Activists calling for University of Florida to cancel classes for Thursday Spencer speech

Activists are calling for the University of Florida to cancel classes Thursday, fearing potential violence sparked by white supremacist Richard Spencer’s afternoon speech.

“Students shouldn’t be forced to be in harm’s way to pursue their education,” Shreyas Amol Jethwani, UF College Democrats political director, said Wednesday morning.

“It’s tense. And you can feel that it’s tense. Professors are encouraging to not come to campus, or to go home to their families if they can. As some of us drive through Gainesville over the past week, we’re seeing more and more state troopers, (Florida Highway Patrol) cars, more and more cops everywhere,” Jethwani said.

“It’s palpable. People are anxious or scared or excited,” he said.

Tuesday night, dozens of activists conducted a sit-in during a University of Florida student senate meeting, calling for cancellation of classes.

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UF officials plan to shut down some nearby facilities Thursday because of their proximity to the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the site of Spencer’s event. Numerous road closures are also scheduled.

“We understand that this event and possible protest provoke fear. Faculty are asked to be understanding with students on a case-by-case basis. Faculty should not cancel classes without consulting with their Dean,” officials posted on the UF Human Resource Services website.

Jethwani warned that some freshmen are brimming with “naïve excitement” in advance of anticipated protests, rather than being concerned about their personal safety.

“This is not just our school. It’s the entire community and the city Gainesville that’s going to be affected by this: businesses, families,” said Ardyst Zigler, a UF College Democrats member and organizer.

“Everyone is feeling the effects of this, not just the students,” Zigler said.

Jethwani said he knows students who have laboratory classes scheduled Thursday that will comprise a sizable percentage of their final grades.

“It’s not like (Spencer) is a hurricane, that when the governor declares a state of emergency that you have to evacuate. He’s someone who’s coming to campus. All this can be navigated around,” Jethwani said.

“And one of the simplest things administration can do to show that they support students is cancel classes,” he said.