A group of protesters disrupted a forum for students at the University of Florida with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), who is the sole finalist to be the new president of the university.
The group had congregated outside the hall Monday while Sasse held a Q&A forum with students. The crowd later pushed its way into the lecture hall and took over the stage, forcing the forum to conclude ahead of schedule, according to a reporter from the campus newspaper.
UPDATE: As of right now, the staff forum is on track to start at 3:45 p.m, according to a UF spokesperson. The student forum did conclude early due to the protestors breaching the room.
— Makiya Seminera (@makseminera) October 10, 2022
SEN. BEN SASSE EXPECTED TO RESIGN TO BECOME UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA PRESIDENT
The protesters could be seen chanting, “Ben Sasse has got to go!” in videos shared on Twitter as they stood on the stage the senator had occupied moments before.
Protesters have gotten into the forum hall and literally and figuratively taken the stage here pic.twitter.com/Lss4V0qZJt
— Christian the Rocky Raccoon Defender (@vanityhack) October 10, 2022
The forum with students was the second of three forums the senator was scheduled to hold on Monday. The first was with faculty and did not face any disruptions. The third one, with university staff, was forced to take place remotely in a separate location.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Sasse’s third forum for staff is only being live-streamed at a remote location. The livestream is being played the protestors, who began chanting and booing. pic.twitter.com/TETinmSPxn
— Makiya Seminera (@makseminera) October 10, 2022
In one video prior to the forum’s disruption, Sasse remarked that the protesters had a good rhythm in their chants, which could be heard in the background.
Protesters interrupt Ben Sasse’s student forum at UF. The Nebraska Republican is the only finalist to be UF’s next President. This is why some students have expressed concerns: https://t.co/zvysPu7MOJ pic.twitter.com/5BFF7DcM1p
— CBS4 News Gainesville (@mycbs4) October 10, 2022
The protest was organized in part over Sasse’s history of opposing same-sex marriage. The senator described the 2015 Supreme Court decision on Obergefell v. Hodges as a “disappointment.”
Sasse announced last week that he is the sole finalist to be the next president of the university and will likely resign from his post as senator for the state of Nebraska in the coming weeks. He was first elected to the position in 2014 and was reelected in 2020.
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“The University of Florida is uniquely positioned to lead this country through an era of disruption,” the senator said in a statement last week. “The single biggest challenge our nation faces is the radical disruption of work. … Melissa and I have been pursued by wonderful institutions the past two years, but we’ve resisted being named a finalist. This time is different because the University of Florida is very different: I think Florida is the most interesting university in America right now.”
