"Free Speech Week" information

September 21, 2017

Dear students, staff and faculty,

As we move toward a series of events that start this Sunday on campus, I want to first express my deep regret about the stress this is causing for many members of our campus community and the burden it is placing on people to continue their regular routines in the midst of what will cause a disruption here. The ideas likely to be expressed by some of the speakers next week run counter to our Principles of Community, particularly the one that affirms the dignity of all individuals and encourages us to strive to uphold a just community where discrimination and hate are not tolerated.

As we all work to uphold these principles, we must also fulfill our legal obligations as a public university. This includes allowing our registered student organizations to plan and conduct events and invite outside speakers.

Below is the latest information we have about the “Free Speech Week” events being planned by California Patriot for Sept. 24-27. We will post updates here as details are confirmed and as safety and security plans proceed. The University of California Police Department (UCPD) is conducting security assessments and will provide updates soon about possible building and road closures and campus detours. UCPD officers and colleagues from other agencies are committed to preserving safety and security, and to minimizing the disruption of campus life by people who are neither members of the university community nor invited guests. Some faculty and staff leaders may choose to temporarily relocate classes and programs in order to minimize disruption. Thank you for appreciating that we find ourselves amid a great deal of uncertainty.

The south area of campus, in particular the Savio Steps in front of Sproul Hall and Lower Sproul Plaza, will be the areas most impacted. UCPD is working to minimize disruption to the occupants of nearby buildings and to those who pass through those areas.

Anticipated California Patriot Events

Confirmed speakers are in bold. Speakers the student organization indicates are expected but unconfirmed are in italics.

1.    Sunday 9/24, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Savio Steps, Upper Sproul Plaza, Miss Elaine

2.    Sunday 9/24, 5:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., Savio Steps, Upper Sproul Plaza, speaker Lisa De Pasquale, Lucian Wintrich, Chadwick Moore

3.    Monday, 9/25, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Savio Steps, Upper Sproul Plaza, speaker Ariana Rowlands

4.    Monday, 9/25, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Savio Steps, Upper Sproul Plaza, speaker Monica Crowley

5.    Tuesday, 9/26, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Lower Sproul Plaza, speaker Ryan Girdusky

6.    Tuesday, 9/26, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Lower Sproul Plaza, speakers David Horowitz, Pamela Gellar

7.    Wednesday, 9/27, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Savio Steps, Upper Sproul Plaza, speakers Stelion Onufrei, SARGOH, Mike Cernovich

8.    Wednesday, 9/27, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Savio Steps, Upper Sproul Plaza, speakers Milo Yiannopoulos, Steve Bannon, Ann Coulter, Alex Marlow

We have told California Patriot that we need to know exactly who is coming so we can arrange security and keep the public and the campus community informed.

The only steps left to be completed by California Patriot are confirmation of speakers and compliance with ticketing procedures and other security requirements listed in the UCPD security assessment that was provided to the student organization.
 
As evidenced by the peaceful facilitation of the Ben Shapiro event last Thursday night, the campus administration and the university as a whole are committed to freedom of speech and to devoting resources to preserve the ability of student organizations to host speakers, without regard to the message expressed by the speaker. We are also committed to protecting public safety.  

As we get closer to the events, and as more information becomes available, we will continue to share information here.

There have been and will continue to be many conflicting media reports. We will do our best to provide timely and accurate information about next week’s events as it becomes available.

Sincerely,

Carol Christ, Chancellor

If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.

via Calmessages