Two weeks after a rally around a Confederate monument near the University of Virginia campus turned to deadly violence, administrators at the University of Tennessee are bracing for a planned demonstration by white supremacists at a Fort Sanders monument near campus.

"There are things happening in our country and across college campuses," Chancellor Beverly Davenport said in a video message to students Thursday. "You probably know that there is something happening right here in the city of Knoxville. There is a demonstration planned not far from our campus. I want you to be engaged and have a voice; I want you to express your voice but I also want you to respect others."

In the video, Davenport reminds new students that they will encounter new and different ideas on campus and asks them to be tolerant and respectful.

"We at the University of Tennessee believe hatred and violence is not part of the solution. Racism and bigotry and prejudice is not part of the Volunteer spirit," she said, adding that the university will be working closely with Knoxville police and the city to monitor events and ensure the safety of students on Saturday.

University leaders around the country have issued similar statements condemning racism and violence in the aftermath of the Charlottesville event on Aug. 12.

“Precisely because public universities are and always must remain committed to free speech, hate groups have aimed to turn campuses into flash points," said Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in a statement issued Aug. 15. "What’s more, public universities have a large number of students who may well protest hate speech."

UT prepares to work with KPD

UT's Division of Student Life on Friday sent a statement to all faculty, staff and students to ensure awareness about the rally and counter protest planned for Saturday.

"While the demonstration is not on university property, members of the campus community may be in the area and should stay aware of their surroundings and their personal safety," Vice Chancellor for Student Life Vincent Carilli and Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick said in the statement.

The statement describes steps the Knoxville Police Department and the city will be taking, including traffic closures and a mandate that guns, other weapons and masks will not be allowed into established demonstration zones.

The UT Police Department will be following the lead of KPD and will be on hand if additional police resources are needed, said UT PD Public Information Officer Jillian Paciello.

Paciello said the department is aware of the rally being planned but is not going through additional training or preparation outside of what they would normally do.

"We don't have any expectations at this point," Paciello said. "You never really know what could happen. Our officers are trained for any event that could possibly happen. We're also trained and aware of peaceful protests. We've had peaceful protests on our campus before and we're hoping for this to be a peaceful protest."

Free speech, safety are long-term issues for universities

In the last year the issue of free speech on campus has exploded across the country as some colleges and universities have grappled with whether to allow so called "alt-right" speakers on campus.

Since the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, five universities across the nation have denied or canceled on-campus events involving white nationalist Richard Spencer, according to USA TODAY.

Davenport, in an interview Friday, said that while UT has not been approached, the university considers the safety of its students in evaluating which speakers to allow on campus.

There is also a campus policy that states that speakers must be invited by a student group and a request must be made with details about the event including the anticipated number of people and security plans, Davenport said.

"The first amendment protects speech of all types," she said. "But just because hate speech is protected doesn't mean it's right. Hatred and violence are not part of the solution to these big challenges our country faces."