University of California regents ban political statements on university online homepages
SAN FRANCISCO — The University of California board of trustees voted Thursday to ban employees from posting political statements on the university’s website homepages, saying such comments could be interpreted as the university’s official position.
Political statements and personal opinions are permitted on secondary pages and must include a disclaimer stating that they do not represent the official positions of UC under the new policy. University employees may also post political opinions on their personal university web pages or social media accounts.
Faculty, students and community members have criticized the policy, saying it limits free speech. The free speech movement began in the 1960s at the University of California, Berkeley, before spreading to college campuses across the country.
Recently, political opinions have been posted mainly on the homepages of ethnic studies departments, with pro-Palestinian messages.
A post on the homepage of UC Santa Barbara’s Feminist Studies department that remained online Thursday voices support for the Palestinians and criticizes the University of California for its “numerous attacks on freedom of expression.”
“The faculty in the Department of Feminist Studies are fearless freedom lovers and proud members of the collectives at UCSB fighting for the liberation of Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza,” the message read.
Under the new policy, the homepage of the websites of the various departments or academic units on campus may only be used to post events and news related to courses, faculty research, and other academic information.
“The University affirms the right to academic freedom while promoting an inclusive environment,” the policy states. “However, individual or group statements on political or controversial issues posted on Unit websites that are unrelated to the day-to-day work of the Unit are likely to be interpreted by the public and the community as representing the institutional positions of the University.”
Ronald Cruz, an organizer with the Coalition for the Defense of Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and the Fight for Equality by Any Means Necessary, or BAMN, called the policy an “assault on free speech” during public comment Wednesday, the Daily Bruin, the student newspaper of the University of California, Los Angeles, reported.
Richard Leib, who co-wrote it with Governor Jay Sures, said the policy is “substantively neutral,” the newspaper reported.
“If the economics department puts MAGA stuff on its website, it’s the same story,” he said. “It’s a content-neutral situation.”