At last, a message has come - too late

Late delivery

It's been several days overdue, but a message from the chancellor has arrived. Unfortunately, it came too late and without adequate police presence:

Chancellor Block shared the following message with the Bruin community.

Dear Bruin Community:

This past Thursday, a group of demonstrators — both members of the UCLA community and others unaffiliated with our campus — established an unauthorized physical encampment on part of Royce Quad, joining those who have set up similar presences at universities around the country. 

Many of the demonstrators, as well as counter-demonstrators who have come to the area, have been peaceful in their activism. But the tactics of others have frankly been shocking and shameful. We have seen instances of violence completely at odds with our values as an institution dedicated to respect and mutual understanding. In other cases, students on their way to class have been physically blocked from accessing parts of the campus.

UCLA supports peaceful protest, but not activism that harms our ability to carry out our academic mission and makes people in our community feel bullied, threatened and afraid. These incidents have put many on our campus, especially our Jewish students, in a state of anxiety and fear.

In response, we have taken several immediate actions. We have significantly increased our security presence in the area, including adding greater numbers of law enforcement officers, safety personnel and student affairs mitigators. We have also engaged law enforcement to investigate the recent acts of violence. 

The barriers that demonstrators used to block access to buildings have been removed, and we have staff located around Royce Quad to help ensure that they will not go up again. With regard to these incidents, our student conduct process has been initiated, and could lead to disciplinary action including suspension or expulsion. 

We continue to encourage anyone who experiences discrimination to report it to our Civil Rights Office. If you feel you are in danger, contact UCPD.

I recognize that the suffering in the Middle East has had a profound impact on our campus, and we continue to hope for a peaceful resolution. While Bruins hold a variety of perspectives on this conflict, we must all protect the wellbeing of our peers and maintain an environment safe for learning. This is a commitment I call on our community to uphold as we navigate the weeks ahead.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block, Chancellor

Source: https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/affirming-our-values-in-a-challenging-time/.

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And there is this from yesterday:

BruinALERT: Access to Royce Hall is now closed through Friday. Alternate locations are being identified as options for classes taking place in Royce. Instructors will inform students about further information regarding class location. Faculty should reach out to their departments for possible classroom reassignments.

Powell Library will close at 5 p.m. today, Tuesday, and reopen on Monday. Other library spaces across campus remain open at their regular hours. Alternative study spaces are available via UCLA Library.

Non-academic staff who usually work in these buildings should plan to work remotely.

Student affairs representatives, along with signage, are stationed near Royce Quad to let Bruins and visitors know about the encampment and closed buildings, redirect them if desired and serve as a resource for their needs. We have also enhanced security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site, including our uniformed Student Affairs Mitigators (SAMs), Public Safety Aides (PSAs), CSC and law enforcement officers.