Louisiana State University students bring demands to the board of supervisors

Baton Rouge, LA – On Friday February 21, a group of students at Louisiana State University (LSU) disrupted a board of supervisors meeting in order to present demands to administration. The students had four demands they wanted to bring to the board of supervisors: reinstate Professor Ken Levy, make LSU a sanctuary campus, stop tuition hikes, and disclose and divest investments with Israel.

The students gathered in Free Speech Alley and marched to the board of supervisors office. Student organizers gave speeches and chanted, “When teachers are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” Their chants could be heard from inside, causing many attendees to leave their seats to look out at the protesters.

As the rally proceeded outside, three students registered in the meeting for public comment. They opposed the board revising permanent memorandum-79 (PM-79) and seeking to restrict free speech. Zane Sutor-Benfield of LSU Students for a Democratic Society gave public comment saying, “These new measures are just the latest in a long pattern of repressive action taken by the university administration. Though the oppression is largely aimed at students, recently the persecution of Professor Levy has taken it to the faculty as well. This memorandum specifically targets faculty by removing their First Amendment rights in the classroom.”

Administration recently fired Levy for political comments he made in class against Trump, and students met the repression with protests and a petition with over 700 signatures for his reinstatement. Felix Anderson of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) spoke out against LSU’s decision saying, “[Levy] has been juggled through the courts. Why is LSU punishing our best professors while they cut our classes behind our backs? This is a school, not a political theater.”

LSU student Gabriela Juárez put forth, “Why is free speech being restricted now? I think it has something to do with the university’s investment in Israel, I think it has something to do with university’s tuition hikes – I think it has something to do with Professor Levy’s firing. I think it is a clear and brazen assault on the basic freedoms that are supposed to underline a country like this, and frankly, it’s shameful.”

The group also demanded LSU divest from Israel. In his speech, Khalil El-abbassi of LSU SDS said, “We can’t trust LSU to make ethical decisions regarding Israel and Palestine when these outside interests have power within its administration. We demand that LSU show transparency with regard to its financial investments. We demand that LSU disclose details about its financial ties to companies supporting and trying to profit from Israel’s genocide.”

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