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Protecting the Rights, Safety and Well-Being of our Community

September 22, 2025

Dear Bruin Community:

In Chancellor Frenk’s message about One UCLA last week, he wrote about the need for our campus to “foster and celebrate pluralism in all dimensions.” As we prepare for the beginning of the new academic year, we are writing to highlight key policies and resources — related to free expression, safety and community well-being — that will help us achieve this goal. Our central aim is to ensure that UCLA is a place where Bruins of all backgrounds and identities feel safe, welcome, respected and able to participate fully in campus life.

Freedom of Expression at UCLA

UCLA is deeply committed to freedom of expression, a principle that is fundamental to our academic mission. The free exchange of ideas — even when those ideas are difficult or uncomfortable — helps us test our assumptions, expand our perspectives and ultimately uncover truth. 

Aside from an institutional value, freedom of expression is also a right: As a public university, UCLA is barred by the Constitution from restricting expression on the basis of viewpoint. This means that speech by students, faculty, staff and visitors — when conducted in line with university policies — is legally protected. This is true even when speech may be controversial, unpopular or offensive. 

While the right to free speech is legally protected, this protection is not absolute. The university has the right to enforce certain policies that regulate speech. These are called Time, Place and Manner policies — and information about them is below. Also, discriminatory acts, harassment and abuse are strictly prohibited by law and university policy. Anyone who experiences such conduct should immediately report it to the university.

UCLA’s free speech website has more details on campus policies and procedures, answers to frequently asked questions, and resources that describe the way in which we uphold fundamental rights while maintaining our commitment to a safe and inclusive environment for all. 

One final way in which we aim to foster free expression: Campus leaders will generally refrain from issuing statements on behalf of the university about societal, political and public matters not directly related to UCLA. 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. Learn more in the Statement on Statements Working Group final report published last summer.

Policies Related to Campus Events, Public Expression and Related Activities

At UCLA, there are many avenues for students, faculty and staff to advocate for their views — from participating in forums or debates, to engaging with Registered Campus Organizations (RCOs), to joining peaceful demonstrations.

While we encourage you to make your voice heard about the issues that matter to you, the university maintains policies that govern when, where and how free expression activities may take place. These Time, Place and Manner (TPM) policies are designed to ensure that demonstrations, protests and other forms of speech are carried out safely and do not interfere with the core operations of the university.

UCLA’s finalized TPM policies, which have been undergoing a comprehensive campus review process for the past several years, were shared with the campus this morning. Policies include:

We encourage you to read and familiarize yourself with these policies.Everyone is expected to follow them, and individuals who violate the policies may face legal penalties and exclusion from parts of campus. UCLA students who violate these policies may face additional sanctions including suspension and dismissal, and employees may face disciplinary action including probation, suspension without pay, dismissal and application of relevant collective bargaining agreements.

Any individuals or RCOs planning public expression activities or on-campus events must become familiar with the policy requirements. RCO signatories are required to attend an expressive activities presentation to maintain eligibility for the 2025–26 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 coordinate with the Events Office to facilitate planning of all events within their purview.  

RCOs found responsible for violating the university’s TPM policies may face probation, suspension and revocation of university recognition.

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. 

Safety and Well-Being Resources

Finally, 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.
    • UCLA faculty and staff with valid email addresses and mobile phone numbers in UCPath and students with valid email addresses and mobile phone numbers in MyUCLA are automatically enrolled to receive email and text message alerts. 
    • UCLA Health faculty and staff in MedNet with a declared work location in the Westwood area are automatically enrolled to receive email alerts.
    • 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.

Please take a moment to verify your information on UCPath or MyUCLA, especially your correct mobile phone number, to ensure timely receipt of SMS text message alerts. Learn more about emergency alerts in this Sept. 12 message to campus.

  • Other Campus Activity Notifications – UCLA will utilize Bruins Safe Online (BSO) to post important operational 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.  
  • 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 free speech website, which also includes a host of resources for faculty and staff.

Thriving communities are built together. By understanding and following university policies — and by making use of the resources available — we can ensure that UCLA remains a place where every Bruin feels safe, welcome and empowered to succeed.

We hope you will make the most of your experience at UCLA — whether you are learning, teaching, researching, working or visiting. We wish you a safe, fulfilling and successful academic year.

Sincerely,

Darnell Hunt
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Michael J. Beck
Administrative Vice Chancellor

Monroe Gorden Jr.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Steve Lurie
Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus & Community Safety