Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

Education

UCLA Faculty Decide Not To Rebuke Chancellor Gene Block Over Handling Of Protests

Man with gray hair and suit and tie looks into the distance, behind him stairways
Gene Block has been UCLA chancellor since 2007. He plans to retire in 2024.
(
Amanda Friedman/UCLA web site
)

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive. 

Topline:

The UCLA Academic Senate rejected a bid to vote "no confidence" in Chancellor Gene Block, and also rejected a censure. Both resolutions were designed to address Block's leadership through recent campus protests.

What's the debate? Faculty were considering whether Block failed to lead during and after counterprotestors attacked students in a pro-Palestinian encampment.

Who voted: The legislative assembly of UCLA's academic senate voted Thursday night, and released the results Friday evening. According to a notice from Academic Senate Secretary Linda Sarna, faculty rejected the vote of no confidence 103-79, with some members abstaining or voting present. The censure measure came in at a tie, 88-88 with some members not voting, but needed a majority to pass.

Support for LAist comes from

What did the resolutions mean? A censure is a public rebuke. Faculty at the University of Southern California recently censured their president, Carol Folt, over similar concerns. But UCLA faculty also considered a vote of "no confidence," which would have meant the faculty had lost faith in Block.

What happens now? Block announced last year that he'd retire this summer.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist