The University of California administration has instructed its 10 chancellors to enforce measures banning tent camps, wearing masks to conceal identity and restricting movement in order to balance the right to free speech and maintain school operations, UC President Michael V. Drake said Monday.
The announcement follows a Spring wave of protests about the war between Israel and Hamas, which Reactions and enforcement of the system. Drake sent a letter to the university community on Monday as students return to campus for the new academic year.
The letter affirmed the UC community’s right to protest and noted that the Free Speech Movement has its roots at the University of California. Drake said the “vast majority of protests” on UC campuses have been peaceful, but some have turned violent.
Drake said his office and campus leadership spent the summer reflecting on “the events of the past year” and sought to clarify and strengthen policies and procedures, including bans on camping or encampments, unauthorized construction, restrictions on movement, wearing masks to conceal identity and refusing to reveal one’s identity when asked by university staff.
The goal, Drake said, is for community members to feel supported in their free expression and in pursuing their studies, research, patient care and other responsibilities on campus.
“We also want members of our community to understand what is expected of them. This includes a clear understanding of the policies, guidelines and laws that govern our conduct on campus,” Drake wrote.
Protests in Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip flooded university campuses in the United States in the spring to test the different reactions of the campuses.
Demonstrations at UCLA attracted national attention when protests by pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups on campus turned violent on April 30. The Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol responded, clearing tents and arresting more than 200 people.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the University of California incurred $29 million in costs as a result of the protests, most of which was used to pay law enforcement.
UCLA led the way in costs across all 10 campuses, spending $10 million on security and safety and $400,000 on building repairs, graffiti removal and other cleanup related to the protests, the Times said.
