UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons and his cabinet addressed the ASUC Senate in his semesterly address on Wednesday. Lyons focused on two issues: concerns for free speech and expression, and quality of student life.
The address, which lasted a little more than an hour, had Lyons answer a slew of questions, including topics ranging from the suspensions of computer science lecturer Peyrin Kao and director of the Chicanx Latinx Student Development office Lupe Gallegos-Diaz, profiling of pro-Palestinian activists by UCPD and UC Regent Jay Sures’ failure to denounce Islamophobia at a conference he attended.
Lyons defended campus policy and said administration does not discriminate against the free speech of specific political stances.
In the back of the Senate chambers stood about 15 silent protesters holding pro-Palestinian signs. After the meeting adjourned, the protesters began to chant “Free Palestine.”
“It is clear that a good number of you perceive inconsistent and viewpoint-dependent enforcement of our rules,” Lyons said. “That’s a cause for concern because we are not aware of any event that was canceled or prevented from happening due to the perspectives of the organizers and/or the participants.”
ASUC Transfer Representative Varsha Torpunuri asked the first question of the meeting, saying questions about Kao have been answered with “roundabout” replies. Lyons replied that, while he admits it seems like avoidance of the question, he is legally obligated not to speak on the details surrounding Kao’s case.
Lyons passed the question to Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Benjamin E. Hermalin, who cited Academic Personnel Manual code 015, prohibiting faculty from bringing up topics that do not pertain to the class, as well as Regents Policy 2301 which prohibits “political indoctrination” in the classroom.
In response to questions of student-protester profiling and harassment of Muslim students, Lyons and his cabinet urged students to report to the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination, or OPHD.
“Here is my promise to you: UC Berkeley has and will remain (in) an unwavering commitment to protecting your First Amendment rights in a completely viewpoint-neutral manner,” Lyons said. “We have those rules to ensure that the exercise of expressive rights does not interfere with the rights of others.”
Lyons and his cabinet were later questioned on the suspension of Lupe Gallegos-Diaz, the director of the Chicanx Latinx Student Development Office, and how campus is advocating for undocumented students.
ASUC Senator Nicolle Aguilar asked about the student-led protest for Gallegos-Diaz, arguing that advocates were approached by administration for allegedly using amplified sound outside of permitted noise hours. Aguilar said the organizer of the event was given an indirect apology from a different administrator, but felt it was “not sufficient.”
Lyons redirected the question to Interim Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Sunny Lee, who affirmed the apology was genuine.
ASUC Senator Emma Enríquez followed Aguilar’s question, asking how campus will support Latine student initiatives, specifically following a lack of communications regarding programming after Gallegos-Diaz’s dismissal.
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Equity & Inclusion Amber Johnson acknowledged the current communication channels are insufficient and they are “working to address that.”
Lyons iterated later in the meeting that when he speaks, he is not speaking on behalf of himself, but on behalf of campus, and that he hopes the campus community understands “that’s a complicated situation.”
“He is not speaking as himself, nor is he speaking as a Chancellor, nor on behalf of the students,” Torpunuri said in an email. “He is speaking on behalf of the institution’s contracts, donors, and PR.”