A UT Austin committee report released this week found that university leaders broke their rules by calling state troopers during pro-Palestinian protests in April. The committee determined that the university’s claims against the protesters lacked adequate foundation.
On April 24 and 29, dozens of people gathered on the UT Austin campus to protest over Israel’s war in Gaza. The university called state troopers to address protesters, resulting in more than 130 people arrested in two days.
The university alleged that protestors violated numerous laws, including unauthorized use of amplified sound, wearing masks to conceal identities, and attempting to set up an encampment. Several students arrested during the protests have been put on probation or suspended.
However, the Committee of Counsel on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, composed of seven members including professors of history, law, and education, determined that the university’s claims against the protesters lacked evidence and foundation.
The report, obtained by Kut News, disputed UT’s claims of protestors using amplified noise, saying that, according to their observations and media reports, the protesters did not use “electric, electronic, mechanical, or motor-powered means” to increase the volume of sound.
The committee also said that protests didn’t violate rules prohibiting the disruption of teaching and learning, as the protests planned to include a teaching and a study break. “Such an event, in that place, cannot have interfered with any University function and cannot be considered disruptive,” the committee wrote.
The report also highlighted that, under the university rules, the institution must seek a cooperative resolution before involving police.
“[A]dministrators and law enforcement officials should clearly state what they consider disruptive and seek voluntary compliance before stopping the event or resorting to disciplinary charges or arrest,” UT Austin rules read.
UT Austin President Jay Hartzell admitted to faculty that he decided to call the police and that he wouldn’t change his decision.
UT Austin spokesperson Mike Rosen defended the university’s actions, stating they complied with policies and laws and that the university supports free speech while enforcing rules.
“[T]he University’s claim of violations of the Institutional Rules by protest organizers and almost all individual protestors appear to rest on exaggerated or mistaken accounts of what happened, and are, in important instances, not supported by the language of the Rules,” the committee report reads.
The report was sent to Hartzell on July 15, but the committee has yet to receive a response.
