September 10, 2024
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Six University of Georgia students arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest on April 29 will remain suspended through the fall semester, the university's Office of Student Conduct announced Monday.
The students will also remain on probation for the remainder of their academic careers at the university. The decision came after a 13-hour disciplinary hearing on July 30. Students can appeal the ruling to the university's vice president of student affairs.
Campus police arrested 16 protesters who set up an encampment near university President Jere Morehead's office on the Athens campus in April. The school suspended the students hours later.
Some students informally resolved charges with the school by acknowledging their violations, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
During the hearing, the six remaining students said they had a right to protest and none of their actions interrupted academic activities. When they tried to comply with orders to move, students said officers used force and tried to end their protest.
University representatives said that the encampments put students and professors in danger and that students were warned to disperse.
“The University will continue to enforce our policies to protect the free expression rights of all members of our community while recognizing that such activities must comply with applicable laws and policies,” university spokesperson Greg Trevor said in a statement.
The hearing, which the six students requested, included a panel of two students and one faculty member.
Protesters “chose to be arrested” by ignoring the campus rules on demonstrations, administrators wrote in a public letter in May.
