Marquette students, staff rally for protesters who were disciplined for disrupting event with calls for more diversity support

Marquette University has sanctioned students who protested late last month during a freshmen welcome event, outraging some members of the campus community who see the punishment as too punitive and missing the larger point students were trying to make.

More than 100 students and staff marched down West Wisconsin Avenue to the university's union on Wednesday in support of the welcome event demonstrators, who protested what they describe as a lack of resources devoted to students of color.

Marquette officials declined Wednesday to specify the punishments, citing federal student privacy laws, but teachers involved in the students' cases said the sanctions varied and included probation, community service, a mandatory apology letter, a $300 fine or "suspension in abeyance," which means the suspension won't take effect or appear on student transcripts so long as they don't engage in any additional policy violations.

"I ask why this was even a student conduct process in the first place," Julissa Ventura, an assistant professor in the College of Education, told the crowd Wednesday. "It could have been different. They (university administration) had so many choices at so many times during this whole process and every time they have chosen to further harm our most vulnerable students on this campus. We will not stand by while they do that."

The student protesters took to the stage on Aug. 25 shortly before the start of Convocation, an event formally introducing incoming freshmen and their families to the Marquette community. The protesters yelled “shut it down” while holding signs that read "We are not a token" and "We have a voice too." Marquette officials said multiple university leaders repeatedly attempted to de-escalate the situation to no avail.

The small group included student government leaders, as well as members of the Black Student Council, Latin American Student Association and the NAACP, all of whom aimed to draw attention to staffing shortages in campus offices or programs that support students of color. The Office of Engagement and Inclusion, for example, has at least four vacancies that Marquette is trying to fill.

Marquette quickly canceled the event and rescheduled Convocation for last Saturday, which coincided with Family Weekend.

Marquette says students' behaviors violated university conduct standards

The university said in a statement Wednesday it recognizes the protesters' frustrations about campus climate but "the way in which these frustrations were shared prevented a planned, celebratory moment for the Class of 2026 and their families."

The students' behavior violated the university’s conduct standards, which do not allow students to intentionally interfere or impede a university-sponsored activity, the statement said.

"Because of our commitment to student development," the university turned to its student conduct disciplinary process.

That process amounted to an intimidating interrogation that left some students in tears, according to Ventura, who attended hearings for five of the 10 punished students. She said the student conduct director pressed each student about who organized the protest, who asked them to join, who walked on stage first, and who made the decisions. When students elected not to answer or couldn't recall particular details, Ventura said, they were told their silence may have unintended consequences.

"Nothing about those hearings was educational," Ventura said, noting that Marquette's website states that the primary goal of the disciplinary process is to be educational.

Marquette said Wednesday in its statement that the conduct process is regularly reviewed to ensure it continues to be fair and equitable, and it doesn't change based on the nature of the violation or the students involved.

Marquette officials, students have differing accounts over events

Creating a welcoming campus cannot be the responsibility of a single office, Provost Kim Ah Yun said in a letter to the Marquette community.

"It is clear we still have work ahead to foster greater inclusivity and belonging in our campus community," Ah Yun wrote.

The university statement put the onus on student government leaders for not meeting with Marquette administrators in the weeks after the canceled Convocation. Ah Yun "opened the door to future meetings focused on restoring trust and being in person with (student government) leadership; the student leaders have not yet accepted that invitation," according to Marquette officials.

The university's account contradicts the version of events described by professors involved in the students' cases. Ventura said after receiving conduct charges, the students collectively wrote an apology letter and asked for a restorative process where they could discuss how they might take responsibility for their actions. They tried scheduling a meeting with President Michael Lovell, Ah Yun and others, but their invitation was declined by every administrator, Ventura said.

Students of color say experience on campus has gotten worse

The 10 students facing punishment filed their appeals on Wednesday and did not speak at the event. Supporters said they need to remain out of the limelight until the appeals process has been exhausted. Some of the students' peers expressed similar frustrations about Marquette touting its record diversity numbers — 30% of the incoming freshman class is students of color — but failing to provide adequate support once those students are on campus.

Paulina Cabos, a junior, said the climate hasn't improved in her time on campus. She said it's actually gotten worse with the recent resignations in the Office of Engagement and Inclusion. Among the office's duties are hosting events for students of color, which are important to her and others who have struggled to find a sense of community at the predominantly white institution.

America Garcia, a senior studying psychology, pleaded for Marquette to put diversity at the forefront of university decisions and ahead of more flashy projects, like new campus buildings.

"Don't advertise us if you're not going to support us," she said.

Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyMeyerhofer.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette student protesters punished for disrupting freshman event