In the midst of national free speech concerns and censorship, TU administration decides to alter a student-made mural.
The University of Tulsa is an institution with diverse student groups. To accommodate this diversity and celebrate school pride, the Fall Festival during Homecoming Week includes several activities on campus meant to circulate student involvement. On Tuesday, Oct. 21, these activities included Street Painting, an event in which student organizations had the opportunity to paint murals on the street in front of Collins Hall. One of these murals, painted by Students for Justice in Palestine at TU, an organization that advocates for the liberation of Palestine and justice for its people, led to controversy between students and the Threat Assessment Committee.
The mural, which depicted the letters “TU” alongside Palestinian colors, was additionally labeled with the phrase “From the River to the Sea.” This is a historically important phrase in Palestinian geopolitics but holds controversy of its own. “From the river to the sea” describes the historic Palestine that spans from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Supporters of the pro-Palestine movement view it as a call for equal rights and democracy in the territory while Zionists view it as an antisemitic call for the destruction of the state of Israel.
Shortly after the mural was completed, university officials informed SJP leadership that the phrase “From the River to the Sea” was inappropriate. The university offered SJP’s steering committee the chance to remove it themselves, which they denied. The phrase was removed shortly after by the Student Activities Board at the instruction of TU administration. This created pushback from some TU students, including SJP steering committee member Adrian Warwick. “[The phrase] is calling for the creation of a democratic state in the region, which is not an ethnostate,” he says. “It is a movement of peace. It is in advocacy for justice and human rights. It is absolutely not inciting violence.”
When requested for a comment by The Collegian, the university responded, “The University of Tulsa is committed to maintaining a space for students to exchange ideas and benefit from civil discourse. While the university supports free speech rights, our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of students. It is crucial that students be given opportunities to sharpen their critical thinking skills and form their own opinions. Likewise, we seek to impart the value of mutual respect and empathy.”
After the phrase was removed, students replaced the text with “Protect Free Speech” and “Free Palestine.” Students also left many pro-Palestine chalk messages around campus. A day after the incident, SJP’s steering committee met with TU’s Threat Assessment Committee, which included Dean of Students Debbie Chalmers, Director of Campus Security Steven Ososkie and Director of Marketing Mona Chamberlin, as well as other members of TU’s staff.
Chalk protest slogans have shown up around campus repeating “Our paint is washable, our voice is permanent, Free Palestine.” Photo by Katelyn Wiehe
Similar incidents involving murals during homecoming week have happened in the past two years. In 2023, the multicultural student organizations, who came together to create a mural, had their mural vandalized, and in 2024 a mural made by the student organization Give Gaza Hope was marked with red paint.
These repeated incidents lead some students to speak out in favor of their free speech. “The nature of our speech is often censored, looked down upon,” Warwick says. “The censorship of such an important conversation that is simply advocating for human rights and justice and the ending of an occupation and genocide…is abhorrent.” Student Luke Ternes, also a member of the SJP steering committee, added, “In a time where free speech is being cracked down upon by not just administrations of universities, but also the government, now is an increasingly important time to protect free speech.”
