Say No to UCR Protest Guidelines

Timothy White sent letter to UCR faculty and students Dec 14. 2011 | Comments (5)

On Dec 13 UCR Chancellor Tim White sent a letter to students and faculty, announcing his plan to form a task force to review the Protest Guidelines. According to White, the task force will be formed by invitation and will comprise faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, the Academic Senate, the UCR Faculty Association, Staff Assembly, the Offices of Students Affairs, Campus Police, and Strategic Communications, a college dean, the EVC/Provost, and the Associate Chancellor.

Tim White will chair the task force.

In his letter White does not mention this petition, but refers to 'questions and concerns that have been expressed'.

White's letter:

MEMBERS OF THE UCR COMMUNITY:

In response to the questions and concerns that have been expressed, I am seeking broad consultation to review and revise the recently posted guidelines for protests and assemblies at the University of California, Riverside.  The review will be conducted by a task force consisting of students, faculty, and staff, who in turn will be asked to consult widely before making their recommendations. 

Our goal is to be certain that we fully support the right to free speech and peaceful assembly on campus.  At the same time, we have a responsibility to maintain the rights of our students, faculty and staff to participate in our core teaching and learning activities, research and creative endeavors, as well as business functions of the campus, such as food service, financial aid, business operations, etc.

It is important to have our policies, procedures and guidelines comport with UC policy and applicable state and federal laws, and to be informed by best practice.  In regard to the latter, I consider it vital to establish solid and respectful lines of communication between event organizers and the university.

It is in this spirit that I have initiated the review.  Because most of our students and some faculty are away for the winter break, the first meeting of this task force will be in early January 2012.

The members of the task force will be invited over the next few weeks, and will reflect UCR faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, the Academic Senate, the UC Riverside Faculty Association, Staff Assembly, the Offices of Students Affairs, Campus Police, and Strategic Communications, a college dean, the EVC/Provost, and the Associate Chancellor.  As Chancellor, I will chair the effort.  Once established, the membership of the task force will be publicized.

Subsequent to the review, the campus will post any proposed updates, changes, or clarifications to the guidelines to provide a brief period for public comment before finalizing the revisions.

Sincerely,

Timothy P. White