Student protesters face severe penalties from UCI

Marisa O’Neil

Students involved in a campus protest last month may be held

responsible for violating university policy, according to a letter

sent to them by a university official.

Nine of the students protesting were arrested last month when they

blocked work crews from entering Irvine Meadows West, a campus

trailer park slated for demolition this summer.

The April 7 letter from the office of student judicial affairs,

sent via e-mail, states that each recipient must contact the office

to discuss allegations that they obstructed university activities.

“I find these allegations very troubling and take them quite

seriously,” said graduate student Matthew Cardinale, who was not

arrested but received the letter.

About two dozen students have received the letter, he said,

including some at the protest who obeyed an official order to

disperse from university police. Police made the arrests after

attempts to negotiate with the protesters and giving them the

opportunity to leave without being arrested.

According to the letter, students may have been in violation of

two sections of the University of California Policies Applying to

Campus Activities, Organizations and Students.

One applies to “obstruction or disruption of teaching, research,

administration, disciplinary procedures, or other university

activities.” The second section is for failure to identify oneself to

an official or obstructing officials from performing their duties.

Work crews entered the park to do soil testing after the students

were arrested.

University officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday

evening, according to UCI spokesman Tom Vasich.

Students were given seven days to reply to the letter. And if they

don’t, they may have their transcripts withheld or be restricted from

using university facilities.

Such notice appears to be standard for violations of the code of

student conduct said UC Berkeley student Matt Murray, student regent

for the University of California. Murray contacted Manuel Gomez, UCI

vice chancellor of student affairs after some of the Irvine Meadows

West residents told him of the protest, arrests and letters.

“It’s my understanding and my hope that this is standard procedure

[in such cases] and can be resolved,” Murray said. “It’s critical to

preserve students’ rights.”

Cardinale said that he has contacted the American Civil Liberties

Union to look into their case.

The Irvine Meadows West trailer park is set to close July 31 to

make way for a parking lot and, eventually, a new building. Residents

at the park, who pay substantially less than those in other student

housing, have argued that it provides a much-needed niche of

affordable campus housing.