The Dean of Students Office banned Belal, a graduating computer science senior, from being on the UTD campus for any reason effective May 19 unless permission is otherwise granted by the Dean of Students. Belal’s graduation was set for May 21.
Belal has been placed on an interim ban from UTD, a disciplinary action that bars him from the campus, after the Dean of Students Amanda Smith said in an email to Belal that her office had received information that alleged that he “may have been involved in activities violating University conduct regulations.”
Belal called to appeal the decision so that he could attend his graduation. On May 20, Smith denied Belal’s request stating that if he had questions he should refer to the previous email from her office. Smith’s initial email specifically said that the allegations against Belal fell under UTDSP5003: Student Code of Conduct, Section C, Subsection 9.6(18) Disruptive Conduct. This section of the code of conduct focuses on behaviors that interfere with the orderly functioning of UTD or an individual’s pursuit of an education. The Retrograde reached out to Smith’s office for more specifics regarding the allegations against Belal, as of publication no details have been provided to either The Retrograde or Belal.
During his time at UTD, Belal served as an organizer with the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. Since May 1, 2024, SJP members have faced arrest, academic suspension, denial of degree and restrictions on their expression on campus with a complete ban on their use of chalk. Belal said that while he had helped with protests, he hadn’t been arrested or otherwise punished by UTD for his previous activism. A spokesperson for SJP said in a press release that they believed Belal was being targeted for exercising his right to free speech by protesting for divestment at UTD.
“This ban prevents him from attending his own graduation tomorrow,” the SJP press release said. “This outrageous and punitive decision comes in clear retaliation for Belal’s deeply vocal opposition to UT Dallas’ deeply rooted complicity in genocide.”
Belal said that throughout his appeal process he has asked for a reason as to why he suddenly can’t attend his own graduation, but he has been refused any actual explanation and instead referred to the initial May 19 email indicating that the Dean of Students Office was considering allegations against him. Belal said that all he could think that could be labeled as disruptive was peacefully protesting and demonstrating on campus.
“Imposing this interim suspension on me because they think my activism is a danger really shows you what Amanda Smith and the administration at UTD thinks about organizing for Palestine,” Belal said. “They see our advocacy for Palestine as a threat. This isn’t the first time they have worked against us, and I don’t think it will be the last.”
Dominic Coletti, program officer for campus rights and student press at the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression, said that political speech receives significant First Amendment protection and that government institutions, which include public universities, must prove that prohibited speech and conduct meets a very specific standard of unprotected expression.
“This behavior is all too common, but unless the university has real evidence of a threat to campus that this suspension would mitigate, it cannot impose such harsh sanctions without due process,” Coletti said.
Coletti said that under the First Amendment, UTD would need to have evidence that a student has engaged in unprotected expression or poses a genuine threat that could be mitigated by this suspension. A student politically demonstrating their support for Palestine and undisclosed allegations do not meet that legal standard. Coletti said that the infringement is even more severe when a student is not provided with a chance to respond to the allegations. UTD policy gives the Dean of Students until May 29 to schedule a meeting with Belal to discuss the allegations against him, but by that point Belal’s graduation would have already passed.
“This being at UTD means it reeks of censorship,” Coletti said. “The university’s history of retaliating against expression it does not like makes this much more suspect.”
Belal said that in his opinion it was very clear that the administration at UTD wanted to silence him so that he would stop organizing and talking about this issue. Belal said that silence was something he could never accept on the issue of Palestine.
Belal said he felt like it was unacceptable for him as a student at UTD, which he said is a school whose investments in UTIMCO support weapons manufacturers, to stand silent while the people of Palestine had everything stripped from them. Belal said that leading up to his graduation he kept thinking about the tens of thousands of people in Palestine who would never get to see a graduation after the destruction of over 80% of the universities in Gaza, U.N. experts currently refer to this as a scholasticide in Gaza.
“As students, we have a responsibility to confront and call out genocide no matter how uncomfortable it makes us, and we must recognize these attempts at silencing us for what they are and continue to demand divestment and continue to confront Zionism politically in our institutions,” Belal said.
This is a breaking news story. The Retrograde will provide more details as new information emerges.
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Amid uneasy peace talks, students reaffirm divestment calls – The Retrograde
[…] devices during class hours, in September this year. At UTD, 14 students have been indicted and another was barred from attending graduation because of their pro-Palestine protest action, leaving some activists to favor silence over […]