Vanderbilt University faculty, staff want to ‘repeal all suspensions and criminal charges’ following student protest
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Some Vanderbilt University students are not accepting the penalties for a pro-Palestinian protest without a fight.
On March 26, 26 student protestors rushed the Kirkland building.
“Normally how sit-ins work is that either the administration speaks to the students or they remove students pretty quickly,” said Ezri Tyler, a sophomore at Vanderbilt University. “Instead, they left us in there for 21 hours; they restricted our access to food, water, and bathrooms. Students were having to pee in bottles and bags. It was completely dehumanizing.”
Vanderbilt administrators claim the building was closed for ongoing construction.
The university plans to expel three students who were arrested and charged with a Class A misdemeanor for pushing a community service officer and staff member. Several other students were suspended or placed on probation for trespassing.
The impacted students told News 2 their education is now suffering.
“For all 27 students, we weren’t allowed to attend class for those last two weeks, which obviously put a huge dent in people’s ability to be successful in their academics,” Tyler said.
“I am one of those students who was expelled,” said Devron Burks, a senior at Vanderbilt University. “I have not been allowed on campus except for specific time class blocks, so my classes are either 50 minutes or one hour and 15 minutes, and that is the only time I am allowed on campus.”
As of Friday, April 5, students have 10 days to appeal to a review board consisting of faculty and students before the punishments are final.
However, those students told News 2 they are getting support from faculty and staff members at the university.
WATCH: Rally following Vanderbilt protest, suspensions
“Every single student went into the process with multiple, multiple faculty letters attesting to their strength as students, attesting to their character, how valuable they are to the Vanderbilt campus,” Tyler said.
Over 125 faculty members signed a letter to the administration saying, in part, “we, the undersigned Vanderbilt faculty, are deeply troubled by the suppression of student activism and speech on campus.”
The statement continued on to demand that students return to campus: “We call on the administration to repeal all suspensions and criminal charges against the students and immediately reinstate their access to campus housing, meal plans, healthcare, and educational activities.”
“The student body is for this,” Tyler said. “The student body wants free speech. The student body cares about Palestine and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It is the administration trying to claim that this protest and that free speech doesn’t belong on campus.”
| READ MORE | Latest headlines from Nashville and Davidson County
In the meantime, the campus group, Vanderbilt Divest Coalition, has continued camping outside the Kirkland building in tents and collecting letters of support from faculty, alumni, and several Vanderbilt schools.
Vanderbilt University said in a statement immediately following the student’s arrests, “Free expression is a core value at Vanderbilt, as is civil discourse. Our policies allow for members of the Vanderbilt community to protest and demonstrate regarding issues they care deeply about, and dozens of peaceful demonstrations have occurred in recent months.”
The university added, “The safety and well-being of our community is a top priority. The university will take action when our policies are violated, when the safety of our campus is jeopardized, and when people intimidate or injure members of our community.”
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
