The following editorial originally appeared in The Seattle Times:
As life on the University of Washington campus ramps up after summer break, students, faculty and community members deserve to know what to expect when it comes to protests around the war in Gaza. Unfortunately, President Ana Mari Cauce has so far not provided clear guidelines, contending instead in a Sept. 16 blog post that the administration will respond to protest actions on a “case-by-case basis.”
The inadequacy of this position was underscored at a UW Board of Regents meeting that occurred prior to Cauce’s post, on Sept. 12.
Members of Seattle’s Jewish community, including Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle President Solly Kane and UW staff members, attempted to use the Board of Regents public comment period to ask for “clear communicated expectations and plans to ensure the safety of the Jewish community,” according to Kane’s prepared remarks.
Instead, Kane and other speakers were shouted down and insulted by protesters who showed up at the meeting to press UW to divest from Israel.
Last spring, protesters against the Gaza war and Israel caused at least $14,000 damage to the student union building. Offensive graffiti was part of the mix. During negotiations to remove protest tents in the Quad last spring, Cauce rightly called out unacceptable language and vandalism.
Other universities established clear “Time, Place and Manner” guidelines when it comes to the protests that gripped campuses in the last academic year.
Washington has existing laws on campus encampments. WAC 478-136-030 (9a) reads: “No person may use university facilities to camp … ”
Cauce’s blog statement did not reference existing law. Instead, she wrote, “If and when protest activities become disruptive … we will first and foremost take action to protect people’s physical safety.”
What action and whose safety will be paramount — the protesters, impacted students, the campus community — was not specified.
At the Board of Regents meeting, the UW failed to take effective action to maintain order. The meeting was adjourned before university business was completed. Jewish community members who wanted to express their concerns were shouted down and chased away.
Sometimes, legalese is more effective than prose. Cauce ought to release a statement ticking off what’s allowed and what’s not.
Free expression is a paramount civil right. It’s what this and other newspapers fight for every day. But the right to protest does not extend to the right to build an unlawful encampment, force minority students to hide their identity or change their daily travels, or freeze out others’ right to dialogue.
So far, UW leadership has failed to reassure all those who work and learn on campus that they will be safe at all times, not just on a “case-by-case” basis.
