Two years after the Hamas massacre of October 7, UC leaders are taking no chances.
UC President James B. Milliken on Friday ordered all ten campuses to strictly enforce system policies against unlawful protest ahead of the two-year anniversary of October, signaling that maintaining campus order and protecting students from harassment are top priorities as demonstrations are expected across the system.
In a letter obtained by the Jewish Journal, Milliken acknowledged that the attacks and the war that followed “have deeply and personally affected members of the UC community over the last two years.” He urged chancellors to apply university rules consistently and to ensure demonstrations are managed “lawfully, safely, pursuant to university policy, and without disruption to essential university functions, while also respecting lawful speech and assembly.”
At the center of his directive are the UC system’s Time, Place, and Manner (TPM) policies — the framework that regulates on-campus protests. Milliken emphasized that the rules are essential to protecting free expression while preventing intimidation and safeguarding the university’s ability to function.
The directive comes a few months after UC reached a legal settlement with Jewish students and alumni who alleged administrators failed to protect them from harassment and intimidation. In Frankel v. University of California, plaintiffs described protesters establishing “Jew-free zones” and blocking Jewish students from libraries and classrooms.
Faculty leaders have also pressed the university to act more decisively. Kira Stein, chair of the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group at UCLA, wrote recently in the Los Angeles Times: “Over the past 18 months, [the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group] has provided UC leaders with evidence and a roadmap to address antisemitism … The real question is whether the university’s leaders, faculty and the media have studied this evidence with the seriousness it deserves — or skimmed past it, choosing the comfort of distance over the responsibility of action.”
Milliken instructed all UC chancellors to require that all demonstrations be scheduled through proper channels and to remind student groups, faculty, and outside actors that following conduct policies is mandatory. Violations, he warned, may lead to sanctions “up to and including removal from campus or disciplinary measures.”
He also directed administrators to coordinate closely with campus police, legal counsel, student affairs leaders, and safety officials to review staffing, emergency protocols, and crowd management strategies. The University of California — serving nearly 300,000 students across ten campuses — has been a flashpoint for debates over Israel and Gaza, with last year’s October 7th anniversary triggering widespread protests that required significant security measures.
Some Jewish advocacy groups have reported UC has begun taking more visible steps to respond to antisemitism. In a recent statement, the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC) praised recognized that the UC system “has taken steps to counter antisemitism and ensure the safety and inclusion of Jewish students and faculty,” adding that “UCLA’s new Chancellor Julio Frenk is an active partner and champion in these efforts, making it clear through actions and policies that antisemitism has no place on campus.”
The anniversary will again test UC’s ability to balance free expression with safety. Milliken closed his letter by underscoring that responsibility: “It is our responsibility to see that we ensure the right to free expression and at the same time protect public safety, keep university operations running, and preserve community well-being.”
