The protest came as over one hundred alumni signed letter in support of the suspended graduate student government
By RIVERS STOUT— campus@theaggie.org
A group of protestors demonstrated outside Mrak Hall, Wednesday, April 2, over the recent suspension of the Law Student Association (LSA) by university officials. Gathered near the See No Evil/Hear No Evil eggheads, speakers lead chants and read speeches to the crowd of roughly 100 people.
UC Davis suspended the LSA, the student government of the school’s some 600 law students, after it passed a constitutional amendment divesting from Israel-connected companies and speakers as part of the larger Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Since the March 24 announcement, administrators have taken control of its funds, saying the legislation had broken university policy.
“The [suspension] decision follows the vote by LSA, the law school student government, to knowingly violate University of California policy by seeking to implement a discriminatory resolution intended to boycott people or entities with ties to Israel,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “UC policy requires student government organizations to support activities on a viewpoint-neutral basis. UC Davis is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination, harassment, antisemitism and other forms of hate.”
Protestors called for the LSA to be reinstated and expressed desire that it have the ability to act as a democratic body without retaliation from administrators, make statements and pass legislation in line with its mission. Protestors also called for the university to protect students from immigration authorities.
Speakers, who did not identify themselves, called on Chancellor Gary May to resign from Leidos, as well as for both May and Law School Dean Jessica Berg to resign from their positions.
During the two-hour protest, attendees recited chants, including, “Gary May what do you say, how many kids have you killed today?” and “Up up with liberation, down down with occupation.” For a few minutes, protesters turned to directly face King or Mrak Halls to shout some variation of “Listen up Dean Berg, BDS is here to stay,” or “Listen up Gary May, LSA is here to stay.”
“This walkout is to protest the suspension of the LSA as well as the school’s repression more broadly,” Randy Bucky, a third-year law student at King Hall and protestor, told The California Aggie. “We stand in solidarity with students across the country who’ve been made to feel unsafe. We stand in solidarity with students who’ve been punished for expressing their free speech, particularly for expressing solidarity with Palestine and we speak out now because the moment demands it.”
The university maintains that the decision to suspend the LSA is not an infringement of students’ free speech.
“While student governments have the right to address and take positions on public issues as long as the statement does not purport to represent the views of the University, the Resolution goes beyond this by restricting University funds based on viewpoint,” a university Frequently Asked Questions statement on the issue reads. “The University is committed to ensuring that all students may exercise their constitutionally protected rights of free expression, even in instances in which the positions expressed may be viewed by some as controversial or unpopular.”
Shasun Sulur, a second-year graduate student and external vice president of the LSA before its suspension, criticized UC Davis’ position on the issue.
“We’re saying that when it comes to genocide theres no such thing as viewpoint neutrality and supporting genocide is not a valid viewpoint that should be funded,” Sulur said. “The [University of California] itself, after arresting hundreds of students, divested from apartheid South Africa in the ‘80s and ‘90s. In 2005 after similar pressure, the UC divested from the genocide in Sudan. On the UC and various other universities’ websites, they tout and brag about their support for these liberation students, all while ignoring how many students have been expelled, beaten or arrested by the police that we fund with our own tuition dollars, in order to make that change happen.”
The LSA’s suspension has garnered a reaction from King Hall alumni, including a letter sent to the law school administration and Chancellor May signed by over a hundred former UC Davis Law students on March 31.
“We, the undersigned King Hall alumni, are hereby withdrawing all material support from King Hall until the LSA is reinstated with full funding and allowed to enact its own democratically passed measures,” the letter reads.
Their reasons included the belief that the LSA’s suspension made the school less democratic, that the university’s actions equated to the silencing and criminalization of dissent and that an independent LSA has a vital role in students’ learning experience.
As of time of publication, LSA funding remains under the control of administrators, though the future of the organization and its responsibilities remain undetermined.
Written by: Rivers Stout— campus@theaggie.org
This article is part of a continuing series on UC Davis Law and the Law Student Association. Follow The California Aggie for updated coverage.
