Vanderbilt University announces outside review of journalist arrest during student protests

Vanderbilt University has announced the hiring of a local attorney to review the school’s response to the arrest of a local reporter at student demonstrations that began last week, which resulted in the arrest of four students and the suspension of many more.

Aubrey B. Harwell, Jr., of Neal & Harwell, PLC, will review what led to “the decision to detain the Nashville Scene reporter,” “explore any steps that could or should have been taken before his detention,” as well as “consider how Vanderbilt can best balance its commitment to free expression with its need to maintain safety, privacy and operations of the campus community,” the university said in a statement Thursday.

Harwell will also review the campus media access policy, which has come under fire since the demonstrations for being restrictive of media rights.

More: Vanderbilt University students protest, arrested at sit-in: What to know

The students began protesting on March 26 after an amendment to the Vanderbilt Student Government Constitution, which would prevent student government funds from going to certain businesses that support Israel, was removed by administration officials from a student ballot in late March.

In an interview with The Tennessean, Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said the university’s response to media on campus was a “rightful concern” and a “free speech issue.”

“The arrest of the reporter needs to be addressed,” he said. “I want to know exactly what our officers did, what our training is, and what our policies are (in responding to media) … I want to know whether the arrest was an overreaction, or whether it was justified based on policy — and if that’s the case, whether or not we want to change those policies. We’re not jumping to conclusions. This is a free speech issue.”

The review comes after strong criticism of the arrests from community members and public officials.

Last week, 20 Metro Council members signed a letter penned by Council member Rollin Horton addressing the widespread concern.

"The arrest of a reporter performing their duty to inform the public of events within our city is not only of concern to the principles of free speech and press, but also undermines the trust between the community and law enforcement," the statement read. "It sends a discouraging message to journalists and media professionals in our community that their essential role in holding institutions accountable is under threat.

"As a prestigious institution of higher learning situated within our community, Vanderbilt University plays a significant role in shaping the values and discourse of our city. We urge you to embody these principles by working to ensure incidents such as this do not occur in the future and that the values of free speech and press are protected."

Jacob Mchangama, executive director of The Future of Free Speech project, a nonpartisan think tank located at Vanderbilt University, expressed optimism on Thursday regarding the university’s review of its response.

"We believe Vanderbilt’s strong commitment to promoting free speech and open dialogue must include press freedom, and we welcome the university’s decision to review whether it fell short of those principles,” Mchangama said. “We hope that the findings of this investigation will help Vanderbilt formalize a clear and transparent policy that ensures journalists can report on university affairs without undue interference. While we recognize the university’s prerogative in setting limitations with respect to privacy and private property, a policy that aligns with the values of free expression should generally give the media open access to campus."

The findings of the review are expected to be complete in late spring, according to the statement, and will be made public.

Harwell will be joined in this review by his partners Trey Harwell and Ronald Harris.

The USA Today Network - Tennessee's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt University: Outside review of arrest, protests launched