Three Vanderbilt students charged with assault after shoving officer, forcing way into building for sit-in: WATCH
Three Vanderbilt University students were charged with assault after pushing a Community Services officer as they began a sit-in at the chancellor’s office building to protest the cancelation of a boycott, divest, and sanction campus-wide vote.
Three Vanderbilt University students were charged with assault after pushing a Community Services officer and a staff member as they began a sit-in at the chancellor’s office building to protest the cancelation of a boycott, divest, and sanction campus-wide vote.
A spokesperson for Vanderbilt University told Campus Reform that three students were charged with Class A misdemeanor assault after they pushed a Community Services Officer and a staff member who offered to meet with them while they forcefully entered Kirkland Hall on Tuesday.
According to The Tennessean, around 30 students began to occupy Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier’s office on Tuesday to protest the cancellation of a vote to change the student government constitution. University administration canceled a campus vote on a proposed change to the student government constitution, which would have prevented student government funds from going to businesses that work with Israel.
The sit-in protest began at 9 a.m. on March 26, when members of the Vanderbilt Divest Coalition forcefully entered Kirkland Hall, according to the Vanderbilt Hustler. Security video from the building shows protesters shoving an individual to gain access inside.
”All of the protest participants who breached the building will be placed on interim suspension,” the Vanderbilt spokesperson told Campus Reform.
Another student was charged with vandalism after breaking a window at Kirkland Hall on Tuesday evening.
In a statement, the Vanderbilt spokesperson said the protest was “not a peaceful one.”
”It began with the assault of a Vanderbilt community service officer and continued with protesters physically pushing Vanderbilt staff members with the hope of entering and occupying the chancellor’s office. As a result, the building remained on lockdown and members of VUPD were on high alert.
25 students were forced out of the building at around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning by Vanderbilt University police officers.
Video posted to Instagram by VandyGenAction, a group that also participated in the sit-in, shows a student calling 911 to report her friend being denied the “right to change her tampon.”
”There is currently a female student who is denied the right to change her tampon that has been in multiple hours, which leads to an increased risk of toxic shock syndrome,” the student says.
”Ma’am, do you have an emergency?” the 911 operator responds, while trying to determine if the student is requesting an ambulance.
A separate video posted by the Vanderbilt Divest Coalition shows a protester on the verge of tears arguing with police over whether the student in question would be arrested if she left to change tampons.
In an Instagram post, the Vanderbilt Divest Coalition said that protesters were “peeing in bottles” and “using banners for privacy.” A separate post states that students had to use “bottles, bags, clothes & containers” to go to the bathroom.
A Vanderbilt spokesperson told Campus Reform that the university values free expression while defining “time, place and manner limitations,” as previously reported.
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”Student Affairs staff took a graduated approach to de-escalate the situation. First, they asked students to leave. After the students refused to leave, staff made them aware their actions violated university policy and that they would be subject to disciplinary action. After several hours, the university began issuing interim suspensions. Students on interim suspension must leave campus immediately and may not return until further notice, pending the Student Affairs review process,” the spokesperson said. “This is an evolving situation, and we will keep our community informed as there are new developments.”
