University of California enacts ban on campus encampments, face masks
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The university president claims that the new policies are designed to ensure a "safe and inclusive environment" following widespread pro-Palestinian protests across the United States.
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UCLA workers, students, and supporters get lunch after a rally at Royce Quad in the University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA campus, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP)
The president of the University of California has announced new bans on encampments and face masks in response to the pro-Palestine protests that have swept across universities in the United States.
Michael V. Drake claimed that these measures are being implemented to “promote a safe and inclusive campus environment that supports open dialogue.”
“Freedom to express diverse viewpoints is fundamental to the mission of the University, and lawful protests play a pivotal role in that process,” Drake wrote. “While the vast majority of protests held on our campuses are peaceful and nonviolent, some of the activities we saw this past year were not.”
Why it matters
Pro-Palestine protests have spread across universities in the US, including demonstrations at various University of California campuses from San Diego and Santa Cruz to Davis.
Ahead of the new semester, Michael V. Drake clarified the policies regarding prohibitions on encampments, unauthorized structures, and the use of masks to conceal identities or avoid identification by university officials. He also instructed university leaders to enforce these rules strictly and consistently.
At UCLA, the Palestine Solidarity Coalition, which grew from the spring encampment and includes groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and UC Divest, has spent the summer conducting workshops called the People’s University for a Liberated Palestine. Marie Salem, a PhD student and media liaison for the coalition, noted that students are organizing to educate others about divestment.
Student protest efforts at UCLA may be hindered by ongoing legal and academic disciplinary issues facing over 200 students who were arrested when police dismantled the campus encampment in May.
Most of these arrests involved misdemeanor charges, which are managed by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
A spokesperson for the office said as quoted by The Guardian that five referrals have been received for these cases, with a one-year window for filing charges. Additionally, at least 55 of the arrested students have received letters from the university threatening to place holds on their academic records or withhold their degrees.
“These legal efforts of repression of specifically our movement set really dangerous precedents for the future,” Agnes, a recent UCLA graduate and member of Jewish Voice for Peace, who preferred only to use her first name, told The Guardian.
Members of UCLA’s Faculty for Justice in Palestine dedicated their summer to connecting students with legal assistance and supporting them during their initial court appearances, according to Graeme Blair, a UCLA political science professor and group member.
As the new academic year begins, they plan to closely scrutinize the university and UC system’s policies on encampments and campus policing.
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