Dear Bruin Community:

This time of year is always full of excitement and possibility as we welcome new and returning students, faculty and staff for another academic year at UCLA. We are looking forward, with great optimism, to all that lies ahead.

The goals outlined in the Four-Point Plan for a Safer, Stronger UCLA, announced last week by Interim Chancellor Hunt, aim to ensure that Bruins of all backgrounds and identities feel safe, welcome, respected and able to participate fully in campus life. As a reminder, the plan focuses on these four elements:

Today we write to share several initiatives supporting these goals, information about community members’ rights and responsibilities related to free expression at UCLA, and new and updated campus resources to help foster a healthy academic environment heading into the fall.

In this message, you will find helpful information on the following:

• Freedom of Expression at UCLA

• UCLA Policies on Campus Events, Public Expression and Related Activities

• Our Statement on Statements — A New Approach to Institutional Messaging

• Safety and Well-Being Resources

Freedom of Expression at UCLA

As shared in point three of the campus’s four-point plan, we are deeply committed to promoting freedom of expression in line with UC and campus policies. The free expression of ideas is fundamental to our academic mission, but aside from an institutional value, it is also a right: As a public university, UCLA is barred by the Constitution from prohibiting speech or other forms of expression based on the viewpoint of the speaker. The right to freedom of speech secured by the First Amendment is held by students, faculty and staff, as well as visitors. UCLA is bound by the First Amendment even in cases in which the speaker may present offensive or hateful ideas.

We created a new UCLA free speech website to foster greater understanding of free expression on our campus and support this part of our four-point plan. We urge you to review it for detailed information on campus policies and procedures related to free speech, answers to frequently asked questions, and resources that are available to help us uphold community members’ rights while maintaining our commitment to a safe and inclusive environment for all.

This year we expect very active discourse on various issues impacting our community, nation and world. Freedom of speech and the right to engage in nonviolent demonstrations are bedrock principles throughout the University of California. In keeping with that tradition, there are many avenues for students, faculty and staff to advocate for their views, from organizing or joining peaceful demonstrations to participating in on-campus forums and debates to engaging with student, faculty and staff organizations and committees. We actively encourage all members of the UCLA community to make your voices heard on issues that matter to you.

To ensure that everyone at UCLA can express their perspectives while engaging fully in their learning, teaching, work and research, the university must also take action to protect our community from harassment or threats, from impediments to accessing classrooms and other buildings, and from violence of any kind. UCLA must comply with UC, state, and federal policies and laws that protect the rights of expressive activity, provide safeguards for state and federally protected identities, and ensure safe and timely and full access to our campus for all.

The California Legislature requires the UC system to maintain consistency of implementation and enforcement of UC, state, and federal policies and laws. We are supportive of this requirement — it undergirds our Principles of Community and True Bruin Values, and will help support a healthy, thriving campus climate.

UCLA Policies on Campus Events, Public Expression and Related Activities

Also in alignment with point three of our four-point plan, campus administrators have been working collaboratively with faculty, staff and student stakeholders to update our Time, Place and Manner (TPM) policies. Changes to these policies comply with directives recently issued by the UC Office of the President. The updated policies were shared last week, and the campus community may provide feedback on them during a 60-day comment period that ends on Nov. 4.

UCLA interim policies now in effect are:

• UCLA Policy 850: General Use of UCLA Property

• UCLA Policy 852: Public Expression Activities

• UCLA Policy 860: Organized Events

• UCLA Policy 862: Major Events

Please read and familiarize yourself with these policies, which govern certain uses of UCLA property, including hosting events on campus and defining when, where and how Bruins and visitors can exercise their First Amendment rights on campus. Some notable elements specific to public expression that are governed by these policies are available on this helpful guide and video. The guide will be distributed to all UCLA housing residents and Greek Life organizations, shared at the front counter of most student service offices, viewable at the John Wooden Center and on MyUCLA and shared during our True Bruin Welcome for new students.

Designated University Officials will actively and consistently enforce rules and requirements pertaining to events, public expression activities and other general use of UCLA properties subject to these policies. Non-compliance may result in legal penalties; if the person is a student or employee, that person may also be subject to discipline in accordance with university and UCLA policies and any relevant collective bargaining agreements.

Any individuals or Registered Campus Organizations (RCO) planning public expression activities or on-campus events are strongly encouraged to become familiar with these requirements now. RCO signatories are required to attend an expressive activities presentation to maintain eligibility for the 2024–25 academic year. Each RCO registered with the UCLA Office of Student Organizations, Leadership and Engagement (SOLE) has a dedicated advisor; student leaders should reach out to their advisors when planning large campus activities or events to ensure alignment with policies and to receive other support to plan a successful event. Facilities managers should also reach out to SOLE to ensure advisors are involved in the event planning process.

For questions pertaining to these policies or the policy review process, please contact Anna Joyce, director of administrative policies and strategic initiatives, at AJoyce@compliance.ucla.edu. For other inquiries associated with when, where and how events may be conducted on campus, please contact the Events Office at Events@ucla.edu. RCOs may contact their SOLE advisors or email UCLASOLE@ucla.edu.

Our Statement on Statements — A New Approach to Institutional Messaging

This summer, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost charged a working group of faculty and senior administrators to develop recommendations for when UCLA leadership should and should not issue statements on behalf of the university about societal, political and public matters not directly related to UCLA. The group, chaired by Dean of UCLA School of Law Michael E. Waterstone, was asked to consider these questions in light of UCLA’s responsibility to create an environment in which freedom of expression is protected, celebrated and cherished.

The working group submitted a recommendation — accepted in full by Interim Chancellor Hunt — that moving forward, UCLA’s chancellor, executive vice chancellor and provost, vice chancellors, vice provosts and deans should not make public statements on societal, public and political matters, unless those matters directly affect the university’s ability to support a research and educational environment where free expression thrives. As shared in the recommendation, such institutional statements can imply a false sense of unanimity about a given topic, stifle the free exchange of ideas, and risk making parts of our diverse community feel silenced or unheard. A focus on these kinds of statements can also divert university leaders’ attention away from their core responsibilities and pursuit of institutional goals.

You will continue to hear from the university’s senior leaders regarding significant news and happenings at UCLA, strategic initiatives, leadership changes, campus updates and more. But these leaders will generally refrain from making institutional statements about societal, public and political matters. This change aims to help foster a community rich in diversity of opinion and belief, focus the university’s resources on its central priorities and ultimately advance UCLA’s academic mission.

We encourage you to read the working group’s full report for additional details about this new approach.

Safety and Well-Being Resources

In closing, as we continue to look for ways to advance the first component of our four-point plan — to enhance community safety and well-being — we wish to share several campus resources that may be useful to UCLA community members heading into the fall:

• Emergency Notifications
UCLA uses BruinALERT to notify students, staff and faculty of a dangerous situation or significant emergency that threatens the health or safety of members of the campus community or disrupts normal operations of campus. All UCLA faculty and staff with valid email addresses in UCPath and students with valid email addresses in MyUCLA are automatically enrolled to receive email alerts. Please take a moment to verify your information on these platforms. Family and friends of UCLA students, staff and faculty who would like to receive BruinALERT SMS text alerts may sign up by texting BRUINALERT to 888777. Additional information around how students, faculty and staff can receive SMS text alerts will be shared at the start of the academic year.

• Other Campus Activity Notifications
UCLA will utilize Bruins Safe Online to post non-emergency updates about campus activities that may disrupt the flow of regular business. Please refer to this page often for updates during periods of heightened campus activity.  

• Campus Safety Resources 
View campus safety resources and services, including emergency information, personal safety tips, and how to report a concerning behavior or safety issue.

• Mental Health and Well-Being Resources
UCLA cares deeply about the mental health and well-being of its community members. Prioritizing wellness helps students achieve academic success and personal growth, helps faculty bring their best to their courses and research and helps staff contribute to a vibrant campus environment. Students can find comprehensive resources on the Be Well Bruin website, in addition to our new free speech website, which also includes a host of resources for faculty and staff.

Thank you for taking the time to read this important message. It is incumbent upon all of us to understand key policies and available resources so that everyone in our diverse community can participate fully in campus life.

Let us make the most of our experiences at UCLA — whether we are learning, teaching, researching, working or visiting. We look forward to a productive, vibrant and welcoming year on campus, and we hope you will engage with the initiatives and services that will be shared in the coming weeks in support of our Four-Point Plan for a Safer, Stronger UCLA.

GO BRUINS!

Sincerely,

Michael S. Levine
Interim Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Michael J. Beck
Administrative Vice Chancellor

Monroe Gorden Jr.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Mitchell Chang
Interim Vice Provost for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Rick Braziel
Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety