UNC students petition for law student to attend graduation after former Chancellor Guskiewicz banned student from campus

UNC Chapel Hill students are petitioning for a law student to be unbanned from campus to attend their graduation.

On Thursday, UNC Chapel Hill students, across undergraduate and graduate programs, will deliver a petition for Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts to allow Jamie Marsicano, a law student, to attend their graduation. The petition has more than 700 signatures, including a majority of the graduating law class of 2024.

Last year, former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz banned Jamie from campus after they were arrested by Georgia police while attending a music festival opposing Cop City – a highly controversial $109 million police training complex being built outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Local District Attorney Sherry Boston has since pulled out of the case stating, "I will only proceed on cases that I believe I can make beyond a reasonable doubt." 

Nevertheless, UNC administrators have stated that Jamie is still banned from campus, including their commencement ceremony.

This petition comes one year after students walked out of class, protesting the previous chancellor’s decision to ban Jamie, who is on track to graduate in May. Although Jamie is unable to take classes at UNC, they have been able to fulfill their graduation requirements by taking classes at Duke University School of Law instead.

Thursday at 12:30 p.m., students will rally and march from the Law School to South Building to deliver a petition to UNC’s interim chancellor.

UNC Law’s commencement ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday at 12:30 p.m. in Carmichael Arena.