Dear Members of the Campus Community:
This week, a recognized student organization is hosting an event on campus that speaks to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza. They have followed all student event policies, in alignment with our public higher education mission, and have demonstrated their commitment to hosting a safe and educational event.
We have also heard from other students signaling their intention to protest this event. A peaceful protest is an appropriate exercise of free speech on a public university campus.
Student Affairs and University Police personnel have been working proactively with both event organizers and counter demonstrators to understand their intent, clarify campus policies, and support and honor their shared right to free expression.
Ultimately, the goal for this event – as for any sanctioned campus event – is to ensure that both the program and appropriate expressions of counter viewpoints can take place in a manner that protects the rights and safety of all participants.
We continue to work with both the hosting organization and the counter demonstrators to finalize details and will share more information with the campus community as that work progresses.
Sincerely,
Michael Patterson
Assistant Vice President/Officer-in-Charge, Student Affairs
