UT Chancellor plans for in-person meeting with students after protest over lecturer accused of racism Students held a peaceful rally in Andy Holt Tower's lobby after an instructor was told to evaluate her teaching methods after writing a racist acronym during class. Author: WBIR Staff Updated: 5:34 PM EST March 5, 2021 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Students gathered with signs and chants in the lobby of Andy Holt Tower on Friday after a University of Tennessee lecturer wrote a racist acronym during class in February and was told to evaluate her teaching methods. Some students and student groups have continued to demand that Melissa Hargrove, a veteran instructor on race and anthropology, be fired after students reported she used an acronym coined by late hip hop artist Tupac Shakur that is also a racial slur.