University of California Orders Enforcement of Encampment, Mask Bans

In a letter on Monday, the UC president highlighted students’ right to free speech and assembly but said such activities should not impede campus operations.

Pro-Palestinian students and activsts gather on the plaza in front of Royce Hall at the University of California Los Angeles on April 25, 2024. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

University of California President Michael V. Drake announced Aug. 19 an order to enforce strict guidelines to keep unruly protesters in check across the statewide university system’s 10 campuses, including barring demonstrators from hiding their identities, blocking pathways, and setting up encampments.

In a letter on Monday addressed to the chancellors of each campus, Drake highlighted students’ right to free speech, expression, and assembly. He also said those rights “come with the expectation that these activities shall not disrupt the University’s functions, impede orderly operations, or place community members in reasonable fear for their personal safety or infringe on their civil rights.”