University of Tennessee demonstrations continue for a third day after 9 were arrested

Nine people, seven students and two community members, were arrested on the University of Tennessee campus on the evening of May 2.

Pro-Palestine groups had gathered over the course of two days to advocate for the university to divest from its assets tied to Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas.

They were issued citations and released. The students could face campus disciplinary action.

Demonstrations are expected to continue today, with updates below.

Campuses across the country have been hot spots this week for clashes between police and demonstrators, many of whom have supported Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Hamas launched a surprise attack from Gaza on Oct 7, 2023. The attackers killed more than 1,100 people, most of them civilians, and took hostage about 205 people. Some people targeted in the attacks have accused Hamas fighters of raping and sexually assaulting some Israelis.

Israel launched a massive counterattack that has claimed the lives of more than 34,500 Palestinians, the Gaza Health Ministry told Reuters on April 30. Palestinian health officials say two-thirds of those killed were women and children.

Group begins to gather outside UT's Student Union

Demonstrators in support of Palestine have begun gathering on the lawn in front of the Student Union on Cumberland Avenue. Three demonstrators arrived at around 12:20 p.m. and the group expanded over 20 people by 1 p.m. They have "Divest now" signs.

Two UT administrators told students they can gather on the sidewalk in front of Cumberland Avenue, but not on the walkway or lawn in front of the Student Union.

Chancellor Donde Plowman balances rights and rules in new statement

"This was not the result any of us wanted."

That's how University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman reacted this morning in a statement to faculty members.

Plowman again emphasized the university's commitment to free speech, and noted "A group of individuals does not have the right to monopolize university property for an indefinite period of time."

She said administrators worked with the participants on both days and advised them on rules and laws.

The students arrested Thursday night will face sanctions under the Student Code of Conduct, Plowman said.

"We will continue to engage with all our students to provide support, and we will also continue to enforce the law and university policy for the benefit and protection of everyone in our community. We ask that all Volunteers express themselves in ways that respect the rights of others," the statement read.

She read the statement this morning at a scheduled University of Tennessee at Knoxville Advisory committee meeting.

Tennessee professor offer insight about college student protests on NPR

Robert Kelchen is a professor of education and head of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee. He spoke with NPR’s “Morning Edition” about student protests across the nation, in general, not about the protests at UT.

He said students who participate in protests run the risk of falling behind academically or, of course, getting arrested and potentially kicked out of school. This is heightened for international students studying on educational visas, he said.

College administrators are in a tough place with pressure from both demonstrators and donors and state legislators, he said.

“The administration at Columbia (University), and a number of other institutions, is just under an incredible amount of political pressure to end the protests … and there’s concerns about will this repel donors for an Ivy League institution. That’s a big piece to think about. And the responses are often pretty aggressive because institutions don’t want things to spiral out of control.”

The end result, he said, is attracting the best leaders for these universities may be more difficult going forward.

“A college president can’t solve war in the Middle East but at least having some sense of dialogue may be useful,” he said. “But also, if you have donors or legislators completely opposed to that strategy you’re running the risk of losing your job.

“One thing I feel pretty confident out of all of this is it’s going to be really hard to recruit high quality college presidents when they’re stuck in situations where there are no easy solutions.”

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee protests continue for third day after arrests