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Second Protest Over Removal of LGBT Center Director Disrupts Ellis Hall Ribbon Cutting
By: Benjamin Schwartz
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Editor’s Note: delfin bautista uses the pronoun they/their and does not capitalize their name.
Ohio University students in support of delfin bautista, the former head of the school’s LGBT center held a protest at the ribbon cutting of Ellis Hall Friday afternoon.
The protest follows one last week in front of Cutler Hall by students and community members following the university’s decision to put bautista on administrative leave until their contract expires at the end of the school year.
Students marched into Ellis Hall at the start of the ceremony, which featured a number of speakers including OU President Duane Nellis and State Representative Jay Edwards. After a brief exchange between the protestors and faculty members, the students were escorted outside by police.
On Wednesday the university named Tyrone Carr, executive director of the Interlink Alliance and special assistant for the vice president of Diversity and Inclusion at the University as interim director.
As for Ellis Hall, the renovations that took place through the entirety of 2018 are finally complete. The building now features new classrooms, private workspaces for students, as well as spaces for students and faculty to collaborate, and a redesigned grand entry hall.