Joshua Kalakoti | Mercury Staff
On May 1, the pro-Palestine encampment at Chess Plaza was labeled as a cause for concern by the university due to the obstruction of the pedestrian path, which led to armed riot police being called on-campus to clear the protest, resulting in 21 arrests of students, faculty and community members. On Aug. 26, the skincare company Neutrogena held a large-scale event at UTD’s Chess Plaza that similarly impeded pedestrian traffic and obstructed the pathway. and yet the concerns raised about obstruction during the May 1 protests were not shared in this instance. The clear difference in outcome between these incidents indicates that students need to demand fair rules and transparency from UTD administration.
Neutrogena parked a large van in the Chess Plaza. While they were not selling products during their event, the company used the Plaza to set up a space with activities for students, such as a ping pong table and a foosball table. Fraternity and Sorority Life also conducted its own fair at The Plinth during the first few weeks of the semester, which nearly filled the entire area. The fair included different sororities and fraternities advertising their rush events and recruiting students to participate for a chance at membership in their organization. These events drew in many students and included long lines and sizable crowds. Fraternity and Sorority Life attracted a lot of students and Neutrogena is a popular brand for students who are interested in skincare and beauty companies, leading to both events being as sizable as the protests. All three of these events had significant interaction with UTD students, but different aftermaths.
Despite the general differences between these three different occasions, a clear double standard can be seen when it comes to policies that create an obstruction for students who are trying to pass through. Many students use walkways to get to classes, meetings and other events, and UTD administration’s claim includes that obstructions prevent students from reaching their next class or activity on time. These events all meet this standard of obstruction, and yet the protests had a very different outcome and response from administration. Based on my personal observation, UTD students had a stark difference in attitude about the three events, as many students had a negative reaction to the involvement of riot police in dispersing the protest, which is a shift from the reactions to the aftermath of the Neutrogena event and Fraternity and Sorority Life event, which was generally positive or neutral.
The main concern regarding this series of events is administration’s lack of consistency or transparency with guidelines related to campus events, or the obstruction issue that was presented as the main reason for dispersing protesters on May 1. Students need to begin to call this problem out and demand a clear standard that student groups can follow. Students should recognize from this situation that when standards are unclear or inconsistent, it can lead to bias and unfairness in applying rules that should treat all students fairly and equally. It also brings up the question of UTD’s reputation with local communities. Many prospective students and families can view this issue of unfairness as problematic and become concerned with the administration’s decisions, damaging the university’s reputation in providing students with a fair and inclusive environment.
The call for UTD to provide fair standards and clear rules regarding events is not unreasonable and can be achieved through taking proper action and communicating with students, faculty, staff and others affected by university policies. This includes reaching out to the Dean of Students Office at dos@utdallas.edu to ask for clearer communication. UTD prides itself in being a university that allows for free expression and treats students fairly, but having fairly-applied rules and procedures that allow a safe environment for events is also necessary for the university to uphold these values.