Yet More Pepper: Legislative Hearings Tomorrow

Sacramento, CA–University of California system President Mark Yudof and UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi will join other UC and California State University officials, police oversight experts and student representatives in testifying before a Dec. 14 joint legislative hearing looking into UC and CSU system-wide policies and procedures regarding non-violent protests and campus police use-of-force rules.

Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78), chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee and Senator Alan Lowenthal (SD-27), chair of the Senate Education Committee, have called the hearing in response to a number of incidents at UC Davis and UC Berkeley where peaceful student protesters were doused with pepper spray and battered with batons by UC campus police officers.

“It is the responsibility of the university to provide a safe environment for our students to learn and participate in activities on campus,” Block said. “It is also the responsibility of the university to foster a climate that promotes free expression of ideas on campus. We as the legislature must ensure that the proper procedures are in place to protect both campus safety and student free speech.”

“Something is wrong with a system where our children and students, struggling peacefully to have their voices heard, are answered by the spray of chemical weapons and the sting of a truncheon. It is imperative that we have a unified policy on the appropriate response to peaceful campus protests and on the use of force by campus police,” Lowenthal said.

Set to testify before the committee on use-of-force policies, procedures and response are Barbara Attard, a recognized expert on civilian oversight of police agencies and representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Offering testimony on UC and CSU system-wide policies and procedures regarding campus demonstrations are CSU Executive Vice Chancellor Ben Quillian and CSU chief law enforcement officer Nate Johnson.

UC Davis Chancellor Katehi and CSU Fresno President John Welty will testify on specific campus policies and procedures regarding use of force against demonstrators.

In addition, the respective presidents of the UC Student Association and CSU Associated Students will speak on the policies and procedures that are followed by student groups when organizing demonstrations.

The hearing will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Dec. 14, 2011 in Room 4203 of the State Capitol.

Source: http://asmdc.org/members/a78/news-room/press-releases/item/2860-uc-csu-officials-to-join-experts-and-students-in-testifying-at-state-capitol-hearing-on-campus-protests

Maybe we should put some limits on this thing:

Update: Brouhaha reported about UC-Riverside rules concerning demonstrations which may (or may not) be timed for the Regents meeting on that campus in January. See Inside Higher Ed article at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/12/14/uc-riverside-protest-guidelines-trouble-students-faculty

Update: UC-Riverside suspends new rules http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2011/12/15/uc-riverside-pulls-guidelines-protests