KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee worked to make sure their students and faculty felt as safe as possible on campus Tuesday.
This happened as a white nationalist speaker held an event on campus that was not sponsored by the school.
"A lot of students, this is their first time away from home, their first time really having to figure out how to do these things," said Stephaine Schell, a grad student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. "So why not provide a resource in order to train them in order to be there?"
This isn't the first time an infamous speaker has rented out space at UT for their own event.
It also happened on a Saturday in February of 2018.
A white nationalist speaker came to campus, and hundreds protested.
This time around, people said they felt the university took safety more seriously.
But UT said that's not the case -- they say safety was just as much a priority a year ago.
For both events, UTPD was engaged in a security plan, buildings were closed, faculty and staff were allowed to leave early, and counselors, like Schell, were available If students needed someone to talk to.
"Our world is evil and corrupted and always will be, but if we can provide a semblance or a portion of something that's safe and comfortable for people then they can continue on and be productive in their lives," said Schell.
The university said there's nothing they could have done to stop the event from happening Tuesday.
After being asked by many people why, they explained on Twitter:
"UT's building use policy allows non-UT affiliated people/orgs to rent space on campus. Under state and federal law, UT cannot deny someone rental space on campus based on their viewpoint."
The university also said in a statement to WBIR:
"Hate and bigotry have no place on campus. We are sorry this event is taking place but it will not deter us in our pursuit to have a campus free of hate, prejudice, and bigotry."
That pursuit continues as the university works to add diversity training and classes to their curriculum for both students and staff.