Hourglass Style News Story

Because of a protest on campus on Friday, 22 people got arrested and three University police officers were injured.
The protest occurred during the Board of Regents meeting. The protest was organized by two campus groups, Students Against Racism and the American Student Organization. Most of the 200 deonstrators were students.
One of the items on the regents’ agenda was the university’s plan to require a class in cultural diversity for all faculty.
Everyone who was arrested was charged with trespassing on state property when they refused to disperse. Twelve were charged with resisting arrest while ten were charged with assault. The ones charged with assault allegedly threw rocks and bottles at university police officers.
All of the 22 arrested were students, and 21 were taken to the jail. The only reason that the 22nd student was released was because he was a minor and was released into his parents custody.
“It just got out of hand,” said University Police Chief R. Barclay Peterson. “First they were gathered around the fountain at Central Mall. One group was chanting, ‘No more racism’ and the other was saying ‘Stop diversity.’ Then they started marching toward Regents Hall, where the regents were meeting. They were disrupting classes. When they were asked to disperse, all hell broke loose.”
Peterson said he did not call extra officers in until the protesters started marching. The police showed up soon after. “They should not have come at us,” said Jonathan Walterson, president of Students Against Racism. “We would have remained loud, but peaceful. We were doing what we believed in. The university must do more to promote diversity.”
Walterson, a junior journalism student, was one of those arrested. He was charged with assault, resisting arrest and trespassing.
The three officers hit included Officer Andrea Wilson, Officer James Nelson, and Sgt. Jerico Turner. Wilson was treated for a gash on her forehead while Nelson and Turner were treated for bruises because of thrown items.
Peterson said that the groups began to rally at about noon. At about 1:15pm protestors from both groups started marching to Regents Hall, in hopes to meet the Regents during their lunch break. They never made it to Regents Hall.
Peterson said he called in the extra officers at about 1:20 p.m. because “the demonstrators just got too loud and rowdy. We asked them several times to disperse and go back to the fountain, where the rally was to be held, but they would not. They shouted at each other even louder, and some of them began throwing things.”
There were about half a dozen officers until more officers were called in.
The officers were using bullhorns to order to demonstrators to disperse, but they refused, explained Peterson.
According to Peterson, the demonstration was at its worst by 1:25pm when the protestors began to throw things at the police and start shouting at them.
By about 1:30 pm most of the demonstrators began to back off. Those that did not back off were then arrested.
Peterson said that the protest delayed the beginning of the afternoon session of the regents meeting.
The regents did not take action on the new requirement. They decided to study the matter more and discuss it again at their next monthly meeting, which will be held May 16 in Regents Hall.
“We’re not against rallies,” Peterson said. “They can hold them all they want, as long as they get a permit from the university. But we don’t want them to get out of hand. We don’t want our officers hurt. They can rally, but other peaceful students also have the right to attend classes without being disrupted by shouting and violent demonstrators.”
The regents refused to comment on why they took no action Friday. “Until we make our decision on faculty training, we will not discuss it,” said Regents president Clifford Eisel.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to keep the regents from caving into every demand that comes along,” said Brian Allen, the president of the American Student Organization. “Our faculty do not need additional training in diversity. Many of our faculty aren’t even from this country.”
Allen was one of the students arrested and charged with assault, resisting arrest and trespassing. Thirteen of those arrested were from his group.