UCSB students are upset—without masks, when they vandalize classrooms or harass students, they will easily be caught. Like Hamas terrorists, they want to do the crime, but not be caught and pay the price.
“The local encampment, known as the UCSB Liberated Zone, was the longest-standing encampment in the University of California system, lasting more than 50 days before police dismantled the encampment and arrested five people this summer.
Now, the UC Board of Regents is tightening the rules around encampments and protests.
On Aug. 19, UC President Michael Drake sent a letter to the UC community stating that they are taking steps to have consistent policies on “expressive activities,” including prohibiting encampments, camping and unauthorized structures.
An unidentified student who claimed to be a former member of the UCSB Liberated Zone spoke at Friday’s rally about the joy experienced in the encampment — and the grief of losing it. The student called out campus administration for oppressing students instead of supporting their movement.”
Stop negotiating with terrorists. Expel everyone one them. Arrest them for the crimes they committed—like J6 hostages, keep them in jail without bail—to protect society.
UCSB Students Protest UC System’s Encampment Ban, Masking Rules
by Rebecca Caraway, Noozhawk Staff Writer, 9/30/24 https://www.noozhawk.com/ucsb-students-protest-uc-systems-encampment-ban-masking-rules/
In their first week of fall-term classes, UC Santa Barbara students held a rally and march Friday to protest policies banning encampments and masking to hide identities.
About 30 people attended the rally, calling for a free Palestine, better treatment from campus leaders, and calling out the masking policy as discriminatory against Muslim and immunocompromised students.
The rally lasted for about 90 minutes, with students marching outside the campus library and then to Cheadle Hall, which houses administration offices.
In the spring, encampments at universities made headlines across the country for students’ efforts to protest the war between Israel and Hamas in Palestine.
The local encampment, known as the UCSB Liberated Zone, was the longest-standing encampment in the University of California system, lasting more than 50 days before police dismantled the encampment and arrested five people this summer.
Now, the UC Board of Regents is tightening the rules around encampments and protests.
On Aug. 19, UC President Michael Drake sent a letter to the UC community stating that they are taking steps to have consistent policies on “expressive activities,” including prohibiting encampments, camping and unauthorized structures.
An unidentified student who claimed to be a former member of the UCSB Liberated Zone spoke at Friday’s rally about the joy experienced in the encampment — and the grief of losing it. The student called out campus administration for oppressing students instead of supporting their movement.
“We were in the middle of negotiations, and they called the cops, reneging on every promise of amity or mutual respect. They were playing us the whole time,” the speaker told the crowd.
New Masking Rules
Drake also announced that masking to conceal identity and refusing to reveal identity to university personnel will be prohibited.
“Our ultimate goal is for all of our community members to feel supported in their ability to express themselves, and to pursue their studies, research, patient care and other work on our campuses,” Drake wrote. “We also want our community members to understand what’s expected of them, including a clear understanding of the principles, policies and laws that govern our behavior on campus.”
When UCSB student and Associated Students Senate leader Dan Siddiqui saw the email, he said he was confused, noting that many of the things mentioned are existing policies.
“In my opinion, I think the real travesty of this email is that because it is selectively reinforcing existing policies, I think the purpose of it was a thinly veiled threat,” Siddiqui said. “I thought it was very notable to see that there were no clear cut religious or health exemptions in the policy.”
Siddiqui said he’s concerned how the masking policy will impact immunocompromised students and students who wear facial coverings for religious reasons, whom Siddiqui said are already scared to be on campus.
He also said that, in his conversation with administrators, even they were confused on how to implement policies around masking.
UCSB Office of Public Affairs staff did not share how the university would be implementing these policies but instead directed Noozhawk to the Office of the UC President.
Stett Holbrook, with the Office of the President’s strategic communications, said if a person is wearing a mask while violating laws and policies, officials may determine that they are wearing the mask to conceal their identity.
“Wearing masks or face coverings is permissible for all persons who are complying with university policies and applicable laws,” Holbrook said. “Masking to protect one’s health or masks worn during authorized protest gatherings will continue to be permissible. Additionally, masks intended for other non-prohibited purposes are also permitted, provided they do not violate other policy or law.”
For how these policies will be enforced, Holbrook said there will be a tiered response approach and a “range of consequences” for students, staff and faculty.
“Any member of the university community who is arrested for unlawful behavior or cited for a violation of university policy must go through the applicable campus review process, such as the student code of conduct or employee disciplinary process,” he said.
The new policies won’t affect only students on campus, but staff and faculty as well.
Impact on Academic Workers
UAW 4811, which is a union for UC academic workers, went on strike in May in response to the way administrators treated students and staff involved with the encampments.
A judge ultimately halted the strike when the UC system filed a temporary restraining order, claiming the strike was having “irreparable harm” on students and operations at the universities.
With the new policies, workers say the universities are changing the conditions of their workplace without consulting employees.
“The law is clear: UC cannot unilaterally change the terms of our employment without bargaining with us,” said Alejandro Quevedo, a fourth-year electrical engineering student at UCSB and recording secretary for UAW 4811.
“We are demanding that UC come to the bargaining table to negotiate this profound new limit on our ability to exercise our free speech rights within our workplace.”
