New rules coming

From today's LA Times: Many University of California regents and campus leaders are signaling they will no longer tolerate encampments and intend to consistently enforce rules pertaining to protests as they brace for the possible escalation of campus turmoil over the Israel-Hamas war when students return to class in the fall. “I am confident that encampments won’t be tolerated,” Regent Rich Leib said in a recent interview before stepping down as board chair. “I’m confident the regents feel we need to enforce the rules.” ...

The UC’s actions will be under a microscope by state legislators. Lawmakers have directed Drake to develop a “systemwide framework” to provide consistent enforcement of rules — and are withholding $25 million in state funding until he delivers a report on his efforts by Oct. 1.

The UC must notify all students by the beginning of fall term about rules around free speech activities, student codes of conduct, nondiscrimination policies, campus processes to resolve alleged violations and potential consequences, among other requirements. The state report must also include UC efforts to consistently enforce policies and laws “that protect safety and access to educational opportunities and campus spaces and buildings.”

Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and co-chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, pushed for the condition and said “it underscores how seriously we take these issues.” Lawmakers expect the framework to show how UC will “prevent a repeat of last year’s violence and chaos,” he said. Drake’s office plans to consult with chancellors, regents, state and federal lawmakers, students, faculty, staff and others on “how UC campuses can carry out core operations while ensuring that free expression flourishes and everyone feels respected, valued, and safe.” ...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-07-15/uc-regents-say-no-to-encampments-and-codes-must-be-enforced.

It might be noted that UCLA seems already to have adopted an interim plan. In a brief filed arguing that a lawsuit against UCLA should be dismissed, the university argued:

"UCLA has applied the lessons learned from the spring’s protests to its ongoing preparations for students’ return to campus this fall. It has created a new Office of Campus Safety, which maintains an Emergency Operations Center that is empowered to take decisive action in response to protests. Since May, UCLA has already successfully prevented three efforts to occupy parts of campus." ...

"UCLA’s day-to-day responsibility for campus safety incident response has shifted to an Emergency Operations Center that is empowered to make critical decisions about responding to protests on campus, including those that violate UCLA policy (i.e., by engaging in violence or obstructing access to campus resources). ...Consistent with University of California (“UC”) guidance reflected in what is known as the Robinson-Edley Report, UCLA does not tolerate non-peaceful protest activity and encampments... UCLA has since called law enforcement immediately to respond to protest activity on at least three occasions when UCLA determined that protestors were willfully disrupting campus operations..."

Full brief at https://ia800402.us.archive.org/9/items/2-final-hjaa-report.-the-soil-beneath-the-encampments/UCLA-response%20to%20antisemitism%20suit%207-8-2024.pdf.