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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
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SUSPENDED Georgia McKay/DAILY
Following months of mounting tensions with U-M administration, the pro-Palestine organization has been suspended from campus for up to two years MARISSA CORSI Daily News Editor
Editor’s note: This article describes Open MiC Night, which is hosted each fall by the Michigan in Color section of The Michigan Daily and features performances and static art by artists of Color. Students Allied for Freedom and Equality was among the multiple multicultural student organizations that tabled at this event. The Daily’s permit for the Diag allowed for the use of electricity, amplified sound and tables. While guidelines for the event sent to The Daily in a confirmation email specified that the sale of prepackaged food items would not require additional permitting, the permit itself did not allow for the sale of these items. Students Allied for Freedom and Equality announced in an Instagram post Thursday morning the organization had been suspended for up to two years and will no longer be recognized as an organization by the University
of Michigan, following a Jan. 16 decision by Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones. The suspension comes three months after the University first filed a formal complaint through the office of Student Organization Advancement and Recognition Oct. 31, alleging SAFE had violated the Center for Campus Involvement’s Standards of Conduct for Recognized Student Organizations. The complaint was filed by Stephanie Jackson, an outside consultant hired by the University. Jackson claimed SAFE violated three standards of conduct on numerous occasions: health and safety, appropriate use of space and adherence to other University policies. In reference to the violations, the complaint cited a protest outside Regent Sarah Hubbard’s (R) home May 15, a die-in demonstration at Festifall Aug. 28 and a tabling event Oct. 16 during Open MiC Night on the Diag. According to the SOAR manual, the U-M Central Student Judiciary may act as a student governing body
to facilitate a hearing on allegations against a student organization after a complaint is referred to them by CCI associate director Rigo Gutierrez. CSJ held a public hearing Dec. 5 to examine the claims, with statements from both Jackson and the SAFE co-presidents, Engineering senior Maryam Shafie and Public Policy senior Mariam Odeh. In their recommendation released Dec. 13, CSJ concluded SAFE was responsible for two of four violations at Festifall, one of two violations during Open MiC Night and none of the seven violations during the protest in front of Hubbard’s home. After CSJ releases a recommendation, Jones may decide to uphold, overturn or modify the ruling within ten days. Jones sent the official University decision to Gutierrez Jan. 16, supporting some CSJ rulings but overturning others, finding SAFE responsible for additional violations in relation to Festifall and the protest on Hubbard’s lawn. While CSJ recommended a one-
month prohibition on using outdoor University spaces, a $75 fine and other formal reprimands, Jones also added a two-year disciplinary suspension to the sanctions against SAFE. The suspension may be removed if SAFE leadership holds three educational conversations with Jones, CCI Director Nick Smith, Associate Dean of Students Sarah Daniels and CCI staff members. However, the suspension may be reviewed no sooner than Winter 2026. In the concluding statement of her decision, Jones wrote she recognized the significance of SAFE’s presence on campus and hoped the organization would take the necessary steps to return to full standing with the University. “I took note of one of the witness’s expressed hope that the University would not institute the full two-to-four year suspension of recognition of SAFE that was requested by the complainant,” Jones wrote. “I recognize that SAFE’s history on campus and impact as a legacy organization
supporting Palestinian students on the University of Michigan’s campus has been instrumental, and hope that the organization’s leaders will work in good faith to complete the education and restorative measures outlined in this decision so the organization can return to recognition.” Either party may request an appeal following Jones’ decision by Feb. 6, which would then be reviewed by Martino Harmon, the University’s vice president for student life. SAFE wrote in the Instagram post the organization felt the decision was targeted at its proPalestine activism. “Suspending SAFE, a 20+ year old legacy organization, and the only student organization dedicated to the struggle for Palestinian liberation, is a clear continuation of admin’s politically-motivated attempts to erase Palestine from our campus,” the post read. In an email to The Daily, LSA senior Tarana Sharma, SAFE’s media co-director, wrote the
suspension would not stop campus activism calling on the University to divest from companies profiting off of human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank. “The suspension cannot limit the movement because our power lies in the students, staff, faculty, and community members who carry the call for divestment and Palestinian liberation alongside us — not in approval from an institution that invests in and profits from genocide, occupation, and destruction,” Sharma wrote. “Even if SAFE is banned, there are over 100+ student organizations that have endorsed the fight for divestment. The movement will continue undeterred.” In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Colleen Mastony wrote when SAFE became a campus organization, they agreed to adhere to the standards of conduct, which the University is committed to upholding to protect inclusivity on campus. READ MORE AT MICHIGANDAILY.COM
ADMINISTRATION
ACLU of Michigan files lawsuit against UMich over protest policies
Suit alleges trespass bans have been issued disproportionately against pro-Palestine protesters ALYSSA TISCH
Daily Staff Reporter
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan announced in a press release Monday they have filed a federal lawsuit alongside the Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice against the University of Michigan for the University’s policies regarding trespass bans and its disruptive action policy. The plaintiffs include five U-M students and recent graduates who allegedly received trespass bans following their engagement in pro-Palestine protests on campus.
According to the press release, the trespass ban prohibits specific individuals from being most places on the University’s campus, threatening prosecution for those who violate the ban. The press release alleges that such bans violate protesters’ constitutional rights. “The lawsuit alleges that the bans, which prohibit the plaintiffs and others from stepping foot virtually anywhere on campus under threat of criminal prosecution for trespassing, unconstitutionally punish protestors and quell their First Amendment right to free speech and their Fourteenth Amendment right to due process,
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which includes the rights to travel through and remain on public spaces,” the press release read. The press release then alleges these bans can be issued without any evidence of a policy or law being broken. “Under current UM policies, a campus police officer can issue a person a trespass ban—which they euphemistically call a “warning”— without ever having to produce evidence that the recipient violated the law or university policies,” the press release read. “In general, the bans last a full year, but university officials have recently begun to extend some bans for even longer without explanation.”
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The lawsuit alleges these bans have been issued disproportionately against proPalestine protesters, while other protesters engaging in similar behavior have not been issued bans. “The University’s use of trespass bans seems to be disproportionately targeted at these particular protestors, whose speech the University dislikes,” the lawsuit read. “Despite a long history of protest activity regarding countless issues at the University of Michigan, which has sometimes included acts of civil disobedience, it appears that no other group of protestors have been subjected
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to similarly broad trespass bans for the same or similar alleged activity.” The press release additionally alleges those of the plaintiffs who attempted to challenge their ban through a trespass appeal were not given due process during their hearing. “Those who attempt to challenge their bans (which can only be done after the ban goes into effect) face sham proceedings that lack essential due process protections,” the press release read. “No evidence was presented at the plaintiffs’ hearings, and no explanation was offered.”
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The press release states the lawsuit will also be challenging the University’s disruptive action policy regarding the prohibition of on-campus disruptions, finding issue with the lack of a definition for the word “disruption.” “The lawsuit also challenges a recently adopted university policy that prohibits, with sweeping breadth, on-campus “disruptions,”,” the press release read. “Because the university has not defined what activity constitutes a “disruption,” it has intensified the chilling effect of the trespass bans by threatening even more punishment of people wishing to exercise their constitutional rights.”
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