A study session, or loophole in the law?
Students and community members have been demonstrating on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville since May 1, calling for the university to divest from its assets tied to Israel amid its war with Hamas.
Amid the campus gatherings, the university and the demonstrators are now at a First Amendment crossroads that has both sides navigating state laws and university policies.
A Tennessee law prohibits late-night camping on state property. But students and community members on campus have called their gatherings “spontaneous study sessions" to overcome restrictions on their free speech activities.
The peaceful demonstrations on UT’s campus have generally looked like actual study sessions, with students forming circles on the Student Union lawn to discuss the war and family members’ experience in Gaza.
This week, university officials gave explicit permission for the People’s School for Gaza to use the Student Union lawn. However, permission is only being given to the demonstrators between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., the same timeframe in which people already are allowed to gather on state property before the state's law against overnight "camping" kicks in.