One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
UCLA Faculty Decide Not To Rebuke Chancellor Gene Block Over Handling Of Protests
Gene Block has been UCLA chancellor since 2007. He plans to retire in 2024.
(
Amanda Friedman/UCLA web site
)
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.
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.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
