PSU student group halts traffic, enters Old Main during protest for professor facing termination
A group of about 70 Penn State students marched through the streets of downtown State College on Thursday afternoon, protesting the potential firing of a professor and backing up traffic for blocks, before ending the movement at Old Main.
Students entered Penn State’s administrative building and left of their own accord by 3:30 p.m., 2 hours after the rally started, according to a university spokesperson. With multiple Penn State police cars parked around the building, the doors were locked afterward, with signs hung on doors that read, “We don’t need admin!” Banners from the group Students Against Sexist Violence (SASV) were also strewn across Old Main’s steps in support of Oliver Baker, a professor facing termination despite a local court clearing him of wrongdoing after tussling with an anti-vaxx student.
No arrests were made and no damage was caused, per a spokesperson.
SASV, whose organizers wore sunglasses and handkerchiefs covering their faces Thursday, initially gathered on the steps of Pattee and Paterno Library around 1:30 p.m. They urged students to “walk out” of class and join community members there. One large red banner read, “Defend Dr. Baker!” while another yellow banner that required two people to hold, read, “It is right to rebel.”
A handful of faculty were in attendance, as the crowd initially numbered at least 100, but dissipated as the group started its march to the Allen Street Gates and then through downtown — up Allen Street, then Beaver Avenue and down South Garner Street to the HUB-Robeson Center.
“Employees who want to make a difference are actively prevented from doing so!” one organizer said, his voice magnified by a megaphone.
How’d this all start?
Baker, an assistant professor of English and African American studies, was put on administrative leave last semester following an Aug. 27 pro-vaccine event. According to a criminal complaint, Baker was accused of trying to take the sign of a counter-protester — whom organizers characterized as “being physically aggressive toward peaceful attendees” — before pulling him to the ground and injuring him during the ensuing scuffle.
Two misdemeanor charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct were dropped in October after Baker’s lawyer described the counter-protester as having “antagonistic, menacing and aggressive behavior.” In November, Centre County District Judge Steven Lachman found Baker not guilty on his lone remaining charge, a summary count of harassment. But Penn State still opted to begin the termination proceedings, a move that rankled students and faculty alike.
It is not known where that process currently stands, as it’s largely performed behind closed doors.
Other groups, such as the faculty-based group Coalition for a Just University, continue to defend Baker — but no groups appeared to show up to SASV’s rally, at least in an official capacity.
When an organizer asked at the library if any student groups wanted to step forward and speak, none did so.
SASV faced backlash in November from fellow student groups that agreed with many of their beliefs — but not their practices. When far-right speaker Milo Yiannopoulos arrived on campus, Penn State organized a counter-event called “Love is Louder,” an event SASV initially told students not to attend in favor of their own protest.
More than 1,800 students — including numerous student groups — attended “Love is Louder.”
SASV’s Twitter account was also recently suspended, although it wasn’t immediately clear why.
Baker’s attorney, Julian Allatt, said he was not aware of Thursday’s rally and declined to comment.
What happened Thursday?
For weeks now, SASV attempted to inform the student body about Thursday’s walkout — through social media, flyers and handouts.
Speakers whose identities were obscured and who didn’t introduce themselves led the crowd in a number of chants, such as, “Penn State people, give them hell! It is right to rebel” and “All support to Dr. Baker!” They handed out papers on how to contribute to Baker’s legal defense fund. They named the counter-protester from August, accusing him of racism and labeling him a “threat.” And, at one point, another masked organizer pointed out a man in a green shirt and told the crowd he was an “enemy” and to make him feel uncomfortable. He soon left.
Two masked organizers then approached a Centre Daily Times reporter taking notes and asked who he was with. “OK, thanks,” came their response.
The message didn’t always remain on Baker. After leaving the library, the crowd briefly stopped at the Willard Preacher and shouted, “Bigot!” and “Racist!” Many students uninvolved in the rally stopped as the group pressed forward, accepting a FAQ pamphlet to see what the march was all about.
“Oh, my anxiety,” one girl said, turning to her friend as the crowd chanted, waving a hand in front of her eyes. Another in a brown shirt laughed, “They’re yelling at the Willard Preacher!”
At the Allen Street Gates, speakers mentioned varying topics such as U.S. imperialism and how the Reserve Officers Training Corps teaches people to kill Black and Brown minorities. That last line even caused a man wearing a handkerchief as a mask to turn back to another member and say, “Whoa. Why’d he say that?”
The group, which then numbered about 70, marched through downtown and continued to chant while on-lookers stared and largely accepted handouts from the group. A brief chant also started on Osaze Osagie, a 29-year-old Black man killed by State College police in 2019: “Say his name!” “Osaze Osagie!”
“We see it as an interconnected struggle,” one member told the CDT, explaining Baker is a lightning rod of sorts when it comes to institutional problems. (While the member offered the name “Lauren Miller” to the CDT, no such University Park student appears in the PSU database. A World Campus student with the same name denied it was her.)
Once the group reached Beaver Avenue, a State College Police Department vehicle trailed safely behind while mounting traffic lined up behind him. When the CDT approached his vehicle and asked if police planned to let the group continue its march, the officer rolled up his window.
Lt. Greg Brauser later said police were aware of the walkout beforehand but, on Friday morning after the initial publication of this story, Brauser added that police were not aware of the march downtown beforehand. “There was no communication from them to us whatsoever,” he said.
Near the end of the march, several police vehicles trailed the protesters until they crossed back over to Penn State’s campus.
Looking ahead
According to the university’s own academic policies, dismissal requires “clear and convincing evidence.” It is not known what, if any, evidence Penn State might have that wasn’t available to the county district attorney. The committee’s proceedings are not open to the public.
Because they’re largely veiled in secrecy, it’s not clear where the hearing currently stands. But, based on policies outlined by Penn State’s AC70 Dismissal Procedure, Baker is supposed to be heard by the Standing Joint Committee on Tenure — and that committee will recommend whether Baker will face discipline or resume teaching. The final decision will then rest with the university president.
Faculty-based groups Coalition for a Just University and the Penn State chapter of the American Association of University Professors have previously voiced support for Baker.
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 5:07 PM.
