU has campus cops to nip such nonsense in the bud. Cloaks and folks songs? I don't think so.

"They told me I was disturbing the peace, and if I didn't stop, I'd be issued a citation," Langford said.

Sympathizers formed a Facebook group to support Langford's right to be goofy. It soon became the biggest BYU group on Facebook with 670 members. Jeff Meadows, one of the group's administrators, says there's nothing in the Honor Code about singing around campus. "A few people chose to be annoyed by it."

But many students agree with Lucy Brown, who says, "When people make it a point to draw attention to themselves, they distract from the university's purpose." Non-BYU students think there are a lot of "nerds and weirdos" at BYU, and Brown fears a guy wearing cloak and singing hymns and folk songs only reinforces that stereotype.

Nathan's supporters called for a rally today to wear cloaks and sing to protest the campus police's over reaction.

About a dozen people showed up and "It was very quiet," says Daily Universe faculty advisor Rich Evans.

Free the BYU Dozen!