Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway tied yellow ribbons on two trees Wednesday outside Strong Hall to show support for U.S. military troops.

But Hemenway insisted he wasn’t backing off from an e-mail he sent to students, faculty and staff March 20 that said the university had no official position on the war. That e-mail drew criticism from several lawmakers in Topeka who said KU should be supportive of troops.

“A university is a place where there are many opinions being voiced all the time, even on military strategies,” Hemenway said Wednesday. “None of that should detract from the fact we support people who are on duty in the service.”

During a brief ceremony Wednesday afternoon, Hemenway and other KU officials pledged their support for U.S. troops.

“Today, we gather together to make visible our feelings of support for all U.S. servicemen and women,” Hemenway said. “But we hold especially close to our hearts those students, staff and alumni who would rather be spending this beautiful spring day on Jayhawk Boulevard, gearing up for finals or preparing for the Final Four.”

At least 27 KU students have been called to active military duty this semester.

The event included a speech by Byron Loudon, a KU alumnus from Overland Park whose son, 1997 KU graduate Brad Loudon, is serving in Iraq as a captain in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division.

Several legislators, including House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, criticized the March 20 memo to the campus community, in which Hemenway wrote: “I would remind everyone that the university has no official ‘position’ regarding the present conflict. KU shall remain a place of academic freedom for those who hold a wide range of views.”

Janet Murguia, executive vice chancellor for university relations, said Wednesday’s event wasn’t in response to the legislators’ criticism. She said the yellow ribbon event had been in the works since mid-March. However, a media advisory about the event wasn’t issued until Wednesday morning.

Before a yellow-ribbon ceremony honoring U.S. servicemen and women abroad, Kansas University Chancellor Robert Hemenway, left, greets Navy ROTC Cmdr. Jeff Richards. Also pictured are Army Lt. Col. Brian DeToy, second from left, and Navy Capt. James Cooper. The ceremony included remarks Wednesday by Byron Loudon, a KU alumnus and parent of KU graduate Capt. Brad Loudon, who is serving in Iraq.

Mays said Wednesday he was glad KU had the event.

“I was extremely pleased at the chancellor and KU showing support for our troops,” Mays said. “We think it’s the appropriate thing to do, and I think this will be accepted very well in the Legislature.”

Nate Rhoads, a KU senior from Brunswick, Maine, also said the show of support was the right thing for KU to do.

Rhoads, who is an Air Force ROTC cadet, was among the approximately 100 people who attended the ribbon-tying event. He said he had several friends from high school who were serving in Iraq.

“Even if you’re against the war, I can’t see any reason not to support our troops,” Rhoads said.

Other KU students disagreed. Amanda Flott, a junior from Omaha, Neb., and co-coordinator of Students for Peace, said she had been advocating for Hemenway to make a statement opposing the war, since extra military funding could mean cuts to education.

“He wants to support the troops,” she said. “What better way to support the troops than to bring them home?”

Flott said she thought the KU administration had staged the event to please politicians.

“It’s a PR move,” she said. “He’s getting a lot of pressure from the Legislature.”