An update on the May 11 campus protest

On Sat. May 11 protesters were handing out leaflets during May at Mac, the event where prospective and incoming students and their families and friends are welcomed to campus.

University security officers received several complaints from community members concerning the leaflets, which directly named a student and made unsubstantiated allegations against him.

When asked, the protesters did not provide identification confirming they were students. They were asked reasonably to move along, and they did. Some returned later and continued to demonstrate, at which time three students received one-day trespass notices.

At the time, University security officers were working with limited information. They acted  with the information they had but as we get a better understanding of this incident, it is regrettable and unfortunate that students engaging in peaceful protest were ticketed in this way. Members of the university community are free to organize events, rallies or meetings to publicize or protest issues. Protest is a form of free expression and the university is guided by a commitment to ensure all our members have a chance to express their views and be heard. Peaceful protest has been a force for progressive change on university campus, and elsewhere, for generations, and the ability to challenge or question views or ideas is fundamental to our mission.

In acknowledgement of this the university will be reaching out to the students who received the tickets to offer support and is taking steps to rescind the tickets and clear the incident from any student’s personal record.