Reflections on Several Very Difficult Weeks for our Community

Campus Climate

Chancellor Block shared the following message with the UCLA campus community.

Dear Bruin Community:

The events of the past several weeks have fractured both our sense of community and our sense of security. They have bred anger and mistrust between Bruins, and they have led to marked frustration with how we have administered campus safety at UCLA. I am deeply sorry to see our community in so much pain.

I believe that accountability is critical to moving forward. We are continuing our criminal investigation into those who perpetrated the despicable attack on the Royce Quad encampment on April 30, as well as our review of campus safety protocols to ensure accountability and prevent failures in the future. I know there are many questions, and while we may not have or be able to share all of the answers right now, we are committed to getting you the facts that you seek and deserve. We will learn from what happened — and we will act to better protect our students, faculty and staff. UCLA can only fulfill its mission as a place of learning, debate, and growth if those in our community feel safe.

This week, I will be testifying before a Congressional committee focused on the topic of antisemitism on college campuses. I will speak honestly, and personally, about the challenges UCLA faces and the impact of this pernicious form of hate. I will continue to insist that antisemitism – as well as Islamophobia, anti-Arab hate and any form of bigotry, hostility or discrimination – is antithetical to our values, corrosive to our community and not to be tolerated.

UCLA faces complex, interrelated challenges related to protecting community safety and well-being, protecting Bruins from discrimination and harassment, and protecting free expression rights. In my final few months as chancellor, I am dedicated to doing all I can to address these challenges and help shepherd the process of rebuilding trust and dialogue within our community. This includes ongoing discussions with student and faculty leaders of all perspectives, with the aim of ensuring our campus can be a place where advocacy does not lead to antagonism.

Our university has and will continue to grapple with significant issues. But I hope that in the months ahead we will be able to start on the path towards healing — and once again come to see, respect and interact with one another as friends and colleagues in our incredibly important shared academic community.

Sincerely,