UT says it will discipline students who violated campus rules during pro-Palestinian protests

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The University of Texas at Austin issued a statement Tuesday morning stating that it will carry out disciplinary action against students who violated campus rules during pro-Palestinian protests on April 24 and 29.

The University has made clear that we enforce institutional rules, and the conduct notices sent to students who violated our rules during protests on April 24th and 29th reflect that commitment. The actions and stated intentions of those participating in these protests stand in stark contrast to no fewer than 13 previous pro-Palestinian free speech events on our campus since October, which took place largely without incident. The University of Texas will continue to support the Constitutional rights to free speech of all individuals on our campus and will also enforce our rules, while providing due process and holding students accountable.

University of Texas statement

The university said it is prohibited by federal law from commenting on specific student conduct cases. It did not specify how many students are facing disciplinary action, but it did provide the following background information:

• Student conduct notices are issued for University rules violations and may be accompanied by Non-Financial Holds (conduct holds) or Financial Holds, which must be resolved before a student can register for classes or order transcripts or diplomas.
• Non-Financial Holds (conduct holds) acknowledge a $0.00 financial hold balance, to indicate no funds are owed.
• Any student conduct notices the University issues include 1) the reason for the notice (citations of specific rules violations or funds owed), and 2) instructions for how to resolve financial or non-financial holds.
• The University does not arrest people for protesting.
• The arrests that took place on April 24 and 29 were for "rules violations."
• Information about prohibited conduct and the disciplinary process can be found in Chapter 11 of Institutional Rules.
• The Student Conduct administrative process is separate from the criminal justice system and is not dependent on whether a criminal charge is filed related to an arrest.

Background

The April 24 protest was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee of Austin and began just before noon with a walkout of class and a march to “occupy” the South Lawn, according to a social media post. It said it planned to demand the administration divest, or withdraw its investments, from Israel.

The University sent protest organizers a letter the day before, telling them to cancel the protest because it violated university rules and disrupted campus operations.

Fifty-seven people were booked into the Travis County Jail following that protest. The Travis County Attorney’s office said it reviewed the cases and determined they would not proceed because they did not have “sufficient probable cause.”

On April 29, a total of 79 people were arrested after a group of pro-Palestinian protesters again gathered on the South Mall in the afternoon and set up several tents in the area. The university issued a dispersal order, and law enforcement responded shortly after.

According to a UT source, 46 of the 79 people arrested during that protest were not UT students. The cases involving that protest were not dismissed, according to Travis County Attorney Delia Garza, because the office did not find the same deficiencies, and the office believed they met the standard for probable cause.