When it comes to protesting, Fuchs warns students to follow state laws and UF policies

Interim University of Florida President Kent Fuchs on Monday had a message for students who may engage in protesting this academic year: follow the "laws of Florida and the policies of our university."

"Here at the University of Florida, we have two foundational commitments: first, we support everyone’s constitutional right to express themselves; second, we expect that everyone will exercise these rights while following the laws of Florida and the policies of our university," he wrote in a post on X.

The post follows several high-profile campus protests over the past two years, including a multiple-day, pro-Palestine protest in April that resulted in nine arrests, and multiple protests surrounding the hiring of Ben Sasse in October 2022 as the university's 13th president.

Sasse unexpectedly resigned from the position in July due to his wife's health. Fuchs, who served as UF president from 2015 to 2023, was then quickly named to the interim position by the university's board of trustees.

While Sasse has left office his name has remained in the headlines following a report by The Independent Florida Alligator that he "more than tripled his office’s spending, directing millions in university funds into secretive consulting contracts and high-paying positions for his GOP allies."

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has since called on the state university system to investigate Sasse's spending, saying his office would "offer auditing support."

Sasse defended himself in post on X, calling the allegations of inappropriate spending "not true" and that "there was substantial funding for a number of important new initiatives."

The protests surrounding Sasse's planned appointment to the presidency mounted quickly after it was revealed in October 2022 that he was the sole finalist for the position following a months-long search by the university. The former Nebraska senator was met by an estimated 300 protestors on Oct. 10, 2022, who paraded in and attempted to question him about his conservative political positions during a Q&A forum with students and faculty at Emerson Alumni Hall.

That prompted Fuchs to send an email to students warning them to stay away from Emerson Alumni Hall, where trustees planned to meet to consider Sasse's presidential candidacy.

The decision was backed up by a UF regulation that prohibits protests in campus buildings.

"We have not enforced this policy in recent years because in the rare cases that protesters entered buildings, they were respectful of others and their rights to speak and to hear," Fuchs said in the email.

A few months later, however, UF's regulations didn't stop about 100 protestors from entering Tigert Hall on Sasse's first official day as president and demanding that he again answer for his views on such things as gay marriage, abortion and more.

The protesters occupied the hallway outside of Sasse's office door for about an hour before leaving without talking with him or his secretary. They taped copies of their demands on walls, doors and ceilings before exiting the administration building.

Just three months before his resignation, Sasse was lauded by state and national Republican leaders for his handling of a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the university's Plaza of the Americas that ended with nine arrests on April 29.

"The University of Florida is not a daycare, and we do not treat protesters like children — they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they'll face the consequences," UF spokesperson Steve Orlando wrote in a statement that night.

Those arrested face various charges including failure to obey police, resisting arrest without violence, wearing a hood or mask on public property, trespassing and felony battery. Six of those arrested have been suspended by the school for up to four years.

A week before the arrests, UF told The Sun that while while peaceful protests are constitutionally protected, "Camping, putting up structures, disrupting academic activity, or threatening others on university property is strictly prohibited."

This article includes past reporting by The Sun. Tallahassee Democrat reporter Jim Rosica contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: When it comes to protesting, Fuchs warns students to follow state laws and UF policies