Tension was high on Wednesday afternoon as a group of students conducted a sit-in outside of U president David Pershing’s office.

Students advocating for campus diversity arrived at the Park Building to conduct a peaceful protest regarding the rumored forced resignation of Octavio Villalpando, the U’s associate vice president of equity and diversity. Students presented claims that Pershing’s cabinet forced Villalpando to resign, saying they had heard the fact from Ruth Watkins, senior vice president of academic affairs, and Edward Buendía, a professor of ethnic studies, during a meeting on Monday morning.

The students initial plan to organize a meeting with Pershing turned into an abrupt, improvised assembly outside of his office when he came out to address the crowd directly.

“Octavio is on sabbatical in Mexico and he is coming back into this office to take his job back just as we’ve all planned,” Pershing said. “He was never asked to resign. Octavio is a tenured professor, [his wife] Dolores is an amazing tenured professor and the president can’t ask tenured professors to leave.”

After Pershing addressed Villapando’s job standing, students queried further about Pershing’s cabinet, saying that the lack of openness in a situation like this makes them, as diverse students, feel unsafe.

“We want to know, what else do we not know about?” said Cindy Huynh, a doctoral candidate in education, culture and society. “What else isn’t transparent about the university? That’s what’s troubling for many of these students and that’s why we’re here today.”

Pershing also fell under fire for what some students considered to be a racist statement.

“Some of you, I know, may be undocumented students,” Pershing said.

Huynh was upset by his comments.

“We’re all students of color,” Huynh said. “[He made] the assumption that students of color are the only ones that are undocumented.”

Cindy Fierros, a doctoral candidate in education, culture and society, said that this is only the beginning of the problems that ethnic students at the U face.

“On paper, this looks very lovely and the idea of diversity is wonderful,” she said. “But in action there are a lot of students here who feel like the university is falling short of what needs to be done.”

Pershing asked that students continue to remain calm and ensured that he would make time for a more formal meeting to take place with the groups.

“I decided to come out here personally to say that we want you to be here,” he said. “We want you to feel good and we want you to feel safe here at the University of Utah.”

After Pershing’s departure, students remained unsatisfied with his treatment of the situation. Representatives from the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/Chicano de Aztlan and the Asian American Student Association claimed that Pershing’s promises of a more professional meeting were already being let down — they were told that his scheduler wasn’t available. Huynh didn’t gain any peace of mind from Pershing’s speech.

“I think that [what Pershing did] was definitely the easy way out. I think that he was trying to save face and that he was trying to save face on his current cabinet.”

Pershing issued a statement late on Wednesday night that read: “Dr. Villalpando and his wife, Dr. Delgado Bernal, are on sabbatical. The plan was and remains for them to return on January 1st. Let me be clear on this point: Diversity is very important at the University of Utah. I have made significant investments in diversity and continue to; I want nothing more than to see diversity flourish on this campus. The programs and important work that go on in Equity and Diversity will continue. I am sorry for the breakdown in communications that has produced so many rumors and caused all of you so much worry. I wish you all the best of luck as you finish up your classes and study for finals.”

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