For years, we have discussed the failure of universities to take actions against faculty and students shutting down events or acting unlawfully, including faculty guilty of criminal assault. Now, Vanderbilt has expelled three students after anti-Israel protests, including Jack Petocz, a political activist recognized by the White House and featured prominently in the New York Times and other news outlets.
According to the Vanderbilt Hustler and The College Fix, the students were arrested for allegedly assaulting a security guard amid raucous anti-Israel protests inside an Administration building late last month.
A security video shows a security officer overwhelmed as he tried to keep protesters out of Kirkland Hall.
The officer is shown being pushed down the hall before leaving the frame of the video camera.
Petocz posted a denial on X:
“I did not touch a community service officer, nor am I anywhere near the individual in the video. I’d implore you to trust a student activist over rich, powerful, white men, but that’s your choice.”
He insisted that he and the other students were only “peacefully protesting the genocide in Palestine.”
Petocz’s activism, including opposing the Florida parental rights law, has been widely celebrated in the media including an article that featured him in a January 2022 front story on fighting conservative school boards. President Biden invited him to the White House for a bill signing and took a picture with him in the Oval Office.
It appears that universities are growing impatient with protesters, particularly after a series of sit-ins. Recently, students were suspended for storming the office of Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr. Nineteen students were reportedly arrested.
Starr claimed in an open letter that racial slurs were used by students and declared:
“These actions are actively destructive of the values that underpin our community. Any participants in today’s events … who turn out to be Pomona students, are subject to immediate suspension. Students from the other Claremont Colleges will be banned from Pomona’s campus and subject to discipline on their own campuses.”
The actions of the university have led to protests on campus and calls for the student board to reverse that suspensions.
Good for Vanderbilt.
So the little thug did not actually assault the security guard but was merely part of the mob the overwhelmed and trespassed. What a fine citizen! I say take the little punk and send him to Gaza or Iran with his rainbow flag and his planned parenthood pin and watch him get greeted by a welcoming committee.
Alank said: “the little thug did not actually assault the security guard”
That is subject to interpretation. I viewed the video, and it appears to me that the guard initially opened the door to speak to those gathered outside, presumably to inquire about what they wanted. Then the crowd forced the door all the way open, made presumably unwelcome contact with the guard, and shoved and carried him forcefully down the hallway, out of camera range. IANAL, but I think that behavior could reasonably be judged to have crossed the line to “assault”.
Regardless #6, the point Alank was saying is that the kid is claiming while he was part of the group, he wasn’t one of the people who pushed the guard out of the way.
You don’t have to be a lawyer to see that it was a mob action and the kid was part of the mob. Whether he struck or touched the guard… he’s just as guilty as those who did.
-G
Gumby said: “the kid is claiming while he was part of the group, he wasn’t one of the people who pushed the guard out of the way.”
Where is the evidence that he was not involved in pushing the guard? All I see in Turleys’ column is Petocz’ own claim that he never touched “a community service officer”. He also claimed that no one in the mob did anything beyond peaceful protest. Why would I believe the first claim, when the second is a blatant falsehood?
The evolution of our Western university systems found its first development during the later middle ages in Europe, specifically around Paris and Pavia. It was, at first, not so much about lectures as it was about robust discourse (see Peter Abelard for reference). But these were mostly controlled by a common culture of Christianity and there was less confrontation as there were exchanges of ideas supported by theories. We were just at the essence of what would become, for centuries, places were educated, intelligent men (and occasionally women) would gather to learn. What the anarchic, marxist, progressives have done is transform the universities into the equivalent of a WWF match where the conservative is always fighting the town favorite and always loses because the other side plays foul. We all know that very little, aside from some STEM programs, has very little to do with the exchange of knowledge or the maturing of the mind and is 99% concerned with indoctrinating the student body. Sometimes I wonder if the reason the progs are pushing so much for DEI is that is lowers the average IQ of students which renders them more easily brainwashed.
“. . . there was less confrontation as there were exchanges of ideas supported by theories.”
Hogwash.
Starting in the early 1500’s, the Church terrorized Europe with its list of banned books (the infamous “Index Librorum Prohibitorum”). That church/state censorship criminalized *thousands* of books. It was used to jail, torture, and murder hundreds of authors, book dealers, and printers.
That assault on knowledge, learning, and man’s mind is your “common culture of Christianity.”
Of course this little opportunistic narcissist is jumping on the hamas…er, Palestinian anti-Israel bandwagon because this is the cause de jure. Seems like yesterday it was bathrooms in NC, then George Floyd, which gave people hall passes to go out in the MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC!!! The BLM/ANTIFA riots were joined by millions. Let’s recall tearing down statues for equity…or something. Then it was “Don’t Say Gay”, the fake name of a worthy bill. Soon to follow was the J6 Committee show and the “end of Democracy.
The hamas rallies are just a way for little white lefties to be fooled into marching by their masters in China, George Soros and Academic leftists that hate America. Of course a lot of the little fools want to be used because marching against Israel is so much more fulfilling than sitting in a pass/fail class with gender and race borderlines that can’t be breached.
Once Israel eliminates hamas and November gets closer some new cause will arise just in time for the election and the little kids will be as outraged as ever and the hyperbole will be flowing like a DNC appearance on MSNBC.
PS. How could I forget the million person marches against AMERICAN nukes in the 80s when the same type of fools were demanding that the US disarm without saying a word about the Soviets? This is the same as our new climate idiots that protest our energy policies while never saying a word about China, the world’s greatest polluter.
In the 80s the fools were supported by the Soviets, Hollywood and academia and the kids went along to feel important and because they were fake “scared”. Today the climate idiots are supported by the CCP, who gains by our losing, Soros, Hollywood and academia.
My message is to ignore young people, they are uneducated, unlearned, unquestioning, unsophisticated and easily manipulated. When a college kid, especially your college kid, yells that you are ending the world for his future laugh at him, demean him, embarrass him and cut off his money.
Probably a good thing I never had kids.
Their grandparents were the 60’s and 70’s shock troops for the various movements of that period. They did not have money then, they had passion and youth. Now, they have the money and are funding the passion and youth with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
hullbobby said: “which gave people hall passes to go out in the MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC!!! ”
Just for the record, there is more than ample evidence that COVID-19 lockdowns did far more harm then good. Just sayin’…
6, I was saying in the middle of a pandemic as a way to mock the doctors and nurses that screamed for us to stay home and yet cheered on the rioters. You missed my point.
hullbobby said: “You missed my point”
I did understand your point. I just thought that it might not be the very best of examples, considering the ongoing contention over government conduct and mandates during the pandemic. Might have been a bit of hair-splitting on my part, in which case I apologize.
Cancel and debank.
Good start by Vandy. Now we need to see if they stick it out and take things to the final step. Students should have a voice but not the ultimate voice in deciding punishment for those that transgress. The students and their parent have only rented space at the university for an education. They do not own the property and so the property owner makes the rules and enforces them.
Yes, I was in college at the time of Kent State. It was a riot but could have been controlled without live ammunition. Nonetheless when you engage in a riot, things happen that are not planned. If you start the riot, you should understand that. That applies to J6 rioters and student rioters. Expulsion is a slap on the wrist but months in prison is not. I argue against the 2 tier system and the outrageous sentences handed out to most of J6 rioters especially in contrast to the rioters of summer 2020
“. . . trust a student activist over rich, powerful, white men . . .” (Petocz)
He’s white. The security officer is black. (Not sure what color the video camera is.) Vanderbilt’s Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education is a “she, her, hers.”
But, hey. When you’re a pathologically dishonest “student activist,” you don’t let facts interrupt a Leftist “narrative.”
But he is a DEMOCRAT and that “trumps” white, straight, conservative, adult and everything else.
@Sam,
His comment was less about the guard, but the School board member themselves.
“. . . the School board member themselves.”
Vanderbilt does not have a “school board.” It has a Board of Trust, which is comprised of various genders and ethnicities. Trustees are not involved in the day-to-day operations of a college.
His vicious smear was not about anyone in particular. It was yet another mindless Leftist rant — spewed to excuse his barbaric behavior.
Research reveals him to be a rebel right out of the womb. He has a long and promising career ahead of him.
After watching the video I don’t think you can call it assault. The security guard was holding on to one or two students trying to push them back. Assault can be just touching someone else, but that is way too easy. I’ll reserve judgment until all the facts come out.
I see a similarity between these students and the Jan 6 protesters. They too pushed their way into a public building and many call them peaceful protesters. They didn’t injure the security guard and they all walked in through an open door. They didn’t batter in or smashed windows to get in. If I were to attempt to make an argument for the students I would say they were indeed “peaceful” protesters just like the Jan 6 protesters who were mostly peaceful. Should they get the same treatment as the Jan 6 protesters or should we see them as having the right to enter a public building because they paid to be there as students?
“I’ll reserve judgment . . .”
Anon, your mask is slipping. (Actually, it began slipping countless “George” comments ago.)
Wrong yet again, Gooofy!
C’mon man.
This kid isn’t languishing in prison awaiting a fixed trial and a long sentence, he was expelled from a private institution for trespassing and possibly assaulting the guard. THE BLACK GUARD.
The funny thing is that this idiot kid, who is so taken by the attention he got from the opportunistic fools in the WH, is that he may have started this foolish pro-hamas campaign and he dragged other morons into his attention gathering plot.
George said: “I see a similarity between these students and the Jan 6 protesters. They too pushed their way into a public building and many call them peaceful protesters. They didn’t injure the security guard and they all walked in through an open door. ”
I, too, will reserve judgement, but there were differences to the J6 entry. The videos I saw of that (caveat – I have not reviewed the supplemental, more recently released set of videos) showed protesters entering through a door that was already open. The Vanderbilt door was closed. It probably was locked, else why didn’t the protesters just open it themselves and enter? I also didn’t see the J6 protesters (in the videos I watched) make forceful contact with a guard and bodily carry that guard down the hallway. There are definite differences between the behavior of the two groups. Enough differences to descibe the behavior of one set as peaceable, but accuse the second set of “assault”? I am uncertain at this time.
Why are the adult criminal assailants and trespassers faces blurred? Why were the J6 defendants not afforded the same protections? I want to see the rich white kids that assaulted the PoC security guard trying to do his job.
It was wrong of the students to push the security guard, but the punishment was excessive because the protest occurred in a public area and was largely peaceful. It was a sit-in which is considered protected free speech activity. Faculty at the school protested the harsh punishment of the students and it did not merit that kind of response according to law professors at the school.
“Vanderbilt Law School Associate Professor Terry Maroney, one of the letter’s signees, condemned what she said she and several faculty view as the university’s “overly punitive” disciplinary response.
“Some of us participated in similar sit-ins in our own day; they form part of the protest lexicon. And while such civil disobedience carries consequences, the consequences our administrators have chosen — including expulsion and criminal charges — are draconian,” Maroney said. “We call on the Chancellor to change course.”
This seems to coincide with Professor Turley’s suggestions of harsher punishment for students who exercise their own rights to protest. What the professor does not seem to like is the disorderly and disruptive nature of the protests. Protest ARE designed to be disruptive and disorderly. That is how they gain attention for a grievance. Students can protest any way they want and there should be appropriate consequences for disruptive behavior. Expulsion and suspension are not appropriate for a sit-in or merely pushing a security guard. These excessive punishments are meant to “send a message” to others that protesting is not going to be tolerated. Threatening expulsion or suspensions chills student’s 1st amendment rights to protest.
I know the professor clearly suggests students stick to protesting outside but even that is threatened with expulsion and suspension. A reporter was arrested just for being there in a public space reporting on the incident. There can be an argument that student’s 1st amending rights are violated with threats of expulsion and suspension. Sadly Vanderbilt is a private university and they CAN expel students for exercising their right to protest. That means students don’t have much of a recourse over the punishments.
The issue was about school officials overriding the student government which voted to put on a ballot an anti-israel boycott of some sort. The students were protesting the school administration’s authoritarian move to overrule the student government. It’s a private school, but students are also paying customers so who is really in charge of what students want? The school or paying students?
The Jan 6 rioters were also “paying customers” (taxpayers). Same treatment?
Poor George.
Oh yes, those rioters in Kenosha shouldn’t go to jail because it was ‘mostly peaceful’ yet they burned down several businesses….
We will see if the same standard of civility applies to protests of conservative events/speakers at vanderbilt. I have my doubts. The adult should also face criminal charges for assault.
WAY too little and WAY too late for the United States. EACH student involved should be removed from college with their educational benefits removed immediately and PERMANENTLY with actions recorded on each students college record for a period of five years. Parents no matter their income level should have to reimburse the college for all damages, and not the taxpayers.
I counted 27 smug spoiled brats file through the doors, not 19. I wonder why the other 8 were not sanctioned.
What are the odds that if the expelled students apply to Harvard, Columbia or Brown, they’ll be admitted?
Petocz said: “He insisted that he and the other students were only ‘peacefully protesting the genocide in Palestine.’ ”
I must begin by stating that I have often stated that I have a fundamental mistrust of video evidence, based mostly on its history, which, for the most part, consists of attempts to portray ficitonal events in a realistic and convincing manner. However, I have no reason to believe that the security camera footage above was doctored to misrepresent what actually occurred. So, Petocz would like us to believe that *no one* from the group seeking entrance touched the guard? What a freaking idiot!
I also 100% agree with arresting and prosecuting protesters for physicall attacks on others. WRT interruptive speech, not so much.
I support the university. It is a place for education. You are paying for the education. Protesting is not in line with those efforts. I witnessed the events at Kent State. Being disruptive of the university’s project is evidence of a lack of discipline on the part of the students. To the parents of the students, you wasted your money on your children. they haven’t learned a thing but there is still hope. The suspension should stand, the uncivil should be educated by their parents at this point, and they should be given one last chance to become informed citizens. Don’t be afraid to discipline your children. They will be glad you did.
Glad to see Vanderbilt grow a pair over this protest. Back when I attended Vandy in the early 70s I had to meet with the Dean of A&S about my first semester grades which had placed me on academic probation. Dont bring them up and out I would go. Meeting with him put me on the right path.
It would appear that you weren’t filling a DEI spot that would have rendered you invincible to and form of discipline.
I imagine Mr. Petocz will use the following defense,,,
‘Your honor, you are probably not aware of this, but I am special, therefore I deserve to be acquitted.’
Like he is the first Radical that has ties to this White House?? Now tell us about the many times Leticia and Fanny had people at the White House prior to their cases against Trump….
“trust a student activist over rich, powerful, white men” – Race, wealth, and social status are irrelevant to who is right or wrong in a situation. For the most part, students are less experienced, less educated, and less accomplished than the “rich, powerful, white men” they resent. Perhaps those students should learn more and whine less.
How Ironic, a rich white male, telling his followers not to believe rich white males.
Finally, a university administration that understands the difference between right and wrong and has the gumption to take meaningful action against transgressors. The University of Chicago in the Fall of 1968 did this and set an example that sadly too few other universities neither understand nor follow.
Too little too late. We have allowed law and order to take a leave of absence in this country and now the beast is out of its cage. Good luck trying to stuff it back in. Letting this go on too long will require a crackdown and that will be a very fine line that may have to be crossed, between restoring law, and the rights of individuals. A storm is a-brewing.
I totally agree. We have lost the Soap Box, the Jury Box, and the Ballot Box; that only leaves one remaining Box not yet controlled by the progs.