Months after USF protests, accused students challenge punishment

Victoria Hinckley said she was one assignment away from graduating. Joseph Charry said she may now have visa issues.

Two organizers who participated in the April protests at the University of South Florida have not been arrested. They are, however, accused of violating university rules and face suspension and expulsion.

They are among a small group of University of South Florida students who continue to oppose the university’s response to the pro-Palestinian protests that took place on campus this spring.

Of the 13 people arrested during the protests at USF, four had misdemeanor charges changed to community service. Two had felony charges changed to misdemeanors. One of the five students arrested was taken to jail shortly before a court hearing last week after additional charges were added based on video evidence, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.

While all five students arrested during the protests will face disciplinary action, others, including Hinckley and Charry, are still facing punishment.

Hinckley, a member of Students for a Democratic Society, said she was one assignment short of graduating but was kicked out.

Charry, who was set to enter his third year at USF as a sociology major, has been suspended until May 2025. Charry, who is originally from Colombia, said his student visa status is hanging in the balance. He said his visa will not expire immediately, but he has not received any guidance from USF.

Students said the university tried to blame them for the escalation of the second day of protests, which ended with police using tear gas on protesters. USF spokeswoman Althea Johnson said the university could not provide additional information about individual student cases due to student privacy laws, but said in an email that “There are consequences for breaking the law or university rules. USF has made it clear that violence, threats, harassment, and disruption will not be tolerated.”

Johnson also said the university “values ​​free speech and protects the constitutional right of individuals and groups on campus to assemble and express themselves.”

Both students tried to appeal the verdict, but their appeals were rejected.

In a previous interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Charry called the trial a “kangaroo court,” saying I had the impression that the decisions had already been made.

“They don’t care if they deport a student,” he said. “They don’t care about the well-being of the students. And it’s crazy that the one who’s initiating all these accusations of code of conduct violations is the dean of students who we’re supposed to talk to and who’s supposed to manage everything with us.”

Charry said he got the impression that administrators assumed the protesters would try to riot.

“I like USF, and that’s why I’m involved in all these protests, I’m active in the community,” he said. “Because I like it. Because I like the people here, the professors here, the community, the students. The USF administration seems very determined to deny me an education.”

Hinckley, a Tampa native, said she, too, felt devastated. She said she enjoyed her time at USF and the people she met.

“I found what I wanted to do with my life,” she said. “And I was really excited to graduate and finish school and move on to the next part of my life, which is going to be community organizing and community service and using what I learned in college to help sustain that community service effort. USF has shown that they don’t want to acknowledge that.”

The university has taken action against at least one student organization linked to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

In early June, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society was suspended from campus for reasons preceding the protest. The university determined the group was responsible for two counts of disorderly conduct when they marched to the dean of students’ office a week before the protest, chanting slogans demanding a meeting. The university said they also blocked the stairs and continued chanting, going down when the dean told them to stop.

At the University of Florida, seven students arrested during protests have been banned from campus for three years. At the University of North Florida, disciplinary hearings are underway for nine students and a chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees recently adopted a policy that limits the hours during which protests are allowed, with protests not lasting more than five Days in a row.