Students Protest Tulsa Businessman's Donation To University Of Kentucky

More than two dozen University of Kentucky students protested Wednesday at two facilities built with donations from the coal industry, including from the CEO of a Tulsa-based company.

The protests ended when police asked the students to leave after they demonstrated inside the Joe Craft Center, which houses the athletics offices and basketball practice facility.

Students want UK athletics to drop coal sponsorships.

The Joe Craft Center was built with a $6 million gift from the Joe Craft III, the CEO of Alliance Resource Partners, which is headquartered in Tulsa.

Brian Cantrell, CFO with Alliance Partners, said Craft makes donations to UK and to other colleges like the University of Tulsa.  He says the donations should be praised because of the positive impact coal has on the economy.