UTD’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter announced today that UTD has suspended the chapter for a year following protests during the spring 2025 commencement ceremony.
A spokesperson for SJP said that the organization received a notice Sept. 2 from the university stating SJP had violated university community standards. A disciplinary decision suspending SJP came Feb. 6. SJP was told they are no longer a registered student organization and would thus be unable to reserve rooms or host events on campus. SJP was given seven business days to file an appeal of the decision with the Office of Student Affairs. SJP said that during the appeal, Student Affairs affirmed the original determination.
SJP will be unable to operate as a registered student organization on campus until Feb. 6, 2027.
The SJP chapter at UTD was founded over a decade ago, with public posts on the club’s Instagram dating as far back as 2017, with the intent of supporting the people of Palestine. SJP has organized and led dozens of protests as an official student organization. While this is the first time the student organization’s operations have been suspended, it is not the first time SJP at UTD has faced backlash from university leadership for its speech and actions.
A spokesperson for the chapter said the key point the university brought up in its disciplinary case was the May 16, 2025, commencement ceremony walkout. Dozens of students walked out of the event when former UTD President Richard Benson began his speech. The spokesperson said that UTD argued the actions and messaging of SJP led to the protest, and that such protest was not protected under the First Amendment.
No public or archived posts are available that depict SJP calling for students to walk out of the commencement ceremony in spring 2025 or in spring 2024, the first year students walked out of commencement. The Retrograde reached out to UTD for comment regarding the allegations made by SJP regarding their suspension. As of publication, UTD did not respond for comment.
In its public post about the suspension, SJP announced it will host an off campus press conference at North Point Park. The conference is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m next Monday. The spokesperson for SJP said the organization maintains its commitment to support the Palestinian people and that it will continue pushing for the UT System to divest from companies supporting Israel despite their suspension.
The Retrograde filed a Texas Public Information Act request with UTD on March 25, to access emails, Microsoft Teams messages and documents shared between university administrators about SJP and the disciplinary action taken against them. The Retrograde will publish these files once they are available.
This is a breaking news story. The Retrograde will provide additional coverage as details emerge.
One Comment
SJP should contact FIRE