The African American Cultural Center, the point of origin for the the recent student-led marches to ban the purple and gold Confederate flag, will be locked Saturday.
University officials said they are locking the building because of concerns about safety and to give AACC and the Office of Multicultural Affairs employees a chance to enjoy Homecoming festivities.
Leaders of the Student Equity Commission, the group organizing the on-campus protests, said they are upset about the building being locked, and are saying this is a direct attempt to prevent them from protesting again Saturday.
The Equity Commission led protests before the last two home football games.
Katrice Albert, vice provost for equity and diversity, told The Daily Reveille in an e-mail the primary reason for closing the AACC is to give employees a chance to enjoy Homecoming.
“Personnel working in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and African American Cultural Center have worked tirelessly, without a day off, since Monday, October 17th. It is reasonable these personnel need a day off, particularly to enjoy the LSU Homecoming festivities with their families,” Albert said.
Albert said that all local law enforcement agencies “have been extremely gracious and accommodating with two unscheduled rallies and marches to the stadium.”
Albert said safety is a concern because police agencies will be spread thin due to homecoming.
Collins Phillips, leader of the Student Equity Commission, told about 200 students assembled Wednesday afternoon in the quad he thinks this is a direct attempt to prevent the students from marching again.
“We are going on the AACC grass on Saturday and we’re going to tailgate and we’re going to form up and we’re going to march,” Phillips told the group.
Phillips told students to meet at 12 p.m. on Saturday at the Union where he said they will link arms and march to the AACC.
Albert said in the e-mail “there is no scheduled tailgate party being held at the AACC,” but students are free to tailgate anywhere on campus they wish.
Phillips said the group could not be deterred from their efforts and he thinks they are close to getting the flag banned.
Phillips said there are outside groups, such as other NAACP chapters, that will join them in the upcoming weeks and students will not give up.
 
Contact Ginger Gibson at [email protected]