UCLA Academic Senate rejects censure against chancellor following pro-Palestinian protests
- The UCLA Academic Senate voted against censuring the university's chancellor after pro-Palestinian protests.
- There was mounting criticism of Chancellor Gene Block's handling of a campus pro-Palestinian encampment.
- Despite the attack on the encampment by counterprotesters, no confidence statement was made against the chancellor.
On May 18, the Academic Senate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), had a meeting. They talked about Chancellor Gene Block. Some faculty members wanted to say they didn't trust him, but most said they did. They also talked about punishing him, but they couldn't agree. The problem was how he handled protests on campus. Some people were upset about it. The UCLA faculty didn't agree on how to deal with the protests. The Senate chair, Andrea M. Kasko, said they should try to understand each other even if they don't all think the same. Chancellor Block is retiring soon. He was hired in 2007. The faculty's decisions wouldn't have changed much even if they had passed. Other universities have also had problems with protests. Columbia University and the University of Southern California faced similar issues. The UCLA faculty didn't punish Chancellor Block, but they were not all happy with how he handled the protests. Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a camp at UCLA to talk about issues in Gaza and ask the university to cut ties with Israel. Chancellor Block said they need to improve how they keep everyone safe on campus. The faculty and staff at UCLA were upset about how the protests were handled and wanted changes. The United Auto Workers 4811, a group representing many academic workers at the University of California, might go on strike if things don't get better. They say there have been unfair actions during the protests.