Student-Worker Strike Repercussions - Part 15

From the LA Times: UC San Diego graduate students are facing disciplinary hearings and possible expulsion after interrupting an alumni awards ceremony to accuse university administrators of failing to live up to the requirements of a union contract brokered in 2022.

According to statements by United Auto Workers 2865, which represents more than 36,000 University of California student researchers, teaching assistants, tutors and readers statewide, a total of 67 students are facing academic discipline after staging a demonstration on May 5.

As a livestreamed video on Twitter shows, students streamed onto the stage during an alumni awards ceremony held outdoors at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego to protest what they say is the university’s failure to abide by a contract that specifies significant wage increases for workers who staged a five-week strike in late 2022, shutting down classes and delaying grading at University of California campuses statewide...Students say they are especially concerned about allegations of assault, indicating that, if sustained, such accusations could result in expulsion...

The letter that student protesters received does not specifically list expulsion as the main goal of the disciplinary process. The university’s Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations and Students, which is cited in student letters, lists a range of potential punishments for those found to have violated school conduct rules ranging from warning and censure to suspension and dismissal. An appeal process also allows students to challenge violation decisions.

A statement sent by email from the university indicates that students will have multiple opportunities “to tell their side of the story” during disciplinary hearings: “If at any time it is determined that there is not reasonable cause to believe that a violation of the Standards of Conduct may have occurred, the student involved is promptly informed that no further action will be taken.”

As to the decision to protest, the university said: “If unions or individual union members believe that the university is not in compliance with its contractual commitments, collective bargaining agreements establish orderly processes to file grievances and have them adjudicated. Calculated disruption of official university business is never appropriate.” ...

Though the university has so far declined to discuss the details of specific charges citing laws that protect student privacy, the narrative included in the incident report states that protesters “bumped” UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla when taking the stage. Students, according to the university account, “took the microphone away” from the chancellor and he “stumbled but did not fall off the stage.” It is difficult to verify these specific details in the recorded livestream of the event posted to social media. The video is grainy and difficult to make out in several spots... 

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-06-22/59-ucsd-grad-students-face-possible-expulsion-after-may-5-protest.

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*https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1BRKjZXZddjKw. Note: The poor-quality video runs 37 minutes. The beginning, when the alleged incident involving the chancellor occurred, can be seen below:

Or direct to https://ia902601.us.archive.org/8/items/academic-and-student-affairs-committee-5-17-23-pm/UAW%20Academic%20Workers%20UCSD%205-5-2023.mp4.

As can be seen, the video does not clarify whether or not there was physical contact.