On recent protests and arrests at the University of Texas at Austin

A graduate student in philosophy there writes:

State troopers and big police presence did not return the next day, and students and faculty gathered again for protest. Criminal charges have been dropped against 57 people arrested, but DPS is launching a criminal investigation against the arrested Fox 7 cameraman. The university will allow arrested students full access to campus for now, but might still discipline arrested students after the finals.

Since you posted about letters and statements from Columbia and Yale, I thought I'd share an open letter by UT faculty expressing no confidence in President Hartzell, which will be sent out tomorrow at 8AM. Unfortunately only 3 faculty of the philosophy department have signed so far. Besides the actions taken on April 24, this letter also mentions the decision to fire 40+ employees of the Division of Campus and Community Engagement (DCCE) "without consulting with the faculty and under a shroud of secrecy". (To my mind this is strategically somewhat unfortunate.  I hope potential signatories will realize they don't need to have any particular view about that decision in order to have lost confidence in President Hartzell based on what transpired on April 24.)

And for events yesterday (after the above email was sent) see this news report on Twitter.