Chancellor's Statement Lacks Key Element: Apology

Reproduced below is the chancellor's latest statement on the events that led to the clearing of the encampment by police. Unexplained is the lack of effective police presence during the entire episode that lasted over a week, not just the violent episode around midnight on April 30-May 1. As blog readers will know, prior to that announcement, various violations of law and university regulations had occurred. Anyone, including non-UCLA people, had ample evidence from days of social media and conventional TV news that rules were being broken without consequences. That this episode would not end happily was evident as we pointed out in our earlier post, "Chaos invites chaos."* 

Chancellor Block can now look forward to explaining what happened to a hostile congressional committee. Rather than provide the kind of statement which we reproduce below in his testimony, he might consider making an apology. "I should have allowed lawful protest while also enforcing basic rules. I failed to do that. I'm sorry."

May 2, 2024

Chancellor Block shared the following message with the Bruin community.

Dear Bruin Community:

 Our community is in deep pain. We are reeling from days of violence and division. And we hope with all our hearts that we can return to a place where our students, faculty and staff feel safe and, one day, connected again.

Our approach to the encampment that was established on Royce Quad last week has been guided by several equally important principles: the need to support the safety and wellbeing of Bruins, the need to support the free expression rights of our community, and the need to minimize disruption to our teaching and learning mission. 

The events of the past several days, and especially the terrifying attack on our students, faculty and staff on Tuesday night, have challenged our efforts to live up to these principles and taken an immense toll on our community.

We approached the encampment with the goal of maximizing our community members’ ability to make their voices heard on an urgent global issue. We had allowed it to remain in place so long as it did not jeopardize Bruins’ safety or harm our ability to carry out our mission.

But while many of the protesters at the encampment remained peaceful, ultimately, the site became a focal point for serious violence as well as a huge disruption to our campus.

Several days of violent clashes between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators put too many Bruins in harm’s way and created an environment that was completely unsafe for learning. Demonstrators directly interfered with instruction by blocking students’ pathways to classrooms. Indirectly, violence related to the encampment led to the closure of academic buildings and the cancellation of classes. And frankly, hostilities were only continuing to escalate.

In the end, the encampment on Royce Quad was both unlawful and a breach of policy. It led to unsafe conditions on our campus and it damaged our ability to carry out our mission. It needed to come to an end.

Over the past several days, we communicated with and made a formal request to meet with demonstration leaders to discuss options for a peaceful and voluntary disbanding of the encampment. Unfortunately, that meeting did not lead to an agreement.

To preserve campus safety and the continuity of our mission, early this morning, we made the decision to direct UCPD and outside law enforcement officers to enter and clear the encampment. Officers followed a plan that had been carefully developed to protect the safety of protesters at the site. Those who remained encamped last night were given several warnings and were offered the opportunity to leave peacefully with their belongings before officers entered the area. Ultimately, about 300 protesters voluntarily left, while more than 200 resisted orders to disperse and were arrested.

UCLA facilities teams are now in the process of taking down structures and cleaning up the quad, and we ask that students, staff and faculty continue to avoid the area.

I want to be clear that we fully support the right of our community members to protest peacefully, and there are longstanding and robust processes in place that allow students, faculty and staff to gather and demonstrate in ways that do not violate the law or our policies. I urge Bruins to take advantage of these many opportunities, which were designed to support advocacy that does not jeopardize community safety or disrupt the functioning of the university. 

I also want to recognize the significance of the issues behind the demonstrators’ advocacy. The loss of life in Gaza has been truly devastating, and my administration has and will continue to connect with student and faculty leaders advocating for Palestinian rights to engage in discussions that are grounded in listening, learning and mutual respect. Similarly, we will continue to support our Jewish students and employees who are reeling from the trauma of the brutal Oct. 7 attacks and a painful spike in antisemitism worldwide.

We will also continue to investigate the violent incidents of the past several days, especially Tuesday night’s horrific attack by a mob of instigators. When physical violence broke out that night, leadership immediately directed our UCPD police chief to call for the support of outside law enforcement, medical teams and the fire department to help us quell the violence. We are carefully examining our security processes that night and I am grateful to President Drake for also calling for an investigation.

The past week has been among the most painful periods our UCLA community has ever experienced. It has fractured our sense of togetherness and frayed our bonds of trust, and will surely leave a scar on the campus. While Counseling & Psychological Services and Staff & Faculty Counseling Center are available to lend support to those in need, I also hope we can support one another through this difficult moment and reaffirm the ties that unite us as a community of learning. 

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block, Chancellor

Source: https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/our-community-is-in-deep-pain/.

===

*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2024/05/chaos-invites-chaos.html. 

The FAFSA Drama Continues - Part 12

From Inside Higher Ed: The Department of Education has implemented a temporary fix to the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that will allow students with parents or guardians who lack a social security number to complete the form, undersecretary of education James Kvaal told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday.

After months of frustration over persistent technical glitches, the fix will allow mixed-status families to bypass the identity verification system that had been causing problems, enabling them to enter their tax information manually instead of having the system retrieve it from the IRS. The applicants will still have to complete the verification process, but will no longer have to wait until it’s done to make a studentaid.gov account and access the online form...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/05/01/temporary-fix-lets-mixed-status-families-complete-fafsa.

6 AM: It appears the encampment area is clear...

The decision process at Murphy Hall that started last Thursday is not so clear. UC President Drake has called for some kind of investigation. 

The Regents are meeting behind closed doors tomorrow, perhaps to create such an investigation.* Yesterday, the chancellor send the message below out:

Chancellor Block shared the following message with the Bruin community.

Dear Bruin Community:

Late last night, a group of instigators came to Royce Quad to forcefully attack the encampment that has been established there to advocate for Palestinian rights. Physical violence ensued, and our campus requested support from external law enforcement agencies to help end this appalling assault, quell the fighting and protect our community.

However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable. It has shaken our campus to its core and — adding to other abhorrent incidents that we have witnessed and that have circulated on social media over the past several days — further damaged our community’s sense of security.

I want to express my sincere sympathy to those who were injured last night, and to all those who have been harmed or have feared for their safety in recent days. No one at this university should have to encounter such violence. Our student affairs team has been reaching out to affected individuals and groups to offer support and connections to health and mental health resources.

I also want to acknowledge the trauma and heartache this has brought to our full campus. Resources are available to students through the Student Affairs websiteand Counseling & Psychological Services, and to employees through the Staff & Faculty Counseling Center.

We are still gathering information about the attack on the encampment last night, and I can assure you that we will conduct a thorough investigation that may lead to arrests, expulsions and dismissals. We are also carefully examining our own security processes in light of recent events. To help in these efforts, I urge those who have encountered violence to report what they experienced to UCPD, and those who have faced discrimination to contact the Civil Rights Office. We are grateful for the support of law enforcement and their efforts to investigate these incidents.

This is a dark chapter in our campus’s history. We will restore a safe learning environment at UCLA.

Sincerely,

Gene D. Block

Chancellor

Source: https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/condemning-violence-in-our-community/.

===

There is an evolving timeline at the Daily Bruin:

https://dailybruin.com/2024/05/02/lapd-breaches-palestine-solidarity-encampment-at-ucla-in-dispersal-attempt.

News reports indicate a crowd has formed protesting the arresting process. Live TV coverage is available on Spectrum Channel 1. There appears to be relative calm as protesters are loaded on to buses by police.

====

*Yesterday, Regent Chair Leib made the statement below:

The violence at UCLA yesterday was despicable and unacceptable. The Regents of the University of California will not tolerate violations of the law or University policy on our campuses, including unlawful encampments, hate speech, and other forms of protest not protected by the First Amendment. While we understand the passions surrounding Israel and Gaza, no cause is free from the consequences of conduct on our campuses.

When students are blocked from public walkways, not allowed entry into campus buildings, and are impeded from accessing educational facilities, it is the responsibility of the campus to prevent these clear violations. The actions that have occurred recently have clearly created an unsafe environment. Protests that interfere with University operations or threaten the safety of students require immediate enforcement of University policies so that violent situations are prevented. It is our priority to ensure the safety of all students and allow equal access to education.

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/statement-board-regents-chair-richard-leib-0.

The times, they are a'changing - Part 2

We have previously blogged about the gradual conversion of college sports to a more professional model.* Here is yet another sign of the times from CBS Sports:

The SEC and Big Ten are at the center of developing a revenue sharing plan with players that would redefine college athletics for the future, CBS Sports has learned. The still unrefined proposal -- currently utilizing the name "Modern Model" -- would not only share revenue with players but also perhaps help settle the House v. NCAA lawsuit that goes to trial in January 2025. The antitrust lawsuit is a class-action complaint alleging the NCAA and power conferences have conspired to suppress athletes' compensation.

The lawsuit continues to be the top hurdle for programs in planning college athletics' future. Settlement money alone could cost universities between $15 million and $20 million. Athletic directors have been frustrated trying to figure out how to rearrange their budgets or otherwise account for a payment of that size.

ESPN reported Monday night that the Power Four conferences are in "deep discussions" regarding a revenue sharing plan. It is not clear where that revenue would come from or how it would be distributed.

Sources told CBS Sports the revenue-sharing idea emerged from ongoing talks between Power Four administrators. In February, the SEC and Big Ten announced a joint advisory group to address the future of college athletics...

Full story at https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-big-ten-developing-plan-to-share-revenue-with-players-in-potential-landmark-change-to-college-athletics/.

Note that UCLA is joining the Big Ten.

===

*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-times-they-are-achanging.html.

Another emergency Regents meeting on Friday - Update

There are now more teleconference locations listed (so more participants):

3333 North Torrey Pines Ct, La Jolla, CA

433 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA [UCLA's new office building downtown]

12011 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 

550 S Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 

1680 East 120th Street, Los Angeles, CA

4751 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 

433 Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 

3200 Sawtelle Boulevard, Los Angeles 

4129 Cheadle Hall, Santa Barbara, CA

465 California Street, San Francisco, CA

335 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 

288 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park, CA 

1111 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA

400 Q Street, Sacramento, CA

1130 K Street, Sacramento, CA 

5200 Lake Road, Merced, CA

5025 Thacher Road Ojai, California, 93023

6374 Coral del Rico, Nayarit, Mexico

Source: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/agendas/may32024.html.

This meeting appears to have more participants than the emergency meeting on Wednesday. There is no real agenda provided. Possibly, one topic could be establishing a commission to study what went wrong at UCLA which UC President Drake said he favors.

And the Regents may reflect on this item:

Absent a Plan, We Need an Interim Administration

Yesterday, before the violence, UC President Drake issued the statement below:

April 30, 2024

A statement from UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., on free speech and campus protests:

The University has a long and proud history of supporting freedom of speech and First Amendment rights. We readily accept our obligation to protect the rights of our students, faculty, staff and visitors to our campuses. The right to protest and demonstrate against policies and practices of governing authorities is among the most important privileges of a democracy. This right is not, however, absolute. We must exercise our rights within the broad confines of the laws and policies we ourselves have established.

Earlier today, the UCLA campus sent out a message for those in the UCLA encampment informing them that the encampment is unlawful and violates university policy.

I fully support the campus in taking this step. The University of California must be as flexible as it can involving matters of free expression, including expression of viewpoints that some find deeply offensive. But when that expression blocks the ability of students to learn or to express their own viewpoints, when it meaningfully disrupts the functioning of the University, or when it threatens the safety of students, or anyone else, we must act.

There are countless ways to protest lawfully, and the University of California campuses will work with students, faculty and staff to make space available and do all we can to protect these protests and demonstrations. But disruptive unlawful protests that violate the rights of our fellow citizens are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.

Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/statement-uc-president-michael-v-drake-md-free-speech-and-campus-protests.

===

If the current administration cannot "act," the next line of authority is the UC president and the Regents.

TV Video confirms no police for an extended period

Reporter: "Where is authority?"

The latest BruinAlert:

Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad late last night and early this morning, all classes are cancelled today.

The hospital and health system, the Luskin Conference Center, and PreK-12 schools remain open. Please avoid the Royce Quad area.

Royce Hall remains closed through Friday, and students should watch for notifications from their instructors with information about class locations when classes resume. Powell Library is also closed and is scheduled to reopen on Monday. We have law enforcement presence stationed throughout campus to help promote safety. Student Affairs will have essential staff on campus to support our students who have been impacted by this tragedy.

For more information about emergencies at UCLA, please visit https://bso.ucla.edu/.

Excerpt from the LA Times:

...A group of security guards could be seen observing the clashes but did not move in to stop them. One representative of the camp said the counterdemonstrators repeatedly pushed over the barricades that outline the boundaries of the encampment, and some campers said they were hit by a substance they thought was pepper spray.

Some people in the camp were being treated for eye irritation and other wounds. The extent of the injuries was unclear, though The Times saw several people who were bleeding and needed medical attention. UCLA officials decried the violence and said they had requested help from the Los Angeles Police Department.

“Horrific acts of violence occurred at the encampment tonight and we immediately called law enforcement for mutual aid support. The fire department and medical personnel are on the scene. We are sickened by this senseless violence and it must end,” Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications, said in a statement.

At around 1:40 a.m., police officers in riot gear arrived, and some counterprotesters began to leave. But the police did not immediately break up the clashes at the camp, which continued despite the law enforcement presence...

Source: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-30/ucla-moves-to-shut-down-pro-palestinian-encampment-as-unlawful.