UConn to ban amplified speech as pro-Palestinian protests return to campus

On the first day of classes at the University of Connecticut, student organizers reignited pro-Palestinian demonstrations and school officials rolled out new rules for on-campus protests.

More than two dozen students and faculty rallied at the new site of the UConn Spirit Rock on the South Campus Quad, renewing calls for the university to sever ties to the defense industry and divest from companies tied to Israel and the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis and took more than 100 hostages on Oct. 7.

The demonstration marked the first protest of the school year after 26 demonstrators were arrested at a pro-Palestinian encampment that occupied a portion of the Storrs campus last spring.

“They thought that we would give up after last semester, and they thought that we would give up after the summer, but we are here. We are here today to make it known that we are not going anywhere,” said Mahmoud Salha, a UConn senior who has familial ties to Gaza and has lost relatives in the war.

As organizers spoke, other students sprayed a new message onto Spirit Rock, painting over a silhouette of UConn’s mascot with black and writing “WE ARE STILL HERE” in red next to a drawing of the Palestinian flag. The flip side of the rock bore the message “Free The UConn 26” in green, red and white.

Students carried signs and led chants against the war, Israel and UConn President Radenka Maric. Bullhorns or microphones were notably absent as students shouted to have their voices heard.

Minutes before the protest was set to start, UConn Dean of Students Fany Hannon and other university representatives pulled organizers aside to inform student demonstrators of UConn’s new amplified sound policy .

The UConn representatives did not allow the Courant to listen in on the conversation and denied requests for comment following the impromptu meeting. In an email to the Courant, University Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said the office of University Communications would forward information on the new policy tomorrow, “once it’s disseminated to the university community.”

Graduate student and communications representative for the UConn Divest Coalition Ashten Vassar-Cain said Hannon told students that the use of amplified sound is no longer permitted during university business hours. Vassar-Cain said UConn representatives told students that the policy was officially updated on Aug. 21 but that the university did not plan to communicate the new rules to students until Tuesday.

Vassar-Cain said the new rules would limit students’ ability to protest and voice their views when university officials are working on campus.

“We take this as a repression of student free speech,” Vassar-Cain said.

As the protest transpired, organizers said a small group of student representatives from UConn Divest went to Gulley Hall to deliver a list of demands to the President’s Office.

According to the protesters, the students were denied entry to the building but were promised a meeting with the university administration on Tuesday.

In addition to renewed calls for disclosure and divestment, the student’s lengthy and detailed demands also included a provision for President Maric to “call on the Office of the State’s Attorney to drop all charges” against the 26 pro-Palestinian protesters who were arrested last April.

In a statement to the Courant Friday, Reitz said “UConn supports the state’s attorney’s recommendation to let the students apply for the court’s first-time offender program if they choose to exercise that option. It allows for (the) dismissal of the charges if they complete the court’s requirements. Given that the cases are under the court’s purview, UConn defers to the judicial system regarding the proceedings for those who elected not to seek that option.”

In response to a question asking if UConn was considering any new policies for on-campus demonstrations and activism, Reitz said UConn “plans to send out information to its students and campus communities in coming days to welcome them back and to provide updates and reminders on (a) variety of topics that will be helpful for the new academic year.”

Salha said UConn students have no plans of pausing their activism.

As a student with family in Gaza, Salha said he is “always worried to receive another message informing me about yet another family member killed.”

“My family and I live in constant mourning over our friends and family who have been murdered throughout the months. And this university’s administration continues to turn a blind eye to our suffering families,” Salha said.

“We are going to continue to fight,” Salha added. “We are going to continue to stand up against the oppression and speak for the people of Gaza.”