Following a pro-Palestine protest on campus that led to some arrests last month, three Vanderbilt University students were reportedly expelled.
Three individuals were expelled, one was suspended, and 22 , were given administrative probations for their participation in an against- Israel protest that resulted in a police commander being actually pushed and three arrests,  , according to a record by the Vanderbilt Hustler.
According to a report from Breitbart News, pro-Palestine students were seen pushing an officer into a school building to rally the school’s decision to revoke a ballot proposition that would have prohibited funding for pro-Israel organizations.
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The class declined to disclose the certain number of students who were given probations, suspensions, and expulsions, telling the Vanderbilt Hustler,” Student administrative outcomes are considered part of an individual person’s academic document, the contents of which are protected by national protection laws”.
” We cannot release information that would make a student, or group of students, identifiable”, the university spokesperson added.
However, some of this information was made public by Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and the Vanderbilt Divest Coalition.
” Chancellor]Daniel ] Diermeier is notoriously cruel to student protestors”, the Instagram post read, before lamenting the university’s alleged decision to “remove BDS from the ballot” after calling it “unlawful”.
BDS, which stands for” Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions”, is a movement that seeks to systematically destroy the world’s only Jewish state through financial means, by boycotting companies that do business with Israel.
Meanwhile, first- year student , Jack Petocz reportedly took to X/Twitter, where he identified himself as one of the students who was expelled, writing,  ,” I was expelled from Vanderbilt University for peacefully protesting the genocide in Palestine”.
I’m Jack Petocz, a 19 y/o activist that’s been fighting for marginalized people for years.
Yesterday, I was expelled from Vanderbilt University for peacefully protesting the genocide in Palestine.
Vanderbilt will let sexual assaulters walk free, but expel passionate organizers.
— Jack Petocz ( @Jack_Petocz ) April 6, 2024
” I came to Vanderbilt with the intention of escaping the pervasive bigotry and institutional oppression I encountered in the Deep South. That dream has soured” , , Petocz added in a follow- up post. ” Make no mistake, we will be appealing and attempting to rectify this obscene and undue punishment”.
I came to Vanderbilt with the intention of escaping the pervasive bigotry and institutional oppression I encountered in the Deep South.
That dream has soured.
Make no mistake, we will be appealing and attempting to rectify this obscene and undue punishment.
— Jack Petocz ( @Jack_Petocz ) April 6, 2024
The punished students have ten days to appeal their cases, according to Provost C. Cybele Raver, during which period they will still be able to access campus and university resources.
Faculty members criticized Chancellor Diermeier, Raver, the Office of General Counsel, and Faculty Senate President Andrea Capizzi in an open letter signed by 154 professors, saying they disagreed with the administration’s actions.
Vanderbilt Law School Associate Professor Terry Maroney, one of the letter ‘s , signees, told , the Vanderbilt Hustler that the decisions made by school administrators are “draconian”.
” Some of us participated in similar sit- ins in our own day” , , Maroney argued. ” They form part of the protest lexicon. And while civil disobedience has consequences, the consequences our administrators have chosen are severe, including expulsion and criminal charges.
” We call on the Chancellor to change course”, the law professor added.
Raver reportedly said in , an April 5 email to the Vanderbilt community that the school ‘s , student conduct policies has a goal to ensure student safety and , opportunity for success.
” After a thorough review of the incident, including examination of evidence and interviews with students, the Student Accountability, Community Standards and Academic Integrity staff issued a range of findings and sanctions that took the individual circumstances of each student’s conduct into account” , , Raver’s email read.
Several faculty members claimed that the school’s response to student protests in recent weeks has caused them “deep trouble.”
The letter begins with the statement,” We hold a variety of perspectives on this topic and on the BDS campaign at the heart of the recent protests.” ” However, in our shared view, the administration’s response to student activism on this issue is inconsistent with Vanderbilt’s commitment to free speech and expression in a democratic society”.
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