The Gainesville Sun reports:
In his first visit to campus as the sole finalist to be University of Florida president, U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse faced questions Monday on his conservative political positions — along with a protest that disrupted a question-and-answer session and ended with him speeding off in a police vehicle.
UF announced last week that a presidential search committee was recommending Sasse, R-Neb., as the only finalist for the job. He spoke Monday to faculty, staff and students in three separate events, answering questions on such issues as same-sex marriage, tenure protections for faculty and climate change.
Students on Monday protested his selection as the only finalist for the job, at one point disrupting a question-and-answer session with chants of “Hey hey, ho ho, Ben Sasse has got to go.” Protestors then stormed into the ballroom before a session with staff was set to begin, continuing to chant while standing on chairs.
Jacksonville’s NBC affiliate reports:
“Sasse does not really believe in equality on the basis of sexual orientation,” said Nathan Knorst, a senior at the university. “So, how can he adequately represent the student body and faculty and UF’s core values, which are diversity, equity and inclusion?”
Some students were concerned about the secretive selection process used in selecting Sasse. A new Florida law allows universities to conduct much of the process outside of the state’s open meetings and public records laws.
Sasse, who would resign from the Senate to take the position, was recommended for the school’s presidency by a search committee. He still faces a vote by the school’s board of trustees and then must be confirmed by the state board of governors.
The university’s Daily Alligator reports:
After just ten minutes protesting outside, around 300 protestors moved up the staircase of Emerson Alumni Hall to the second floor. UF administrators and police stood stone-faced outside the ballroom, Emerson Hall echoing from the slams of dozens of fists on the solid wooden doors to the ballroom.
In 2015, Sasse spoke out against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark case that federally protects same-sex marriage, saying marriage is meant to bring together a man and a woman so children can have a mother and a father.
In June, Sasse celebrated the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that eliminated federal protections for abortion access.
University of Florida students chant “hey hey, ho ho, Ben Sasse has got to go” in protest of him being tapped as the sole finalist for the UF’s president position. @GainesvilleSun pic.twitter.com/G7hBi8GvyB
— Gershon (JER-shawn) (@gershonreports) October 10, 2022
Outside Sen. Ben Sasse’s moderated forum to meet with students, hundreds have gathered protesting Sasse as the sole finalist in UF’s presidential search, citing his previous public statements on same-sex marriage and the search sealed from the public among reasons. pic.twitter.com/Uay2bQIbEf
— Divya Kumar (@divyadivyadivya) October 10, 2022
Protesters are now in the room Sasse’s forum with students was held and a forum with staff is scheduled for 3:30. pic.twitter.com/NFh998ZrHP
— Divya Kumar (@divyadivyadivya) October 10, 2022
Protesters talk about the Change Party winning the recent student election and take to their stage to voice their opinions on the selection of Sasse. The session with employees was moved to live streaming. pic.twitter.com/fQv6rWwUlN
— Divya Kumar (@divyadivyadivya) October 10, 2022
This was totally predictable.
As @BenSasse gears up for a campus visit, @UF students are recoiling at him becoming the school’s new president, especially his anti-LGBT sentiments toward SCOTUS legalizing same-sex marriage in 2015, @TheAlligator reports.?https://t.co/IyldKEWOU9
— Fernand R. Amandi (@AmandiOnAir) October 10, 2022
For those aware of UF’s well-documented history of systemic homophobia, Sasse’s comments are a call back to a time when being LGBTQ on campus put a target on some community members’ backs. https://t.co/u5y20kZztg
— The Alligator (@TheAlligator) October 10, 2022
PHOTOS: Protesters stormed the President’s Ballroom in Emerson Alumni Hall as UF presidential finalist @SenSasse concluded his student forum about 15 minutes before its scheduled end time.https://t.co/LgZhcn01RX
— The Alligator (@TheAlligator) October 10, 2022
Protesters are now in the second floor ballroom where Ben Sasse was. This is after the student forum concluded. pic.twitter.com/HtevAKFD6n
— Ethan Eibe (@EthanEibe) October 10, 2022