KERA | By Toluwani Osibamowo
PublishedJuly 31, 2024 at 7:16 AM CDT
Students at the University of Texas at Dallas say the school plans to put current students arrested during a campus anti-war protest on deferred suspension and deny degrees until December.
UTD conducted disciplinary meetings the week of July 15 with nine students arrested during a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus more than two months ago, KERA News previously reported. According to an anonymous op-ed by one of the arrested students published in UTD’s student newspaper, The Mercury, the university notified students of the plans for discipline during those meetings.
A UTD spokesperson did not provide answers to questions about these claims or confirm the potential punishments, but the piece supports what students and faculty members told KERA News about the process in recent weeks.
Deferred suspension means suspension from campus is postponed but will take effect if a student is found responsible for any additional rule violations during the deferred suspension period, according to UTD’s Student Code of Conduct.
According to the op-ed, UTD told recent graduates the university may deny that they have graduated to outside parties. “Denial of degree” is an unexplained sanction in the code of conduct.
Among those facing discipline is Nouran Abusaad, a health care management graduate student at UTD who said she had her meeting with administration July 18.
“It became very clear at this meeting that the university's goal with these disciplinary proceedings is to instill fear in all students protesting for Palestine and calling on the university to divest from death,” she said in an interview with KERA News.
It’s been nearly 10 months since the beginning of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, initiated after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people. Palestinian authorities say the death toll has risen to more than 39,000 Palestinians killed.
College students across the state have called for the UT system to divest from, or stop investing in, weapons companies with ties to the war.
A total of 21 protestors were arrested for criminal trespass at the encampment and booked into Collin County Jail May 1, including professors and individuals not associated with the university. UTD said it gave students written notice to take down the encampment as individuals were not allowed to block campus passageways.
All were released on bond the next day on the condition that they were banned from campus except for class and class-related activities, or in the professors’ cases, work and work-related activities.
The Collin County District Attorney's Office is reviewing their cases. Protesters and supporters have called on UTD to ask the DA to drop the charges, which the university has declined to do.
In Travis County, where dozens of students and others were arrested during days of protests and an encampment on the UT Austin campus in April, the district attorney's office dropped all charges against protesters.
In a letter to at least one student shared with KERA News, UTD accused those arrested of violating the school’s code of conduct — namely, a general violation of rules and regulations, disruptive conduct, failure to comply, and “obstruction of, interference with, or attempted or unauthorized access to institutional activities, facilities and/or grounds.”
The university gave the students three options, Abusaad said: accept responsibility and punishment, accept responsibility but appeal the punishment or dispute both and proceed to a hearing.
“These options that UTD has outlined might seem sensible at first glance, but it’s very clear to us students that UTD is targeting us to set precedent for actions for Palestine and actions for divestment,” she said.
Abusaad said last week she did not know which of the options she would choose.
If a student disputes allegations of misconduct, the student can get a hearing in front of a hearing officer or panel. As in a trial, students may bring in attorneys as their advisors, but that person cannot make arguments or bring evidence on the student’s behalf.
If the student’s advisor is an attorney, the dean of students can also bring in an attorney through the Office of the General Counsel of the UT System, according to the code of conduct. Both the student and the dean of students can present opening arguments, evidence and witnesses.
State Reps. Ana-Maria Ramos, D-Richardson, and Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, also met with UTD students, faculty and community advocates earlier this month to discuss the aftermath of the arrests.
Ramos did not provide comment for this story. Bhojani’s campaign manager Jordan Villareal said in a statement to KERA News Bhojani can’t speak to individual students’ cases or the university’s investigation, but the representative wants to ensure students feel heard.
“Representative Bhojani is always open to establishing a dialogue during these difficult situations,” the statement reads. “He had a chance to hear from both UTD and the students, and is continuing his conversation with both parties to help them reach a mutual agreement on moving forward after the protest, encampment, and arrest.”
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