Prior to the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, we have redoubled our efforts to combat antisemitism and enhance campus safety. UCLA and the University of California instituted systemwide reforms and programs to promote safety and combat harassment and discrimination on campus. Those efforts will continue.
Last spring, conflict spread at universities across the country. It tested the limits of our traditional approach to de-escalation and public safety. Regrettably, some Jewish students on campus felt targeted, harassed and unsafe. We have been honest about where we fell short last spring and how we can do better moving forward. We have developed actionable plans to ensure similar events never happen again.
We share a common goal with the plaintiffs: to stamp out antisemitism and foster a culture where all students can learn in a safe, secure and inclusive environment. The Becket Fund’s allegation that the University and its leaders deliberately “assisted” a “mob” is false, and the University is defending itself against those charges. We reaffirm our commitment to fostering an environment that encourages free expression and debate, while protecting the rights of all community members to teach, study, live, provide and receive clinical care, and work safely.