Dozens of UConn students had a clear message for school leaders on Monday.
“Meet with us, meet with us,” students chanted outside of Gulley Hall.
The student organization, UConnDivest, is asking the president’s office to meet in-person to discuss the new updates to the university's protesting policies. Some of the changes include limiting amplified sound.
“We are doing our best to stay within the rules, but we are not exactly sure because these rules seem to apply differently to different groups,” Josie Raza, of UConnDivest, said.
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The changes came after there were several pro-Palestinian protests on campus last year. In one case, several students were arrested following an encampment.
“The majority of people, the UConn community, doesn't want students to be violently arrested for disagreeing with something the university does,” Raza said.
For months, the student group has called on UConn to disclose and divest certain school-related investments.
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The group believes the new protesting policies aren’t clear. Raza said she is frustrated by the lack of communication between school leaders and students.
“It’s really disheartening to just see the lack of care that the university seems to have in its students' ability to speak on campus,” Raza said.
Another student said Monday’s rally came at the expense of some students missing classes.
“Because free speech is more important than going to class, we need to stand up for our rights so if that means we unfortunately we miss out on valuable parts of our education, then that’s what we need to,” a UConn student said.
UConn Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said in a statement:
“One of UConn’s strengths is the diversity of opinions among the 32,000-plus students across its campuses statewide. The University respects the rights of students to gather and express themselves peacefully on any topics they wish.”
