Two Ohio University students were arrested April 16 at a campus protest that ended inside the building where the university president and trustees were meeting.
Dozens of students gathered in the afternoon near College Green to rally against what protesters called university inaction against federal immigration enforcement, according to the Ohio Student Association, one of the protest organizers. Protesters also raised concerns about Senate Bill 1, contract negotiations with the faculty union and a recent student-government led referendum on university transparency.
In addition to Ohio University’s Ohio Student Association chapter, the protest was also organized by Students for Justice for Palestine, Black Panther Party Legacy and the Amnesty International, as well as several other groups. Protesters marched across campus from College Green to Walter Hall, where Ohio University’s Board of Trustees were meeting.
According to a statement by the Ohio University Police Department, about 75 people carrying signs and using a bullhorn entered Walter Hall around 1 p.m. Police said protesters were allowed entrance to the building’s Governance Chamber until it reached its posted room capacity. The rest of the group was told they could “continue their demonstration outside the building, in compliance with university policy,” according to the statement.
Police said the group initially refused to leave, blocked the building’s main hallway and continued “to engage in loud and disruptive behavior.” After multiple warning to disperse, officers arrested two people for criminal trespass.
None of the protesters resisted arrest, and there were no reported injuries, according to police.
A statement from the Ohio Student Association said that students joined the board of trustees meeting to demand a meeting with Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. Protesters said Gonzalez has repeatedly ignored requests by students to meet.
“Not only is the Ohio University administration complicit in the endangerment of students from ICE, the President of the university would not look our students in the eye,” Clara Conover, lead organizer with the Ohio Student Association, said in a statement. “As a campus leader, it is the duty of President Lori Stewart Gonzales to meet with our student leaders, not to ignore them.”
In a statement, Ohio University said “an expressive campus environment, when conducted safely and legally, is a sign of a thoughtful and engaged community” and that “those who choose to take their right to free expression beyond the established boundaries of the law and violate existing University policies will be held accountable for their actions.”
“Moving forward, we will continue to educate our University community on OHIO’s free expression policies, support their right to legally express their views and remind them that their actions, when in violation of law or University policy, can result in disciplinary and legal consequences,” the university said.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Two Ohio University students arrested during board of trustees protest
Reporting by Sheridan Hendrix, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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