Seven students who entered the provost’s suite in the Main Building, to demand a meeting with the University administration, are calling for the University to drop disciplinary proceedings after finishing their hearings on Wednesday.
The University charged the students, who are members of Students for a Democratic Society, for “unauthorized entry” and “disruptive conduct” inside Provost William Inboden’s Tower suite in November. The students were protesting the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” that President Donald Trump’s administration initially sent to UT and eight other institutions last October. The University has not publicly announced whether it would sign the Compact.
As part of the student conduct investigation process, each student was sent a notice of disciplinary action by the Office of the Dean of Students. Additionally, a disciplinary hearing was scheduled with Natalie Campbell, the senior associate director of student conduct and academic integrity, to allow students to respond to allegations of misconduct. Students could bring an advisor to their hearings according to the Dean of Students website.
Maddie Zajicek, a biology freshman and SDS member who entered the provost’s office, said she had the last hearing of the group on Wednesday.
“Because it’s not a criminal case of any kind, it’s not a court of law, only two of us had lawyers, and then the rest of our advisors were just trained to help us from those initial lawyers,” Zajicek said.
Zajicek said she does not plan to take legal action unless the University tries to suspend or expel the students charged.
Daniel Ramirez, a computer science sophomore and SDS member, stayed in the provost’s office to demand a meeting after other members left. He said the Austin Lawyers Guild provided pro-bono legal help. The guild did not respond to a request to comment.
Spencer Terry, a civil engineering senior and SDS member who also protested, said the hearings were less of an opportunity for students to receive “justice” and more of a move for the University to claim fairness.
“It seemed less to be about whether or not I did what they alleged that I did, and more about trying to figure out the organizational structure of SDS, and figure out why it was that we were there, and if someone was recording it,” Terry said.
The University did not respond to a request for comment.
Ramirez said the University asked him questions that suggested a conspiracy to enter the provost’s office. When Ramirez questioned the facts of his charges, Campbell declined to answer, he said.
“It’s bogus. We’re fighting that they drop these charges, and we hope they will,” Ramirez said.
