University opens investigation into students arrested during campus protests – The Daily Texan

Several students stopped during the month of April pro-Palestinian The protesters received letters from the university stating that they were under investigation for actions taken during the events.

In a letter obtained by the Texan, the University cites items 11-500 Institutional Rules and Student Services and said the students may have violated UT's Student Code of Conduct.

Anne-Marie Jardine, who graduated this spring, said that before receiving the letters, she and other arrested students tried to contact the University after noticing a hold on documents like their transcripts , but had received little help on how to resolve the problem.

“I tried to get my transcripts the Monday after I graduated, and there was a wait,” Jardine said. “Then the next week I get an email saying I have a detention…Then other people I was arrested with said, 'Y'all just got an email about a detention ? »

Jardine, who is attending graduate school at New York University in the fall, said she began to get excited when she received an email from NYU saying that if she didn't provide them with transcript, she may have to forfeit her place in their graduate program. She said she finally got a copy, only after she and her mother spent nearly eight hours in the main tower. However, the hold was put back in place after 24 hours, she said.

Students arrested during the April protests asked administrators to allow them to attend graduation last month. The University allowed them to participate, but Jardine said they still had not received their physical diplomas.

“They said they couldn't send my physical diploma and I also couldn't get a transcript or anything because of the detention,” said Aryel Mejia, a graduate who also received a letter.

In an email, a university spokesperson said the letters reflected UT's commitment to “enforcing institutional rules” and that participants in the April 24 and 29 protests “contrasted sharply” with other pro-Palestinian events on campus.

“The University of Texas will continue to support the constitutional free speech rights of all individuals on our campus and will also enforce our rules while ensuring due process and holding students accountable,” a spokesperson said from UT in an email.

The letter also stated that students could submit a written statement about their views on the events that occurred during the April protest.

Students said they were in limbo until the investigation was completed. They were not given a precise timetable for how long the procedure would take.

“Nobody talked about the schedule,” Mejia said. “The only thing we know in terms of timing is that…(we) have to respond by the 18th, but that’s it.”