University charges are being brought against 20 members and supporters of the September 29th Movement for organizing an unauthorized town meeting last week in Beardshear Hall.

Kathleen MacKay, dean of students, said the individuals violated university regulations at the Tuesday, Nov. 5 protest of the name of Catt Hall and other diversity issues.

Meeting organizers are charged with the unauthorized use of a university building. They will appear before the All-University Judiciary Committee.

A total of 65 name tags were given to university officials from participants and organizers at the event, MacKay said. Of the tags collected, she said, administrators selected those that were labeled “organizer” and had identifiable names.

“It got a little complicated. A lot of the stickers were stuck together. We’re still sorting through them all,” MacKay said. Some tags showed only first names while others were illegible.

MacKay said each of the 20 cases will be considered individually, based on each student’s involvement with the Movement and the event.

“Some people could be found innocent and some people could be found guilty,” she said. “Each student has their right to due process. Each case has differences.”

Movement spokesman Milton McGriff said he is unhappy with MacKay’s selection. “We will challenge her on that if she’s going to pick and choose. We’ll see if we can find the other 45 and make them legible for her,” McGriff said.

McGriff said the Movement will protest for the right to be heard collectively. Movement leaders will also challenge the charges being brought against them, he said.

About 200 gathered last week for the protest in the Beardshear lobby. Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance, asked protesters to disperse. They did not.

“We believe we had a right to be there. We believe we will be disciplined because we are organized,” McGriff said, adding that the Movement’s philosophy on civil disobedience is based on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“You don’t run and you don’t try to evade, because you’re standing up for your conscience. And that’s what we’re doing,” McGriff said. “It’s like holding your hands out for the handcuffs.”

MacKay said all public events must be registered and authorized if they are to take place on university property. She mentioned several reasons the Movement’s town meeting was not authorized.

“The basic rationale was that it was not conducive to the regular university business,” MacKay said. “They never sent in paperwork. Technically, there was never a formal request.

“We have certain places on campus for students to do their First Amendment thing. If the group wants to do a rally or a protest, they need to apply to get it authorized.”

McGriff had not heard yesterday if any Movement members had received notification of the charges.