Operations were back to normal at Cal State San Marcos Tuesday after students and faculty walked out of classes yesterday to protest what they describe as a crackdown on student activists in the California State University system.
Protesters left classes at noon Monday to gather at Kellogg Plaza, launching Students & Faculty Week of Action — a statewide series of demonstrations.
The protesters asked the CSU system for a variety of actions, including:
— Providing financial transparency and ending budget cuts and layoffs;
— Declaring the CSU campuses a sanctuary from Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and
— Defending ethnic studies and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Additionally, they opposed the Time, Place and Manner policy, which limits when free speech can be practiced on campuses.
"A 'time, place and manner' policy allows the CSU to fulfill its educational mission by helping to maintain an environment where its operations and work can be safely conducted without disruption, in accordance with the highest standards of institutional integrity, and with recognition of the rights, privileges and responsibilities of university community members and members of the public," a statement from the CSU reads.
In February, CSUSM students and faculty organized a protest to demand that Chancellor Mildred García and CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt declare the campus a sanctuary space.
Garcia was on campus to speak at the Social Mobility Symposium. According to leaders of the protest, students were barred from the University Student Union without explicit permission and students attending class in the building were escorted by police.
The university denies these claims, saying no student was banned from "non-reserved areas," no police escort was needed and no classes are taught in the building.
CSUSM's Student Leadership and Involvement Office cited two groups involved in the protest — Students for Justice in Palestine and Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán — with violations of student code of conduct. Others received Time, Place and Manner violation letters.
Students Megan Angkiangco, Amber Arenas, Justin Gans and Warshan Ismaeil, as well as two alumni received disciplinary notices accusing them of violating the Time, Place, and Manner policy, according to The Coast News.
These students face penalties up to expulsion or suspension, with one student fired from her on-campus job and paid internship after the notice, the report said.
Disciplinary hearings for students are scheduled for April, and hearings for student organizations will take place this week, Coast News reports.
The protesters believe student activists are being targeted while their tuition is being mismanaged.
"It's ironic that, at the bottom of the letters, it lets students know that this violation may cause them anxiety and that the administration recommends they reach out to a counselor for assistance," CSUSM professor Sharon Elise said. "That would be nice, except much of our money is going towards the militarization of our police rather than counseling."
Protests were also scheduled at CSU Bakersfield on Monday, Cal State LA on Tuesday, Cal State Long Beach on Wednesday and Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Sacramento on Thursday.
"Together, we are taking a stance against systemic attacks on students and faculty, so we may ensure that the CSU remain a place where education, activism, and equity matter," a statement from the California Faculty Association read.
