UVA withholds degrees from anti-Israel students under investigation for disorderly conduct

The University of Virginia (UVA) reportedly withheld degrees from four students amid ongoing investigations into their involvement with an anti-Israel encampment on May 4, during which police stepped in to break up the demonstration.

The students are being investigated for “Disorderly conduct on University-owned or leased property or at a University-sanctioned function.” A release reportedly goes on to note that “disorderly conduct is defined to include but is not limited to acts that breach the peace, are lewd, indecent, or obscene, and that are not Constitutionally protected speech.”

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UVA Deputy Spokesperson Bethanie Glover said in an email interview that UVA’s decision to withhold degrees is not an extraordinary one, and she noted that it does not mark a departure from UVA’s broader commitment to protecting free speech.

“It is standard practice for the university to withhold the degrees of students who have been referred for potential violations of the university’s policies or standards of conduct,” Glover said. “It’s important to clarify that free speech remains a core value of UVA, and any cases awaiting UJC review were referred due to violations of policy and standards of conduct, not because of constitutionally protected speech.”

The investigation is being carried out by the school’s University Judiciary Committee (UJC), a student-run body that is “authorized to investigate and adjudicate alleged violations of the University’s Standards of Conduct.” As of publication, the students’ trial before the UJC is scheduled to take place early in the fall.

Some members of the UVA faculty have criticized the decision to withhold the students’ degrees. During a radio interview, Professor Laura Goldblatt said that “It’s clear that none of these students are a threat to the UVA community and that they were using their constitutionally protected right to protest.”

UVA previously brought civil disobedience charges against the four students but subsequently dropped most of them. Some, including associate professor of education Walter Heinecke, argue that the school should treat the UJC charges in the same manner.

“There are four students who have had their degrees held, and they can’t find employment without those degrees,” Heinecke said. “So, the university is basically undermining their economic well-being and their ability to get jobs. So, this is problematic from our perspective.”

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According to UVA’s website, the school “reserves the right to withhold the diplomas of financially delinquent students or when students have engaged in Standards of Conduct violations at or prior to graduation ceremonies.”

Campus Reform has reached out to UVA and Professor Goldblatt for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.