UT Board of Regents respond to DPS presence at campus protests
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Following law enforcement responses at recent protests on University of Texas campuses, the Board of Regents removed all doubt today about the lead up to those events.
"Many have questioned the use law enforcement from outside agencies. To be clear, no president in the UT system made those decisions on their own. The chancellor and I and this board are always involved in those decisions. They were the right decision, and we will do it again, if needed," said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT Board of Regents.
Eltife opened the meeting on Wednesday, saying UT did the right thing at campuses across the state under its control to prevent protesters from breaking university system rules.
He also noted that students had a right to free speech. However, he said the university would not let anyone break rules, such as setting up camps.
Members of the Texas Department of Public Safety were invited to attend the meeting, including Colonel Steve McCraw.
"A year ago, we wouldn't have predicted that we'd have the opportunity to be here today," McCraw said. "We will always be here for you. We'll always be here for our great partners."
He also commended the UT Police Department being on front line.
"We'll continue to support them, not just in terms of what's happened in recent days, but going forward. We know they'll always be here for us, and we'll always be there for them and for you," McCraw said.
Eltife also addressed concerns from faculty at UT schools who were upset at UT President Jay Hartzell's handling of the recent events.
"There's also some talk out there about votes of no confidence on our president. I would say that the vote of no confidence or of confidence that matters the most is the vote of this board. We will not allow our campuses disrupted by the few at the expense of others," he said.
Eltife cited issues at other universities, such as Columbia, where pro-Palestine protesters took over buildings as evidence UT leadership made the right decision about bringing in state troopers last month.