DAVIS, Calif. — Students at the University of California, Davis, (UC Davis) and members of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are asking the university to disband a group of student volunteers who monitor student protests and report their findings to university officials. The ACLU and student activists held a press conference on April 13, accusing the university of infringing on the students’ free speech.
Allegedly, volunteers working on behalf of the administration have attended protest meetings, befriended protest pages on Facebook and tried to influence the protests, the Daily Democrat reports. Details of the “Student Activism Team” were disclosed in document acquired through a student records request.
Reportedly, several of the team members work in UC Davis’ Financial Aid and Student Housing programs. A few are also peer counselors.
According to Vice Chancellor of Administrative and Resource Management John Meyer, the team members only monitor protests to keep them from becoming dangerous or warranting police intervention. The team was formed in August 2010.
Meyer and Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Griselda Castro do not intend to disband the team. Rather, team members will wear uniforms. They hope this will address protestors’ allegations of spying.
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