UCLA Chancellor Testifies In The Congressional Hot Seat

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block addressed how the university handled an encampment protesting the war in Gaza on campus that was eventually attacked by a mob in his testimony before Congress Thursday. His testimony is the latest in a series of hearings about antisemitism on college campuses.

Block, along with the presidents of Northwestern and Rutgers universities, answered questions from members of a House education and workforce committee about their schools’ response to encampments on campus and student protests.

The testimony comes as images and videos on social media show protesters have set up an encampment on the UCLA campus once again, this time near Kerchoff Patio.

Campus police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What happened in the hearing

Block started off by saying all forms of discrimination, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, are antithetical to UCLA’s values and corrosive to the campus culture. 

As a public university, Block said, UCLA is subject to a dual legal mandate —  the First Amendment obligation to protect free speech on campus, and the obligation under federal laws to protect students from discrimination and harassment. 

He said that balance is often difficult to achieve, and it’s been especially challenging since Oct. 7, 2023.

“As we all know, being an American means sometimes being asked to tolerate offensive and even hateful speech protected by our constitution — but there are limits,” he said. “At UCLA, we draw the line when speech crosses into intimidation, threats, and harassment of our community.”

Block noted that these are his final months as chancellor, as he’s set to retire at the end of July. While he’s saddened by the recent turmoil, Block said, he’s proud of UCLA’s legacy as a university deeply committed to the peaceful expression of differing viewpoints.

“No student should be threatened or excluded based on their beliefs or identity,” Block said. “While we'll always have to strive hard to meet this obligation, we must also maintain our commitment to academic freedom and free speech. The balance is central to UCLA's educational mission. It's not always easy to strike a perfect balance, but that must be our goal.”

During her opening remarks, Virginia Foxx, the Republican chair, made the case that universities have gradually nurtured a campus culture of radicalism, in which antisemitism grew and became tolerated by administrators.

“These antisemitic protests have led to hijacking buildings, erecting unlawful encampments, disrupting classrooms, and canceling commencements,” said Foxx, who represents North Carolina. “They've been the principal agents of anti-Jewish harassment and violence, and have made an absolute mockery of so-called university leaders.”

Foxx said each of the three college leaders should be ashamed that their decisions allowed the encampments to endanger Jewish students.

Robert “Bobby” Scott, the Democratic ranking member, said during his opening remarks that there’s no question more could be done to combat antisemitism. Scott, who represents Virginia, said no one should be threatened, harassed, or attacked because of who they are or who they worship.

However, he said complaining about a problem is not a solution, and criticized Republican colleagues for previously trying to cut funding to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, which investigates these kinds of concerns.

“Hateful incidents of antisemitism do not happen in isolation, they're the by-product of this country's century-long history of white supremacy and antisemitism,” Scott said. “We cannot faint surprise at hate speech on our college campuses, and I'll note again that campuses are polarized, as is our society.”

Scott said there’s been a disturbing rise in incidents not only of antisemitism, but of Islamophobia, homophobia, and all other forms of hate which need to be addressed.

What SoCal representatives say

Rep. Mark Takano, a Democrat who represents parts of Riverside County, said UC Riverside in his 39th district was the first school in the UC system to reach a peaceful resolution with student protesters.

Takano said “my university is leading by example” while tensions exploded at UCLA into an incident that led to hundreds of arrests and put students in the hospital.

When asked if he would’ve done anything differently in hindsight, Block said they’re reviewing all of the incidents to see whether there was another way forward.

“We tried very hard to find an off ramp for student protesters so they could leave the encampment,” Block said.

Takano then asked how much time was actually spent talking to and negotiating with the student protesters. Block said the first attempt was made through faculty, and the administration officials who sat with students within the encampment were also unsuccessful.

In a statement to LAist, Takano said students have the right to exercise free speech, but they also have the right to be safe, and colleges have an obligation to ensure their safety.

“Some colleges kept an dialogue open with students, such as UC Riverside, and successfully maintained both these goals of speech and safety by reaching a peaceful agreement,” he said in a statement. “Others, like UCLA, saw the lines of communications collapse and violence ensue.”

Rep. Michelle Steel, a Republican who represents parts of L.A. and Orange counties, asked Block about several alleged incidents on campus, including an attack on a Jewish student.

Block replied that he’s unfamiliar with that particular incident.

Steel then asked about another alleged incident involving first year medical students being required to chant “free, free Palestine” in a mandatory structural racism and health equity class.

“Let's find the facts out first of exactly what happened, and then we'll figure out what the remedies should be to make sure that appropriate behavior occurs in classrooms,” Block replied.

Steel closed her questioning by saying it doesn’t seem like she’s getting any answers from Block. She said he has to teach students how to think and “not just brainwashing these kids.”