UGS responds to free speech issues on campus

The Undergraduate Senate (UGS) responded to pupil issues over a scarcity of readability within the College’s free speech insurance policies throughout its assembly Wednesday. Residential and Eating Enterprises management shared with the Senate that 9-inch plates would return following pupil criticism.

The Stanford American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) advocated for expansions to free speech on campus in the course of the assembly. 

Stanford’s campus disruption insurance policies state that it’s a violation to stop or disrupt the “efficient finishing up of a College operate or permitted exercise.” Penalties for violations of the coverage vary in severity — the character of the offense and the scholar’s prior file are thought-about with various weights. 

“The difficulty with that is that protestors and activists haven’t any information of the chance they’re taking after they’re protesting and that imprecise language may be utilized in any means that the College sees match,” mentioned Diego Maglione ’25, who’s a member of Stanford ACLU.

White Plaza is the one of many few locations on campus the place protesting or chalking is allowed with prior approval. Solely registered pupil organizations and College departments are eligible to show banners.  

Maglione mentioned “this limits the voices of people.”

ACLU management raised the College of California, Berkeley insurance policies as a distinction and mentioned they have been much less restrictive of people entry to freedom of speech.

Senator Daybreak Royster ’26 mentioned she intends to work on a decision to develop free speech on campus, with a give attention to White Plaza’s present restrictions. 

“I’m going to be trying ahead to working with you guys and ACLU,” Royster mentioned.

Maglione mentioned the ACLU plans to ship an inventory of calls for to the School Senate. Calls for would come with “Time-Place-Method restrictions,” that may make clear the places on campus the place free speech is allowed.

ACLU will even ask to develop free speech zones to elsewhere on campus and permit banners from people and non-organizations. In addition they demanded a clarification on the punishments for violating these insurance policies. The ACLU referred to as on the College to remodel the webpage to be extra accessible and resemble UC Berkeley’s web site. 

UGS additionally spoke with two R&DE members, Eric Montell and Jocelyn Breeland, about rising communication between college students and R&DE staffers. 

Montell mentioned 9-inch plates will return in about two weeks, after college students expressed frustration relating to decreased plate dimension in eating halls throughout campus. R&DE had switched to an 8-inch plate to cut back compost waste, Montell mentioned. 

R&DE additionally introduced that Chun Yang Tea, a Taiwanese boba operator within the Bay Space, might be opening in two weeks at Forbes cafe. That is Stanford’s “first genuine boba idea,” Montell mentioned. 

In line with Montell, R&DE was engaged on one other particular location with “a rotation of some Southeast Asian international locations” in Gerhard. 

UGS closed their assembly with small modifications to a joint decision on the way forward for affirmative motion at Stanford. Senate co-chair Diego Kagurabadza ’25 will meet with the School Senate chair Thursday to debate the best way to current the decision to them.

“I do know it’s asking quite a bit,” Kagurabadza mentioned. “This decision is 4 pages. It’s a whole lot of complete coverage suggestions.”

“However I feel it’s as a result of the second is now. These discussions have been occurring for many years and I feel there’s no higher alternative than the one which’s current itself right this moment to really have an effect on change,” Kagurabadza mentioned.