- Eleanor Jonas | Senior Staff
- 15 hrs ago (DailyCal.org)
The Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate passed a resolution to protect academic and political freedom April 22, urging the UC system to take action amid the federal government’s “unprecedented attacks on higher education.”
The resolution calls on the university and its campuses to reject and resist attacks by the federal government, and to protect the rights and privacy of students, faculty and staff. Approximately 95% of the 450 faculty members present at the special meeting of the Academic Senate voted to pass the resolution, according to Christopher Kutz, professor of law and the primary author of the resolution.
According to the meeting agenda, 46 people requested the special meeting be held to consider the resolution. Kutz emphasized that the resolution was a “group effort,” with contributions from the Berkeley Faculty Association, the Berkeley Initiative for Free Inquiry and other faculty members.
Two clauses of the resolution focus on privacy concerns, urging the university to protect the data of students, staff and faculty from any unlawful demands for access to that information, according to Paul Schwartz, a law professor who contributed to the resolution’s language about privacy.
Schwartz said safeguarding privacy is crucial as the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency are disregarding federal privacy laws. According to him, the fear over the breach of these privacy protections is that the federal government could cross-reference university data against other databases — such as immigration and tax records — to target individuals.
“Privacy provides all kinds of fuel for democracy and for people to be willing to speak up and exercise First Amendment rights,” Schwartz said. “It’s very important that the University of California stands up and tries to protect the privacy of faculty, staff and students.”
Another clause of the resolution asks that the university “be prepared to challenge in court” illegal demands such as the termination of research grants.
The resolution also demands the university provide legal aid to students experiencing “arbitrary” legal status revocations. Although he wrote the resolution before the reversal of status revocations, Kutz said he still believes the Trump administration may take further action to cancel students’ legal status in the future.
Kutz noted that UC Berkeley provides financial support for international students who need legal aid and said he hopes this practice will be adopted across the UC system.
Stett Holbrook, spokesperson for the UC Office of the President, said UC campuses are connecting international students with legal counsel.
The resolution also called on the university to reject demands by the federal government that would infringe upon academic freedom and the legal rights of university members. It prompted the university to collaborate with other higher education institutions to “counter these threats to democracy and science.”
Kutz noted he believes the majority of the resolution aligns with university and campus policy and leadership. However, he noted that there is more deviation between the university and requests by the Academic Senate on privacy matters.
On April 24, two days after the resolution passed, the Academic Senate held a meeting, which UC President Michael Drake attended. Kutz said Drake had a “vague and unsatisfactory” response to the resolution, which Kutz contrasted against Chancellor Rich Lyon’s “vigorous” affirmations on defending rights.
“The University of California Office of the President greatly values the input of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate,” Holbrook said in an email. “The University will continue to advocate on behalf of UC’s research, teaching and public service mission in the face of federal funding challenges.”
Eleanor Jonas is the lead student government beat reporter. Contact her at ejonas@dailycal.org.
