UCLA returned to “normal operations” Saturday, as in-person classes resumed and Royce Quad reopened to the public following more than two weeks of disruptions surrounding a pro-Palestinian encampment, the school announced.
Officials said in their update to the campus community that “any serious disruptions to campus operations may change” its stance going forward, “and you might receive communication directly from your instructor or supervisor. Law enforcement and other security personnel continue to be on campus to help promote safety and actively monitor conditions.”
The reopening follows the dismantling of the massive encampment at Royce Quad on May 2, which resulted in 209 arrests. The removal came roughly 24 hours after a group of masked assailants launched a violent attack on the protesters, setting off fireworks and deploying tear gas in a clash that protesters said resulted in dozens of injuries.
Dozens more people were arrested on the UCLA campus on Monday morning, when the university had planned to return to in-person classes following two days of remote learning prompted by the encampment activity last week.
Early Monday morning, authorities arrested roughly 40 people in a campus parking garage and UCLA Police said they were carrying materials indicating they were prepared to break into and possibly barricade themselves inside a building.
Police said the group was carrying items such as bolt-cutters, super glue, padlocks, heavy-duty chains and metal pipes, along with printed materials “encouraging vandalism and violence.”
In response to the continued protesting, UCLA returned to remote instruction for the entire week.
Meanwhile, the UCLA Academic Senate is scheduled to resume discussions next Thursday on resolutions formally censuring and declaring no confidence in Chancellor Gene Block over decisions relating to the pro-Palestinian encampment.
The body that represents campus faculty was unable to muster the two-thirds necessary for passage Friday, the Daily Bruin, the campus newspaper reported.
The planned 2 p.m. two-hour Zoom meeting started around an hour late and was adjourned at around 6:30 p.m., three sources with knowledge of deliberations who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told the Daily Bruin.
The meeting was open only to Academic Senate members and certified student representative observers.
The resolutions before the Senate’s Legislative Assembly both state that Block “failed to ensure the safety of our students and grievously mishandled the events of last week.”
The resolutions are similar to those taken up Wednesday by the Academic Senate at USC, which voted to formally censure USC President Carol Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman over the handling of protests on that campus and subsequent decisions that upended graduation ceremonies. The USC Academic Senate tabled a no-confidence resolution targeting the pair.
Last Thursday, dozens of faculty and staff members took part in a rally and march on the UCLA campus, presenting a petition calling for Block’s immediate resignation.
The online petition also called for full amnesty for all students, staff and faculty who were involved in the encampment. The petition also calls on the university to fully disclose within 30 days all of its investments, and to divest from “all military weapons production companies and supporting systems.”
According to the university’s website, UCLA alone has more than 8,200 faculty members and an overall staff of more than 31,000 people.
There has been no response from Block, who is scheduled to retire at the end of July.
The online petition notes that organizers are monitoring a possible strike by the Graduate Student Academic Workers’ union, and if such a strike vote occurs, “those of us who are senate faculty will not perform any struck labor in spring 2024,” and they are also considering “the possibility to withhold our own labor” until the demands are met.
Complaints quickly arose following the attack on the encampment, which observers said was allowed to continue unfettered for several hours before police intervened and restored order.
Gov. Gavin Newsom was among those condemning the violence and seemingly slow law enforcement response. UC President Michael Drake also announced an independent investigation of the UCLA response to the violence.
The UC announced Tuesday it was hiring 21st Century Policing Solutions — a police-tactics consulting firm — to lead the university system’s independent investigation of actions taken at UCLA that culminated in last week’s violence.
Block, meanwhile, announced earlier this week that he remains committed to identifying those who carried out the attack.
“To that end, inaugural Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Safety Officer Rick Braziel is leading a law enforcement investigation to identify the perpetrators of the violence and hold them to account,” Block said.
“The LAPD has committed a detective to assist in our investigative efforts, and we have also connected with the FBI about possible assistance. We have spoken to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón to solicit his help in ensuring that the instigators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Citing unnamed law enforcement sources, the Los Angeles Times reported that the investigation will include the use of facial-recognition technology, while also employing license plate readers to determine who entered the campus or was driving in the vicinity that night.
The investigative tools being employed are comparable to those used by federal authorities investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Last Sunday, Block announced the creation of the Office of Campus Safety, with Braziel placed in charge of the operation.
Block said that office is also conducting a review of the UC Police Department’s response to the attack and conducting an analysis of UCLA’s security protocols. It is assessing all acts of violence that have occurred on campus over the past 12 days. Braziel is expected to create a plan to put in place to establish additional means of protecting students, staff and visitors on campus, Block said.