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Campus PeriodicalsResources for ReportersSelected Administrative OfficesCalendarsMaintained by pioweb@ucsc.edu |
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Administrative Message December 28, 2005 To: UCSC Campus Community From: Denice D. Denton, Chancellor; David S. Kliger, EVC and Campus Provost Re: Military Surveillance on Campus: UCSC Leadership's ResponseWe are greatly concerned about the Pentagon’s investigation of a UCSC campus protest of military recruiters last spring. MSNBC reports that this protest was classified as a “credible threat” by the Department of Defense. We have contacted our federal elected officials to express our concern. We are asking them to investigate the reported secret monitoring on college campuses. Investigating our campus protest – one among many around the country -- is a questionable use of military resources. It is especially disquieting that political dissent would be considered threatening. We are at an important juncture in our history, and we urge the citizenry and the leadership to recall the mistakes of the past in times of war, especially with respect to the expansion of executive power. As a nation, we must be vigilant and careful in balancing the competing needs of national security and the fundamental rights and values of individuals in a free and democratic society. An environment of surveillance and intimidation threatens the core values of universities and of our nation. As educators, we must stand vigorously against such intrusions. It is our job as a university to create a learning environment in which students, staff, and faculty can explore the widest range of ideas available to them, express a full range of opinions, and exercise a complete spectrum of political rights, up to and including the rights of peaceful protest and political expression. We would be abdicating our responsibility as educators if we fail to nurture a learning environment in which all points of view can be expressed and listened to with respect. While we do not tolerate violence, peaceful protests are one important way to help build a better society. Diversity of opinion, as with other forms of diversity and difference, is a hallmark of excellence that distinguishes UC Santa Cruz and other great institutions of higher education.
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