and Rutgers union members weren't the only ones rallying today students at Seton Hall University walked out in protest at the school's South Orange Campus calling out what they say has been a lack of support for the school's Africana studies program claiming it's under attack after the program's only full-time professor and program director left the university last year and hasn't been replaced senior political correspondent David Cruz reports under the watchful eye of campus security and under what some here said is a highly restrictive on-campus demonstration policy a group of student activists part of the protect afam movement nonetheless did their best to be heard they were calling for some support from the administration for an Africana studies program they say has been stripped of its relevance no director we have no Advantage we have no full-time professors don't get it shut it down all right we have a condo studies program does not have any advantages because we don't have any full-time faculty no advisors our classes are being held by adjunct professors or part-time professors the program was ahead of its time when it was founded in 1970 but has over the decades been shifted to back burner status says Ingrid Hill she's with the people's Organization for Progress which served as advisors to the student demonstrators she's a former student and 30-year employee of the University they talk about it they come in programs but it never really into it's never really fully integrated into overall mission of the University another complaint from students was what they called heavy-handed policies that they say are meant to intimidate students and discourage the very discourse universities are supposed to protect like making one student responsible for the safety of everyone at the event they organize what's the ultimate impact of those kind of rules the ultimate impact is that you can be expelled Seton Hall welcomes our students to express concerns and is committed to academic freedom civil discourse and our Catholic Mission said the university in a statement today we have a number of policies in place that enable students to exercise their right to speak out while also ensuring the safety of our entire Campus Community and the ability to maintain University operations that policy includes evidently arbitrary decisions on when press can cover events on campus the policy is that today we will not be having pressed on the campus so so you're saying today today is is the day when you're enforcing that policy I'm sorry you said I asked you what the policy was and you said today is so so what I said was that today we are not allowing press on campus at that point security escorted us off campus but the students continued their demonstration including a planned confrontation with Phil Murphy who was touring a campus Building nearby and I'm going to have my team follow up with with her is that okay yes absolutely that work and an occupation of presidents Hall where they heard from veteran civil rights activist Larry Hamm so have courage you're carrying on in the tradition of those who've been fighting for justice since this country was founded it was an act of defiance punishable by what the university called disciplinary action in a letter that ordered the students to vacate the building a spokesperson for the student said they would not leave the building until all of their demands were met what started as a modest student demonstration may just have turned into a battle of wills I'm David Cruz NJ Spotlight news [Music]