(Student protesters decided to leave the space they were occupying with a majority vote. (Photo by Jakob R. Rodriguez))
After holding a sit-in for over 48 hours, students at Texas State University ended their demonstration at the LBJ Student Center after receiving assurances from administration that their demands would be met. The collective voted 41-18 to leave the space.
Student activist Tafari Robertson, who led the group, said he is proud students held administrators accountable and that students are “prepared to either reoccupy the space or escalate the situation” if admin goes back on their word.
“This isn’t the end, this is not us giving up, and this is not us pretending that this school will suddenly be better for us,” Robertson said. “It’s really up to the administrators to prove that they are worth anything at this point.”
The sit-in began in response to the failed impeachment of student government president Connor Clegg. Impeachment charges were initially brought against Clegg in late February based on alleged misconduct. The student newspaper, The University Star, reported that Clegg was under fire for posting racist and sexist images on his personal Instagram account.
Besides Clegg’s removal, student protesters’ demands included implementing a Black studies program, adding a diversity requirement to the general core curriculum, hiring a full-time campus immigration attorney and creating a task force of student leaders and relevant faculty to address campus climate issues.
In an email to students, university President Denise Trauth detailed the administration’s efforts to create a task force to better student government, add additional resources for undocumented students, and create Latino and African American studies minors.
The effort to remove Clegg is also moving forward.
The Texas State University sit-in came just a week after Howard University students ended a nine-day takeover of the school’s administration building demanding adequate housing for students under 21, addressing the campus rape culture and disarming campus police officers. They too ended their demonstration when administration agreed to most of their demands.