Emails between University of Connecticut President Radenka Maric and top university safety officials obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request show previously unreported incidents of student harassment during several weeks of on-campus protests over the Israel/Hamas war, and praise for university administrators and safety personnel over their handling of protest encampments in April of 2024.
According to those emails, pro-Palestinian protesters “harassed” Jewish students with a megaphone at an outdoor space “reserved for t-shirt making” and a food table on April 2, 2024, during UConn’s Israel Fest, prompting emails and letters from alumni and Edina Oestricher, executive director of UConn Hillel.
“For the next 1 1⁄2 hours (until the planned ending time of our event at 3 pm), our event was disrupted, and students (both Jewish and non-Jewish) were harassed by individuals who encroached on our reserved space using a megaphone as well as several other ‘pro-Palestinian’ students who harassed students waiting in line for t-shirts,” Oestricher wrote in an April 3 email, saying that campus police did little to stop the behavior. “I have been in communication with Radenka, dean of students, VP of student life, and other senior administrators since last night and have been assured that swift action will be taken.”
The incident prompted Maric’s Chief of Staff Michelle K. Williams to reach out to UConn Chief of Police Gene Labonte, and Associate Vice President of Campus Safety Hans Rhynhart to inquire whether the behavior constitute disturbing the peace or disorderly conduct.
“Student protesters used megaphones and shouted offensive comments directed toward both Jewish and non-Jewish students participating in the event. The director of the student union informed the students with megaphones that they were disturbing the event and directed them to stop,” Williams wrote. “I would like to understand when and under what context would actions like today constitute disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace. We have a number of sanctioned events taking place over the next few days and must anticipate and prepare for protests, disturbances, disorderly conduct, and more serious criminal behavior.”
Maric then requested a meeting with her top officials to address the situation: “I need to know what the police will do if it happens again and how to prevent it,” Maric wrote. “Students are breaking university policy.”
Emails also showed another incident on April 18 in which a UConn Associate English Professor warned about a “ranting speaker” outside the Babbidge Library was “shouting and berating students about their religious beliefs,” including screaming that “Muslims must die, and that everyone who believed in Islam was a rapist.”
The professor wrote that when she called campus police, they said it was a matter of free speech, and that police were monitoring the situation. Maric forwarded the email to the head of campus safety and an investigator was assigned to interview the professor.
UConn, like many other colleges and universities, experienced protests against Israel’s actions in its war with Hamas in the spring of 2024. While some universities saw violence erupt, UConn was peaceful, but also not without controversy when police moved in to break up protest encampments that violated university policy in the weeks before UConn’s graduation ceremonies, resulting in 25 arrests.
The breakup of the camps and arrest of students led to calls that the charges be dropped by students, professors, and the UConn professors’ union – putting them at odds with UConn’s police union – and praise from some other professors, alumni, and Jewish organizations, according to emails.
Following the breakup of a protest camp on April 25 by campus police, Maric shared with other top officials praise from the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford that commended Maric’s leadership: “Under her leadership yesterday, the University swiftly addressed a campus protest that clearly violated university policy. An arrest was made, and an attempt to set up tents on campus grounds was quashed.”
In a May 1 email to the heads of police and safety, Maric expressed her gratitude for how police handled another breakup of protest encampments on April 30, particularly considering the upcoming graduation in which her son would be graduating.
“Our community is safe because of you. Our community can function because of you. Our community can fully access our beautiful campus because of you. I have heard from so many parents and students expressing their gratitude for the removal of the encampment and that it was done without injury to students, officers, or staff,” Maric wrote. “Please share this message of thanks and appreciation with your officers and staff. I would like them to hear directly from me, not as a president but as a mother whose son will be graduating this weekend.”
UConn’s professors’ union, however, was not happy with how the protests were handled, issuing a letter critical of how the university and police had broken up the encampments – a letter that appears to have since been removed from their website – but also wrote emails to Maric, along with other professors and students urging the university to drop the charges against the 25 students arrested during the protests.
“As you are likely aware, many faculty, and others in the UConn community, have been curious about the administration’s response to calls to drop charges against the students arrested at the encampment on April 25th. In addition to the AAUP, the University Senate passed a resolution calling on the UConn administration to urge the State’s Attorney to drop the charges against the peaceful protesters,” wrote UConn-AAUP President Jeffrey Ogbar in a June 3 email. “As advocates of freedom to peaceful assemblage and free speech, we continue to endorse our students’ rights and hope that these charges are dropped.”
“Calling in the police to stop a non-violent protest was a mistake. Police officers were used to stifle one perspective on Israel-Palestine,” wrote Professor Jeremy Pressman, director of Middle East Studies at UConn in a May 30 email. “Now is the time to step up and lead. Please publicly call on the State’s Attorney to drop the charges against UConn students.”
UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz has previously indicated that the charges against those students is now a matter for the court to decide, and that the university cannot disclose if those students will face any disciplinary action by UConn.
Was this article helpful?
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
