UC Davis’ suspension of the LSA and what this means for students’ right to open expression
By TARA ROMERO — tcrome@ucdavis.edu
On Feb. 28, 2025, the Law Student Association (LSA) on our campus passed an amendment to their constitution that adopted Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) legislation in support of Palestine. Through this amendment, the LSA would no longer put student funds toward any businesses on the BDS boycott list and no longer fund events or speakers who represent Israel — in support of Palestinian people’s fight for freedom.
Less than a month later, on March 24, UC Davis officially suspended the LSA’s right to govern, and the administration has since taken over control of student funds.
Shasun Sulur, a second-year graduate student at UC Davis Law, explained how the LSA made a concerted effort to ensure their amendment follows UC Davis policy and “received no clear notice, no clear direction and no clear communication from [the] administration as to why this policy was against their guidelines.” Rather than make any attempt to negotiate or communicate with the LSA, UC Davis overturned their students’ democratic vote and took over student funding.
The policy in question that the LSA allegedly broke states student governments must “provide financial and other tangible support for student activities and organizations on a viewpoint-neutral basis.” According to this logic, since the LSA is not remaining “neutral” on the topic of genocide, they are not fit to govern themselves.
The root of the issue here is the phrase “viewpoint-neutral.” There’s a common misconception that being neutral is inherently good. This mistaken line of logic follows as such: If there is no bias in either direction, then the neutral party is being fair to both sides — they deserve a pat on the back for remaining unbiased!
However, being neutral also means ignoring the truth. Playing both sides intentionally is an action that refuses to acknowledge the lived realities of the Palestinian people for the last 75 years. Neutrality ignores the displacement of over 750,000 Palestinian people from their land since the 1948 Nakba, ignores the discrimination and violence against Palestinian people in the years since the Nakba and ignores the genocide of over 50,000 Palestinian people by the hand of the Israeli government since Oct. 7, 2023. Not to mention, it ignores the United States’ significant role in this ethnic cleansing.
To be neutral is to be complicit. Remaining neutral means treating 75 years of violence and oppression against Palestinian people as the norm. The choice to be “neutral” in this context is a refusal to denounce a genocide — therefore, siding with the oppressor. Neutrality cannot be an option and yet, neutrality is the standard UC Davis is forcing its students to uphold.
UC Davis’ Principles of Community Statement reads, “we promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity and respect.” In this clause, our school tells us there are limitations to our “open expression.” The boundaries themselves are vague moral values: courtesy, sensitivity and respect. All three of these values are certainly important, but also highly subjective.
How is it not courteous to say you stand in solidarity with Palestine? How is it insensitive to state the fact that Israel is unlawfully occupying Palestinian land? What is disrespectful about denouncing the genocide of Palestinian people?
To say anything otherwise is to be complicit or to endorse the ongoing violence against the Palestinian people — and if that is where UC Davis says the LSA is “out of bounds” of open expression, then it is very clear where the campus’ allegiances lie.
By suspending the LSA, UC Davis is prioritizing obedience first and foremost. Our campus will “promote open expression” but only “within the bounds” that the university decides. The “bounds” themselves are arbitrary and bend over themselves to fit the university’s current agenda. Over a year ago, UC Davis Professor of English and Comparative Literature Joshua Clover presented us with a question: “How many Zionist student groups have been banned by universities?” The answer is the same then and now: none. Yet, universities like our very own have no problem banning pro-Palestinian student groups.
In the face of federal oversteps on our freedom of expression, we cannot allow this type of infringement on our own campus. It’s unacceptable to allow UC Davis to silence a democratically passed vote to no longer be complicit in genocide. We must demand that the LSA be reinstated and for the campus to return control of their funds.
Written by: Tara Romero— tcrome@ucdavis.edu
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