UCLA Faculty Senate Rejects Censure, No-Confidence Motions on Block
After discussions held over the course of a week, the UCLA Academic Senate ultimately rejected a pair of resolutions to formally censure and declare no confidence in university Chancellor Gene Block over the handling of a pro-Palestinian encampment and its ultimate dismantling by police. According to the Los Angeles Times, the no-confidence resolution failed on a tally of 79 yes votes, 103 no votes and five abstentions. The censure resolution failed on an 88-88 vote, with three abstentions, the paper reported. A source familiar with the situation told the paper, “This shows that many faculty support Chancellor Block and they understand that he was adhering to UC policy. People are realizing that Chancellor Block was put in an impossible situation.” The resolutions were initially considered by the Academic Senate last week, but no decisions were made, with the issue carrying over to this week. The Senate met again Thursday. The resolutions had contended that Block “failed to ensure the safety of our students and grievously mishandled the events” surrounding an attack on the encampment by counter-protesters and its dismantling by police the following night. The