“The University of Florida is not a daycare,” declared Steve Orlando, a spokesman for the flagship institution of the state’s public university system—consistently rated the country’s best—in an official statement released Monday evening. “We do not treat protesters like children,” he continued, “they knew the rules, they broke the rules, and they will face the consequences.”

Late last week, UF’s student office issued a simple one-page directive advising pro-Hamas protesters that while their First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly will be respected, disrupting university operations will not be tolerated, and instead, will be subject to swift disciplinary action. Offenders who block access to campus, occupy public spaces, violate Florida trespassing and public nuisance laws, or commit harassment or assault can expect to be arrested, barred from campus for three years, and—if they are enrolled students—suspended for the duration of that time. Faculty and staff members who violate the rules can likewise be banned from campus and “separated from employment.”

This falls somewhat short of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s earlier public call for disruptive student protesters to be expelled and, if they are foreign citizens present on student visas, deported. But the point was clear.

When protesters tested UF’s resolve on Monday, law enforcement moved in after giving final warnings. The campus police and Florida Highway Patrol officers arrested nine people on charges including failure to obey a lawful command, resisting arrest without violence, and, in one case, battery. Their names and mugshots were released to the media.