university of tampa campus tour video

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Virtual Tour

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The University of Tampa Virtual Tour

Are you applying to the university of tampa explore the campus using the virtual tour below..

Virtual tours are a great way to refresh your memory or to preview an on-site tour of UT.

Why a Virtual Tour?

At the beginning of your college search, a virtual tour can be a beneficial tool to explore the campus before your visit. When you do visit the campus, be sure to talk to current students about their experiences. A student perspective is a helpful way to gauge your future experience when attending The University of Tampa. Already took an on-campus tour? It's inevitable. All of your college tours will blend, and you might forget the appearance of UT's library, dorms, or cafeteria. Use the virtual tour to jog your memory! With the interactive mapping tool below you can even explore the area surrounding the campus.

Use the resources below to start your virtual tour.

Using the Map

Click and drag the little orange person to a location on the map. Locations with panoramas appear as blue lines or blue dots when moving the orange person. The blue dots are panoramic views that you may swivel. The blue lines are paths that you can navigate along.

Panoramic View

You can "pan" or "swivel" the camera around by clicking on the image and dragging your mouse or finger. If you see a white arrow on the picture, you can click or tap on it to move in the direction of the arrow. This will also update the location of the little orange person on the map so you can get a better sense of where you are and what direction you are facing.

Continue Your Research on UT

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University of South Florida

Office of Admissions

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Head into the city to get to know USF’s Tampa campus! Take a tour that will explore the acclaimed facilities and vibrant student life of our largest campus, located in the transformative Uptown District. You will also get the chance to learn more about the application process during an information session with an admissions counselor.

Student-Led Campus Tours

Tours are available  Monday through Friday and are open to all students.  You’ll get an up-close view of our top-rated academic facilities, dining options, a suite-style residence hall, student support offices, recreation and other points of pride. In addition, you will hear from current USF students about what life is really like at our dynamic university!  

Before scheduling a visit, please keep the following in mind:

• Dates: Tour space is limited to provide our guests with a positive experience. Please have a few dates in mind before making your reservation in case your first choice is not available.
• Academic calendar :  To get the best feel for USF, check our academic calendar and visit when there are students on our Tampa campus attending classes.
• International students : Contact  [email protected]  to add a meeting with an International Admissions Advisor to your campus tour. 
• Weather : The Tampa campus is located in a subtropical climate and tours are held outdoors. Wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and temperature-appropriate clothing. And don't forget to bring a water bottle to stay hydrated! It can get hot in Tampa, especially on a walking tour of campus.

Register Now

Self-Guided Campus Tours

Mobile and Desktop Tours

Our self-guided tour is a great way to explore USF's Tampa campus at your own pace.   Follow the steps below to get started!

Mobile Instructions

• Follow the link below and select “iOS” or “Android” to install the self-guided tour app on your phone.
• Once installed, open the app, search for “University of South Florida” and select “Get Started.”
• Enter your information, then select the premade “USF Tampa Campus General Tour.”
• Start exploring! 

Access Mobile Tour

Desktop Instructions

Follow the link below and select “Desktop” to access the desktop version of the self-guided tour. Start exploring! 

Access Desktop Tour

Points of Interest Map

You can also navigate through campus with our Points of Interest Visitor Map! Download the map below and get started. 

Note: access to all buildings is not guaranteed, and guests will need to purchase a parking permit from USF parking services.

Group Tours (10+ Students)

Come join us for a group visit of the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus! These visits are comprised of groups of 10+ high school or transfer-level students. If your group is comprised of other types of students, we invite you to join us for a self-guided tour. Find our Points of Interest map linked above.   During your group tour, you’ll explore our academic facilities, a suite-style residence hall, dining options, student support offices, recreation and other important campus stops. Tours include an information session where you and your group will learn about admissions requirements, financial aid, scholarships, campus life, dining and more.

Scheduling Your Group Tour

Due to the large volume of requests we receive for group tours, our guided tours are limited to high school and transfer-level students. We offer guided group tours on weekdays and dates and times are subject to availability.   If your group is comprised of high school or prospective transfer students, please follow the directions below to set up your visit:

• Submit your request at least 30 days prior to the requested visit date.
• Please include your requested date(s) and time(s) in order of preference in the “Date Preferences” field.
• After receiving your request, a representative from our office will contact you. Submitting a request does not guarantee a scheduled visit.
• Should you wish to eat on campus with your group, we recommend our all-you-care-to-eat dining hall. For information on hours and pricing, please visit Dining Services .

Submit Request

Virtual Tours

Explore USF’s Tampa campus online – from anywhere! Led by student guides, our virtual tour offers 360-degree panoramic views of our beautiful 1900-acre campus as real USF students tell you about their favorite stops.   Picture yourself in our state-of-the-art classrooms. Discover our modern residence halls. Imagine yourself lying under the Florida sun at Castor Beach – in February!

Disability Accommodations

Disability accommodations can be requested when you register for a campus visit or by contacting the tour staff at 813-974-7878 (Florida Relay Service TTY: 800-955-8771) or [email protected] at least two weeks in advance for mobility assistance, visual impairment assistance or American Sign Language interpreting.    USF is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Institution and therefore complies fully with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and all other federal and state laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability or handicap.

Directions to Campus

Address: University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Avenue Tampa, FL 33620, USA   From the East:

• Take I-4 West to Exit 9 / I-75 North
• Travel North on I-75 for 3.8 miles to Exit 265 / Fowler Avenue
• Head West on Fowler Avenue 4.4 miles to the University's main entrance at Leroy Collins Boulevard

From the West/Tampa International Airport:

• Take I-275 North to Exit 45B / I-4 East
• Travel East on I-4 for 8.1 miles to Exit 9 / I-75 North

Parking on Campus

Just past the entrance to USF on Leroy Collins Boulevard, turn right into the Campus Information Center (CIC) . Pull up to an available drive-through window and inform the staff that you are here for a campus visit with the Office of Admissions. They will provide you with a parking pass and campus map. If you are visiting on a Saturday, the CIC will be closed, and a permit will not be necessary.   After obtaining the parking pass, turn right onto Leroy Collins Boulevard and proceed to the Collins Boulevard Parking Garage (located at the end of Leroy Collins Boulevard, just past the Library). Your parking pass allows you to park on level 3 and above. Before exiting your vehicle, be sure your parking pass is visible.   From the garage, it's just a short walk to the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISA). Check-in begins one hour prior to the visit on the 7th floor.   Note: Please arrive at least 15-30 minutes prior to your scheduled visit to ensure adequate time for parking and check-in. 

Hotels and Accommodations

If you're visiting from out of town, there are a number of convenient hotels located near our Tampa campus. This is not a comprehensive list, so visitors are encouraged to search for other hotels near the campus they are visiting.   Many of the hotels listed offer a special USF rate. If you choose one of these hotels, state that you are visiting the University of South Florida to access the special rate. Some also offer free shuttle service to the campus.

Embassy Suites Tampa 3705 Spectrum Boulevard Tampa, FL (813) 977-7066   Fairfield Inn & Suites Tampa North 12260 Morris Bridge Road Temple Terrace, FL (813) 989-0007   Holiday Inn Express 13294 Telecom Drive Tampa, FL (813) 972-9800   

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa - USF Busch Gardens 2807 E. Busch Boulevard Tampa, FL (813) 936-8200   Holiday Inn Tampa North 3751 E Fowler Avenue Tampa, FL (813) 402-2982   Home2 Suites by Hilton Tampa USF 11606 McKinley Drive Tampa, FL (813) 750-8844   Hyatt Place Tampa/Busch Gardens 11408 North 30th Street Tampa, FL (813) 979-1922   La Quinta Inn & Suites USF 3701 East Fowler Avenue Tampa, FL (813) 910-7500   Residence Inn Tampa at USF/Medical Center 13420 N. Telecom Parkway Tampa, FL (813) 972-4400    TownePlace Suites Tampa North/I-75 Fletcher 6800 Woodstork Drive Tampa, FL (813) 975-9777   SpringHill Suites Tampa North I-75/Tampa Palms 5396 Primrose Lake Circle Tampa, FL  (813) 558-0300  

Explore Tampa (and Beyond)

One of the best parts of attending USF is the location. Our sprawling Tampa campus is packed with all the student amenities and resources of a large university, and it’s conveniently located a short drive from downtown, historic Ybor City, theme parks and more. USF offers something for everyone, from beach lovers to sports fans to art aficionados.    Plus, USF students have access to the rich professional resources afforded by the bustling metropolitan area. This includes a strong economy anchored by major companies. Our business community relationships offer students valuable internship and practicum experiences that prepare them for rewarding careers when they graduate.   Check out the Visit Tampa Bay website or download our Gulf Coast Visitor Guide to make the most of your trip and explore everything the Tampa Bay area has to offer, from sports to arts to nature. 

Download Guide

Contact the Campus Visitation Office

Have questions about life at USF or want to learn about visiting the USF Tampa campus? Contact our team! Email: [email protected] Phone: 813-974-7878

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Hundreds march to USF after tear gas, arrests, but protest remains peaceful

A day after 10 people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of South Florida, organizers returned in greater numbers Wednesday. But it was a stark contrast from the day before.

The protest started off campus about 5:30 p.m. at the corner of North 56th Street and East Fowler Avenue in Temple Terrace. By about 7 p.m., a crowd of 250-300 people were marching in the 85-degree heat toward the USF campus, where protests ended Tuesday evening with police using tear gas to disperse about 100 people who had gathered.

By 8 p.m. Wednesday, the group had reached MLK Plaza — the same place where the previous day’s events unfolded. Dozens of law enforcement officers watched from a distance as the group chanted and made room for people to pray.

About a half-hour later, the group was marching back to their original spot on Fowler Avenue. But there was no tear gas this time. No orders to leave. No arrests.

You can catch up with all that happened Tuesday at USF, and other Florida universities, here .

Here’s what happened Wednesday.

The crowd is now marching out of USF back to their starting point, chanting “disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest.”

— Justin Garcia, Times staff

The crowd is about to march back.

“This is public. We have the right and power,” said Lama Alhasan. “We will be coming back here on Friday because this is the people’s plaza.”

— Justin Garcia and Lesley Cosme Torres, Times staff

Protesters shouted, “Free, free Palestine!” one last time, and then the crowd chatted amongst themselves as some protesters left the scene.

Another protester started talking into the megaphone again. They said they weren’t afraid of intimidation from law enforcement and that protesters need to be united and continue the fight.

Then, more chanting. “Disclose, divest, we will not stop we will not rest.”

Around 200 protesters returned to the spot where police launched tear gas at protesters the day before.

As the sun set, the crowd chanted, “The more you try to silence us, the louder we will be.”

Protest marshals wearing yellow vests faced away from the crowd, keeping an eye on the dozens of law enforcement officers watching the crowd.

Protesters made room for people to pray and formed a circle around the religious ceremony.

The group has now entered MLK Plaza. It has thinned out a little bit, but most protesters have stayed.

Dozens of police officers are observing from over 100 feet away.

Chants can heard in the plaza: “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.”

— Justin Garcia, Lesley Cosme Torres and Sam Ogozalek, Times staff

As protesters approached the main entrance to USF, police shut down the intersection of Leroy Collins and Fowler so the crowd could cross the street.

The group is passing the USF library near the MLK Plaza, where protests were held Monday and Tuesday.

— Lesley Cosme Torres and Justin Garcia, Times staff

The crowd has grown to about 250-300 people. Marching west on East Fowler Avenue, they chanted, “Free Free, Palestine. Free, free, Gaza.”

As the sun lowered, the protesters approached the main entrance to USF. Organizers are not sharing their plans with the media. They chanted as several protesters walked into the turning lane on Fowler Avenue eastbound.

The crowd has grown to at least 200 people. They are approaching the USF campus. Organizers have not said where they are going, but they told protesters to “prepare for a long walk” and drink water.

As they march, protesters are chanting, “Biden, Biden, you’re a liar. We demand a cease-fire.”

The crowd is marching west on East Fowler Avenue. Police briefly stopped the protesters to tell them to stay on the sidewalk. State troopers could be seen taking photos and videos of the crowd.

The crowd was chanting: “What do we want?” “Justice.” “When do we want it?” “Now.”

— Sam Ogazlek, Lesley Cosme Torres and Justin Garcia, Times staff

Jake Geffon, another protester who was arrested Tuesday, addressed the crowd.

“God is with us, every moment of our struggle,” he shouted into a microphone. “All of our ancestors are cheering us on. This is a community of love and liberation.”

Geffon said that when he was in jail in a room full of people, others expressed their support for a free Palestine. “Everyone is on our side,” he said.

The crowd is preparing to march. They have not said where they are going.

Cameron Pressey was one of the 10 protesters arrested at USF on Tuesday.

“I was there for five minutes, recording. While I was doing nothing but recording, holding people accountable, they (police officers) tackled me to the ground,” he said. “We’re not here just to make a lot of noise, we’re here for the people of Palestine. To stand against genocide.”

— Lesley Cosme Torres, Times staff

The crowd is growing to a couple hundred people.

“The atrocities that are being committed in Gaza right now can only happen with the funding coming from the United States,” Lama Alhasan, with the Tampa Bay Dream Defenders, said to the crowd. “These are our tax dollars that are paid for this.”

Alhasan said everyone has a role and responsibility “to stop this genocide.”

“USF might say it’s complicated and say the students don’t understand. We know these are lies. We know it’s very easy to divest but USF refuses to.”

The crowd has grown to about 100 people. It is unclear how many of them are students.

Ali Abdel-Qader, with the Party for Socialism and Liberation Tampa Bay, acknowledged the arrests of protesters at demonstrations and encampments across the country.

“The reason why the administration, the politicians and the police are working together is because they are afraid of being held accountable for their complicity in genocide,” he said.

Abdel-Qader, a Palestinian, said that multiple students suffered injuries from the use of tear gas and aggressive arrests at Tuesday’s demonstration. He said USF’s administration and law enforcement are cracking down aggressively on student movements to “break them up.”

— Justin Garcia and Sam Ogozalek, Times staff

Victoria Hinckley, a senior at USF who spoke on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society, said during a news conference before the demonstration that she would no longer be able to graduate this year after she helped organize a protest this week. She’s been trespassed from the campus, she said.

Hinckley said that the protesters were peaceful Tuesday until riot police launched tear gas at the crowd. She accused the USF administration of lying about the protesters being violent leading up to the arrests.

About 30 protesters have gathered at the corner of North 56th Street and East Fowler Avenue in Temple Terrace. Protesters are chanting, “Biden, Biden, you can’t hide. You’re supporting genocide.” They’re also chanting “USF, shame on you, student voices matter, too.”

So far, few police officers are on the scene. A Tampa Bay Times reporter saw a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office squad car, a Temple Terrace police car and a Tampa police car. All were across the street.

Hassan Shibly, founder and lead attorney of Muslim Legal, said his Tampa law firm is ready to bring legal action against colleges or law enforcement for any excessive use of force or First Amendment violations.

“Everything’s on the table,” he said. “We’re exploring all options.”

Organizers of the protest are about to hold a news conference to kick off the demonstrations.

On Tuesday, Florida State University police arrested five protesters on misdemeanor trespassing charges. The arrests were peaceful and occurred minutes after protesters erected tents on the campus.

One of the people arrested was Elijah Ruby, who said he was a senior weeks away from graduation. While he was sitting in a Leon County jail cell, a university police officer came up to him and handed him a piece of paper informing him he was being “indefinitely trespassed” from the school, Ruby said during an off-campus news conference today.

Ruby said he could not attend his final exam for his French class today.

“I can’t attend my own graduation. If I had to take an extra class, I couldn’t go to that class in person,” he told reporters. “Just for setting up a tent.”

A university spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ruby’s arrest report states that interim university police Chief Justin Maloy asked Ruby to take down the tent or be issued a trespassing warning, and he refused. The report cites the university’s policy on “camping,” which states that tents or other temporary structures are prohibited “except when used in connection with activities of academic or administrative units of the University.” The policy defines camping as using a tent “with the intent to stay overnight.”

Ruby said that he had not placed stakes in the ground, had not entered the tent and only erected it “in solidarity with the protesters that were getting brutalized at the University of South Florida and University of Florida.”

He said he’s since sought clarification from the university about the terms of his “indefinite trespassing,” but has not received a response. The university, he said, owns empty lots throughout Tallahassee.

“I want to abide by this order,” Ruby said. “But what they’ve presented me with is a situation where I can just be walking past, step on the wrong section of sidewalk, and legally speaking they can come and arrest me for trespassing.

“They’ve not provided any clear details on what boundaries of the campus are.”

— Lawrence Mower, Times staff

Howard Simon, the interim executive director of the ACLU of Florida, released this statement on Wednesday:

“The right to protest is a central pillar of the First Amendment – a value that has shaped this country since its founding, and one that we will always defend. The right to peacefully protest is a freedom guaranteed by our Constitution.

“The Supreme Court has forcefully rejected the premise that, ‘because of the acknowledged need for order, First Amendment protections should apply with less force on college campuses than in the community at large.’ Students have the right to advocate for the movements and causes they believe in.

“The First Amendment applies to public universities and colleges, and, thus – while targeted harassment rooted in antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, or other bigotry may be proscribed – university officials must respect free speech and the right to peacefully protest.

“Cracking down on peaceful protestors is likely to escalate – not calm – the tensions on campus, as events of the past week have made abundantly clear. Threatening students with expulsion from their university or deportation from the country does not align with the obligations of public officials to respect First Amendment rights regardless of the point of view that is being expressed.

“University leaders must resist the pressure from politicians seeking to exploit campus tensions to advance their own notoriety or partisan agendas. Universities need to stand up to such intimidation and defend the principles of academic freedom which is essential to their integrity and mission.

“Universities are meant to be havens for robust debate, discussion, and learning — not sites of censorship where administrators and politicians squash political discourse they don’t approve of with threats, arrests, rubber bullets, and tear gas.”

Three protesters were also arrested at USF on Monday. Simon Rowe, 23, was the first of them taken into custody.

At about 1 p.m., he started to pitch a tent when an officer walked over and stood on top of it. Rowe continued setting up the tent while the deputy waved for backup, according to video that captured the incident.

Another video shows an officer forcing Rowe’s hands behind his back before three deputies escorted him away. A crowd of protesters followed, chanting “Shame on you” at law enforcement.

Rowe, who is charged with trespassing, said the entire incident felt like it only lasted a couple of minutes.

“I didn’t put up any resistance,” said Rowe, who is now a package handler for UPS. “That’s literally like what a police officer said — that I put up little resistance.”

Tents are allowed under certain conditions on campus, but university officials warned students in a written notice Monday that they had not received the required permission in advance.

“I do not believe that the rules are valid. I don’t believe they follow the law of free speech on college campuses,” Rowe said. “It’s a violation of our rights the way they treated us that day: myself and the other protesters.”

He added the university’s rules are enforced unequally.

“Whenever there’s someone right-wing on campus bothering students it’s always ‘free speech, free speech,’” he said. “But whenever there’s someone pro-Palestinian, the same courtesy is not regarded to us.”

Rowe said he wasn’t part of the protest from the start, but joined later. It meant he never saw the notice given earlier that day.

“I was hanging around MLK Plaza, and joined once they (protesters) had reached MLK Plaza,” he said. “So I had never gotten that initial warning of arrest.”

Rowe was released from Orient Road Jail about 9 p.m. Monday to find a group of protesters gathered outside the building. He chatted with them before heading home.

Rowe, who graduated from USF in 2021, said he is barred from the university campus for a year, per conditions of the trespassing charge. While it limits his involvement in ongoing protests, he plans to stick near the jail this week to help bail out others, including fellow Tampa members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Rowe said he was disappointed in his alma mater and other state university leaders.

”The rhetoric about that anti-Palestinian racism we’re seeing from boards of trustees and calling people — an entire group of people — terrorists is frankly disgusting,” he said.

— Jack Prator, Times staff

The Bay Area Dream Defenders and Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society announced this morning that another protest is planned for 5:30 p.m., though it will be off-campus at the corner of 56th and Fowler Avenue.

— Divya Kumar, Times Staff

10:45 p.m. Tuesday

USF President Rhea Law and Will Weatherford, the chairperson of the USF board of trustees, issued a letter late Tuesday night.

Here is its full text:

Dear USF community,

The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and all members of the university community is our highest priority.

We value free speech and protecting the constitutional right for individuals and groups on campus to gather and express themselves. This includes protests and demonstrations that we have experienced many times on our campuses without incident. Free expression is an expected and important part of the public discourse of a university, and we’re proud to say it is among the core values that define our institution. However, these activities have to remain peaceful and cannot cross a line that violates the law or USF policies. To be clear, we will not tolerate violent, disruptive or aggressive acts by protestors.

Unfortunately, as you have likely seen, a protest on our Tampa campus escalated to an unsafe level that required law enforcement to intervene. The decision to intervene was not taken lightly and was based on the following facts. Beginning this morning, approximately 75-100 protestors arrived, including some students and some individuals who are not affiliated with the university. Throughout the day, USF staff members and university police remained in regular communication with protestors about the expectations for maintaining a peaceful event, including that it would need to conclude by the close of business.

However, as the day progressed, police and university staff observed participants expressing their intent to refuse to leave the site and to occupy the space through the weekend, which includes commencement. Police and university staff also observed protesters bringing in wooden shields, umbrellas, and tents. The protesters then locked arms, raised the shields and umbrellas, and communicated their intent to refuse to leave. USF Police determined that these actions were a dangerous escalation and that the protest was no longer peaceful.

USF Police made multiple attempts to inform participants that the protest must cease and that participants needed to disperse. These warnings had no effect. When participants continued to refuse to comply, law enforcement dispersed the protestors and took numerous individuals into custody in the process. It is of great concern that one of the individuals taken into custody was found to be carrying a concealed firearm. We are deeply grateful to the USF Police Department, our regional law enforcement partners, and the Student Success team for their unwavering dedication and commitment to prioritizing the safety of our community.

The university has a responsibility to maintain a safe environment on campus, including enforcing violations of Florida law and USF policies, especially after repeated warnings. Should there be additional protests on campus this week, we expect everyone to act in a peaceful manner and in a way that allows our community to prepare for final exams and commencement without disruption.

As we always have in challenging times, it’s critical that we strive to uphold our university’s values and keep our focus on how we carry out our institutional mission. We urge everyone to do their part to ensure that USF continues to be a safe and peaceful place where we treat each other with respect and empathy, even when we disagree.

Rhea F. Law

Will Weatherford

Chair, USF Board of Trustees

— Thomas C. Tobin, Times staff

©2024 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Florida college students join national wave of pro-Palestinian rallies

• Divya Kumar Times staff

Students at some of Florida’s public universities have joined the wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations sweeping the nation over the last week, but their protests so far have been smaller, quieter and without the forceful police presence seen at many other campuses.

At the University of Florida, a protest that turned a portion of the Plaza of the Americas into a small, grassy “liberation zone” ended its third day late Friday with no arrests, drawing about 100 students at its peak.

On Landis Green at Florida State University, students set up with posters and tents at 4 a.m. Thursday. By the afternoon, however, the tents came down while about 30 student protesters remained.

Joelle Nuñez, president of the Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society group, said law enforcement told them to relocate. Sprinklers went off at one point, dousing the group. They continued their protest on Friday with no major incidents and plan to resume Monday.

Students at the University of Central Florida also held a rally on Friday, with about 200 people participating, no arrests and an escort by police on bicycles. A protest is planned on Monday at the University of South Florida.

Mateo Herrera, co-chairperson of UCF’s Young Democratic Socialists of America, said student activity in Florida is just beginning.

“We know the climate in Florida,” he said. “We know if we escalate more, we’ll face more repression than what is happening up north. … This experience shows how much universities care about their students and their priorities of who they get their money from.”

The Florida students, like their peers in other states, are demanding that their schools cut financial ties with corporations that support Israel and its war effort in Gaza, where more than 34,000 civilians have been killed and food is scarce, according to local health officials.

The UF protesters had several additional demands, including that the university sever partnerships with weapons, arms and artificial intelligence contractors involved in human rights violations. They also want UF to agree not to host speakers affiliated with the Israeli military or those who “spread misinformation about the history of Palestine.”

The students want to stop tuition dollars from indirectly financing the war, said Cameron Driggers, a UF freshman who called the protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza “the landmark social movement of our time.”

“I wouldn’t be comfortable doing nothing,” he said, noting that some of the protesters are Jewish students. “I want to be able to tell my kids and my family in the future that I tried to do my best to stop what I would call a genocide that’s happening right now in Palestine.”

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Since last week, hundreds of protesters have been arrested at campuses, including Columbia University in New York City, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin, Emerson College in Boston and Emory University in Atlanta. The University of Southern California canceled its graduation, and Columbia temporarily moved classes online.

The New York Times reported that more than 400 people have been arrested in campus protests since April 17, and it published a map showing more than 60 protest sites across the nation. Many of them involve encampments with students staking out patches of campus ground in tents.

The demonstrations are happening just days before the end of the spring semester, with commencement celebrations scheduled for early May.

Gov. Ron DeSantis sought to set the tone for Florida schools with a post Thursday on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

He said college leaders in the Northeast had been “weak” in their response to protesters he described as “mobs” that “harass Jewish students and faculty.”

“If you try that at a Florida university, you are going to be expelled,” the governor wrote.

At places like Columbia and Yale, Hamas protesters rule the roost, and the universities are too weak and scared to do anything—even as these mobs harass Jewish students and faculty. If you try that at a Florida university, you are going to be expelled. pic.twitter.com/pY1VkoiTwn — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 25, 2024

At UF on Thursday night, campus police handed out notices listing rules for the protesters and warning them that violators would be suspended and banned from campus for three years. The ACLU of Florida responded Friday with a strong rebuke.

“We urge campus administrators and law enforcement to exercise restraint in interfering with student demonstrations and encampments and remain firm in their commitment to free speech, open debate, and peaceful dissent on campus,” Howard Simon, the group’s executive director, said in a statement. “The principles on which this country was founded demand no less.”

Florida’s demonstrations are happening on campuses with some of the largest populations of Jewish students in the nation. In Hillel International’s 2020 list of the “Top 60 Jewish schools,” the University of Florida was No. 1 with about 6,500 Jewish undergraduates and nearly 3,000 Jewish graduate students.

UCF was No. 3 and FSU, along with Florida International University, were in the top 20.

Driggers said he believed student sentiment on Florida’s college campuses largely favored a cease-fire in the Middle East and support for Palestinians.

“But of course we have to keep in mind that the consequences for our organizing is even more punished because you have people like Ron DeSantis, who have implemented various ways of cracking down,” he said. “We’ve heard elected leaders saying that we should be expelled and arrested just for exercising our freedom of speech, which I think is a little ironic. These people are typically your free speech absolutists, right?”

Through the day Thursday, the UF protesters sat on blankets, doing schoolwork and holding signs and flags. Campus police walked by telling them they couldn’t plant signs or flags into the ground. The group picked them up.

A sign initially tied to the ground by rope was refashioned so it would not be considered a structure. Photos of Palestinians who have died in Gaza lined the perimeter. By Friday afternoon, the signs were gone, but protesters sat in the plaza.

Some passersby expressed disapproval. One called them members of Hamas, a protester said. Some took photos and nodded in support. Most didn’t engage with the group.

Two Jewish students who walked by as many protesters left Thursday night said they were upset by the demonstration.

Max Kilman, an Israeli-American student, called the group a “loud minority” and was troubled by chants calling for an intifada, referring to the Palestinian uprising against Israel.

“It’s pretty disturbing,” he said. “While I recognize that this is not nearly as bad as what has happened at certain places like Columbia … I think it should be known that this does not represent the sentiment or the spirit (of UF).”

Isaac Pines said he felt the protests further divided students.

“I think there is a middle ground to it, but the way that they’re approaching it makes it seem like it’s such a polarizing issue,” he said. “If you were really trying to make progress here, you’d want to work with pro-Israel students on campus.”

In a statement, UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said, “The University of Florida will always protect speech and uphold the law. Peaceful protests are constitutionally protected.”

She said that “camping, putting up structures, disrupting academic activity, or threatening others on university property is strictly prohibited” and that officials “clearly communicated this” to the students. She said anyone who breaks the law will receive “an immediate trespassing order from (campus police) and an interim suspension” from UF’s Division of Student Life.

Some protesters expressed frustration that a few of the regulations seemed open to interpretation. Sleeping and anything deemed to be a structure was prohibited, but occupying spaces while awake was not.

In Tallahassee, Nuñez, the student protest leader at FSU, said the group was trying to avoid arrests but expected to be on campus as long as they could be.

He said they wanted to place more emphasis on their message.

“I want people to focus not just on the repression, but why these students are out there in the first place,” Nuñez said. “This wouldn’t be happening if these institutions weren’t supporting Israel.”

Amy Farnum-Patronis, a spokesperson for FSU, said the group was not affiliated with the university and was asked to leave because of the school’s regulations against camping.

“No criminal activity or conduct has been observed, but law enforcement is on scene and actively monitoring the situation,” she said. “As an educational institution, Florida State University welcomes free inquiry, diverse thought and rigorous debate. However, these expressions must comply with university regulation and the law.”

This report contains information from Times staff writer Romy Ellenbogen and The Associated Press.

Divya Kumar covers higher education for the Tampa Bay Times, working in partnership with Open Campus.

Divya Kumar is the higher education reporter. Reach her at [email protected].

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NYPD spokesman Carlos Nieves confirmed Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall was secure and the campus’ anti-Israel encampment was fully cleared out after authorities stormed the campus on Tuesday evening.

Police were seen moving in on Columbia anti-Israel protests, video shows, with dozens of protesters being filed into buses by authorities.

This live blog has ended.

Follow The Post’s live updates on pro-terror protests on NYC campuses and universities across the country here.

Columbia students who took over Hamilton Hall are now facing expulsion, according to a memo sent out by the Ivy League school.

NYPD also laid out possible charges for Columbia protesters on campus grounds in encampments and those who have taken over Hamilton Hall.

“For the individuals that are inside the Hamilton Hall building, [they’ll be] charged with burglary in the third degree, criminal mischief and trespassing. The individuals that are on campus outside, they will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Follow The Post’s coverage of the pro-terror protests at Columbia University:

• Outspoken Columbia Professor Shai Davidai says he feels safer in ‘war zone’ Tel Aviv than in NYC
• Eric Adams warns ‘outside agitators’ descended on Columbia campus to radicalize students as over 100 arrested: ‘A global problem’
• Inside Columbia’s ‘vandalized’ Hamilton Hall, where pro-terror protesters came face to face with riot police
• US colleges where students have been arrested over anti-Israel protests

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DA Larry Krasner and councilmember visit pro-Palestinian encampment at University of Pennsylvania

Jewish and pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University accuse school officials of discrimination in competing complaints

Students at Columbia University have filed dueling discrimination complaints as confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and counterprotesters continue.

Combined, the two complaints underscore how political tensions over Israel’s military operations in Gaza since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7 have become personal for thousands of students in the U.S.

A class action lawsuit filed Monday in the Southern District of New York accuses the university of violating safety protocols by allowing "extremist protesters" to intimidate Jewish students and “push them off campus” because of safety concerns.

A separate complaint filed Thursday with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights accuses the university of failing to protect students “who have been the target of extreme anti-Palestinian, anti Arab, and Islamophobic harassment on campus since October 9, 2023.”

The harassment includes receiving death threats, being called “terrorists” and other slurs, experiencing harassment while wearing keffiyehs or hijabs and being the targets of doxxing campaigns, according to the complaint.

Columbia students first set up protest encampments on April 17 calling for the university to divest from companies tied to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Within days, the New York City-based protest spread to campuses across the country, sparking hundreds of arrests and drawing the attention of national and international leaders. 

On Thursday, after more than 100 people were arrested at protests at Columbia, Palestine Legal, a Chicago-based advocacy group, filed its complaint demanding an investigation into what it calls the university’s “discriminatory treatment of Palestinian students and their allies.”

The complaint filed Monday on behalf of several Jewish students requests an emergency injunction requiring Columbia trustees to better enforce the school’s code of conduct to allow class members to safely complete the semester in person.

“Indeed, despite its supposed commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Columbia has allowed a small group of fringe demonstrators to target Jewish students and faculty with harassment, hate speech and violence for the sole reason that they are (or appear to be) Jewish. Columbia’s inaction and willingness to allow for such vile conduct is antithetical to fostering an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” according to the complaint. 

“Since its formation, the encampment has been the center of round-the-clock harassment of Jewish students, who have been punched, shoved, spat upon, blocked from attending classes and moving freely about campus, and targeted by pro-terrorist hate speech,” the complaint reads in part.

The plaintiffs seek a jury trial and unspecified punitive damages.

University officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the complaints. Last week, the school began offering virtual learning options for students.“I know that many of our Jewish students, and other students as well, have found the atmosphere intolerable in recent weeks. Many have left campus, and that is a tragedy,” university President Minouche Shafik said in a statement Monday. “To those students and their families, I want to say to you clearly: You are a valued part of the Columbia community. This is your campus too. We are committed to making Columbia safe for everyone, and to ensuring that you feel welcome and valued.

Shafik’s statement did not mention Muslim students or Islamophobia.

Antiwar protesters have cautioned against conflating criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza with hate speech. Demonstrators have posted signs at the encampment outlining policies for treating everybody, including counterprotesters, with respect. Their ultimate message, according to student activists, is one of peace. 

But as demonstrations have escalated, both Jewish and Muslim students have said they feel targeted because of their beliefs. 

Some Jewish students told NBC News that they moved off campus or no longer wear items that identify their faith after having been spit on, shoved and harassed. Some Palestinian students say they have been targeted while wearing hijabs or keffiyehs.Columbia student Maryam Alwan said in a statement included in Palestine Legal’s complaint: “As a Palestinian student, I’ve been harassed, doxxed, shouted down, and discriminated against by fellow students and professors — simply because of my identity and my commitment to advocating for my own rights and freedoms.

“I’m horrified at the way Columbia has utterly failed to protect me from racism and abuse, but beyond that, the university has also played a role in this repression by having me arrested and suspended for peacefully protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza,” she added.

It is difficult to quantify what some have described as a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia on college campuses. Columbia, which has been a hotbed of protest activity, declined to provide numbers on reported incidents. 

Itai Dreifuss, 25, a junior studying financial economics and neuroscience, served in the Israeli Defense Forces for nearly three years until 2020. Columbia was the only school he applied to after he completed his service. “If it wasn’t going to be Columbia, I didn’t want to go to college,” he said.

His school pride dimmed as confrontations between students supporting the people of Gaza and those supporting Israeli forces escalated. 

Dreifuss, who is not involved in the lawsuit, said that in one instance, shortly after the war started in October, he was walking with an Israeli friend near the campus library speaking in Hebrew when a man spit on his back. 

“It took me a second to realize,” Dreifuss said, adding that he turned to ask the man whether he had spit on him intentionally.

Dreifuss said the man kept repeating, “I know what you’re saying.” He said the man then muttered under his breath that “I would kill you” if they were not in a pair.

“I was just shocked that entire time,” he said.

In another incident, Dreifuss said, a man on Columbia’s campus pulled out a Hamas flag and waved it in his face as he and his friends sang songs of peace.

“He just looked at me and said: ‘Let’s go, Hamas! Let’s go, Hamas!’” Dreifuss said, adding that it was not clear whether the man was a student. “He was in our faces, trying to get a reaction.”

Dreifuss said that his friends sought help from the police and the school’s public safety officers but that they did not receive any support.

“We went to the NYPD, and we went to public safety. Both the physical public safety officers and the office, and nothing,” he said. “There’s nothing to do. They said they couldn’t help with that.”

Campus public safety officials did not respond to a request for comment on the incident.

A New York police spokesperson said the agency does not track data or complaints specific to the university. 

Antisemitism has been rampant across the U.S. since October, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The human rights group said it recorded 3,291 incidents from Oct. 7 to Jan. 7, including assault, vandalism, written and verbal harassment and hate speech.

Anti-Muslim hate incidents — such as employment and education discrimination, hate speech and physical assaults and threats — have also increased, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The nonprofit advocacy group said it received 8,061 complaints nationwide last year, the most in its 30-year history. Nearly half of them were reported in the final three months of the year, the group said.

Chaya Droznik, 22, a junior at Columbia who is not part of the lawsuit, said a demonstrator recently told her that “Oct. 7 is about to be every day for you guys.”

Supporters of the antiwar movement say the antisemitism some students described is not indicative of their broader message. Many of the protesters camped out at universities across the country are Jewish and have hosted large Seders and other actions to denounce Israel’s assault on Gaza.

Cameron Jones, an organizer for Jewish Voices for Peace at Columbia who has been a visible presence at the protest encampment, said he has not experienced antisemitic harassment. His group, which does not support the Zionist movement, observed Passover and Shabbat at the encampment.

“I am a Jewish student right here. I am very present in this environment, and, as a Jewish person who is an organizer for Palestinian liberation on campus, I have felt nothing but safety and love being involved in these spaces,” he said.

Doctoral student Nadia Ali, who is calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, denounced antisemitism and said antiwar messages are increasingly confused with hatred for Israel.

“Palestinians would be the first to relate to that pain,” she said. “It is unacceptable to feel unsafe on campus. But it is important not to conflate the call for justice and peace with antisemitic actions or hate speech.”

Alicia Victoria Lozano is a California-based reporter for NBC News focusing on climate change, wildfires and the changing politics of drug laws.

Melissa Chan is a reporter for NBC News Digital with a focus on veterans’ issues, mental health in the military and gun violence.

Palm Apartment Tour

Palm is the favorite here on campus for dorms! It is a really nice place and I LOVE the size of the kitchen. Definitely an option for you once you become an upperclassman!

The following is an computer-generated summary of the video transcript.

I do live in an upperclassman dormers called palm apartments on this apartment style full kitchen. I mentioned it earlier, but they do come with the mattresses. You do have to get your own magic stop because elections are really hard. So I have my stuffed animals that I required from some friends over the years. Um, all my pictures, my dog is in a lot of love, but it's my friends from home. Coffee film, of course, was the coordinates of my home University of Tampa. Hes remind us my little shoe rack in my wardrobe, just on my clothes. This is where I mostly keep my books and miscellaneous stuff on DH then under here there's a whole bunch self going on hearing of suitcases. My laundry? Um, I I got that from Target, so it does not come with the room. This does come with the room loser Still George with my workout stuff and beach stuff. Over here is in a little area closer where all of my snacks are. Those air, like my mugs are excusing travel mugs, my perfumes, miscellaneous stuff. This is a little messy right now uh, this is where I keep. That's my jewelry box and just some miscellaneous stuff. Them in my own mini fridge has decided to invest in just because I will eventually be living off campus. Why not get my own fridge? Especially because the fridge and the kitchen is not large. You have four people living here, so just kind of nice to have your own fridge. I just have that little quote to keep myself motivated on. This is my desk Most of it's makeup because you can see you. People got that way a little bit, but Palm is kind of set up in a U shape, so it's like one big you, so I'm just like people watching all the time. Sad. So the kitchen's a little messy right now, but this is our little dining room table. I was like, one of my favorite things moving in here is I was surprised at how large and how nice the kitchen is. Top shelf is someone else's the bottom shelf, someone else's their own. That's where everyone to use props and cute little artwork there. We don't really know what to do with one thing. I wish the apartment had was like a closet, some sort of storage space. More search places that are bathroom stuff like this is just all my bathroom stuff. Do you have to? Is your own for this pretty roomy? There are enough ta lorax for all four people living in it, which is really nice. Oh, there's somewhere Search beneath the sink, Of course. So you see over there, uh, that is my room and fabulous room. This is Brianna's room and sneaks them so they are essentially all the same size. This is the common area, the couch and the two chairs. We got our own TV. I have a treat because of you, but it's the same as from my bedroom. We used to have a picture hanging up there, but it keeps falling sand dollars.

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