UC Davis Campus Climate Policies and Guidance

The university’s policies, rules and regulations are designed to support the university’s mission of education, research and public service.

The university has policies that explicitly protect and foster extensive opportunities for free expression, speech and assembly. In addition, academic freedom protects freedom of inquiry and research, teaching and expression and publication. University policies comply with federal and state laws, protect lawful access to university programs and facilities, address unsafe behavior and aim to prevent the destruction of property. These policies apply regardless of the cause or content of a particular protest, speech, or other form of expression, or whether the conduct involves expression at all.

While University of California systemwide policies affirm the constitutionally protected rights of all members of the university community regarding free expression, speech and assembly, these activities should not disrupt the university’s functions, impede orderly operations or place community members in reasonable fear for their personal safety.

California’s Budget Act of 2024 (Senate Bill 108) requires University of California campuses to release annual campus climate notifications. This webpage provides the required notifications.

Relevant Policies and Guidance

  1. Time, Place and Manner Restrictions: identifies reasonable limitations on when, where, and how public speech and assembly may occur on the campus.
  2. Student Code of Conduct, which identifies acceptable student behavior, and relevant state and federal laws, which delineate legal and illegal activities.
  3. Systemwide Nondiscrimination Policy: ensures compliance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  4. The process by which the campus will resolve any complaint of a violation of relevant institutional policies, state law or federal law, including complaints against individuals not affiliated with the campus.

  5. The range of consequences possible for students, faculty, or staff who violate relevant institutional policies, state law or federal law, including but not limited to discrimination based on shared ancestry under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

    In order to create inclusive spaces where all voices are heard and our community members can engage in their educational, academic, research and patient care pursuits, the university must also take consistent and fair accountability measures against individuals whose conduct violates the university’s policies. These accountability measures are taken only after disciplinary proceedings are completed with appropriate procedural safeguards1 and due process. Accountability measures for the violation of the university’s policies may include but are not limited to:

    • Students: Educational sanctions, written warning, disciplinary probation, exclusion from areas of the campus or from official university functions, restitution, suspension and dismissal.
      1. UC Davis Policy on Student Conduct and Discipline - Disciplinary Sanctions
    • Staff: Counseling memorandums, written reprimands, suspension without pay, reduction in pay and termination or dismissal.
      1. Personnel Policies for Non-represented Staff Members (PPSM)
        1. PPSM 62 - Corrective Action
        2. PPSM 64 - Termination and Job Abandonment
      2. Systemwide Bargaining Unit Contracts for Represented Employees
    • Senate Faculty: Informal counseling memorandums, written censure, reduction in salary, demotion, suspension without pay, non-reappointment, denial or curtailment of emeritus status and dismissal.
      1. University Policy on Faculty Conduct and the Administration of Discipline - Procedures for Academic Senate Faculty Discipline
    • Non-Senate Academic Appointees: Informal counseling memorandums, written warning,written censure, demotion, suspension without pay, reduction in salary, non-reappointment and dismissal.
      1. Non-Senate Academic Appointees/Corrective Action and Dismissal
    • Visitors and Non-UC Affiliates: Exclusion from campus, restitution and potential for criminal sanctions for violation of university rules in accordance with the California Education Code.

    [1] Consistent with Regents Bylaw 40, for faculty, the proposed imposition of any type of disciplinary sanction will proceed in accordance with the established policies and procedures for discipline, including an opportunity for a prior hearing before an appropriate advisory committee of the Division of the Academic Senate.

  6. How the campus may respond to activities that threaten the safety of students, faculty, or staff, and disrupt their ability to access the campus or buildings, the educational process, or activities on campus. The notification will include strategies consistent with current law for how the university intends to ensure students can safely access buildings and activities on campus.

    The university’s policies, rules, and regulations are designed to support the university’s mission of education, research and public service.

    The university has explicit policies that protect and foster extensive opportunities for free expression, speech, and assembly. In addition, academic freedom protects freedom of inquiry and research, teaching, and expression and publication. The university also has policies that comply with federal and state laws, protect lawful access to university programs and facilities, address unsafe behavior and aim to prevent the destruction of property. These policies apply regardless of the cause or content of a particular protest, speech, or other form of expression, or whether the conduct involves expression at all.

    While systemwide policies affirm the constitutionally protected rights of all members of the university community regarding free expression, speech, and assembly, these activities should not disrupt the university’s functions, impede orderly operations, or place community members in reasonable fear for their personal safety.2

    If violations of local, state and federal law or university’s policies occur, they will be addressed with the following consistent tiered response at all UC locations – with an emphasis on providing community members with multiple opportunities to adjust their conduct:

    • Initially, people engaged in committing a policy violation should be informed of the violation and asked to change their conduct. Multiple requests may be made and compliance with the requests means the response will not be escalated.
    • If the people involved do not comply with requests to alter their conduct, they will be warned about potential consequences and directed to comply. If the conduct continues, UC Police Department (UCPD) and/or Campus Fire Marshal will assess the situation and, based on their assessment, may issue an unlawful assembly notice/announcement, orders to disperse, orders to identify oneself or other relevant orders.
    • In the final phase of tiered response, people who refuse to change their conduct as directed may be cited for a violation of the relevant university policy. If they are breaking the law they may be cited, detained and arrested for unlawful behavior, or subject to other police actions. Stay-away orders may be issued for higher severity violations and/or for repeat offenses. The university may utilize University of California Police Departments or other state or local law enforcement agencies to maintain the health and safety of the university community.
    • Members of the university community who are arrested for unlawful behavior must have their conduct evaluated for potential violations of university policy. Members of the university community who are cited for a violation of university policy must go through the applicable campus review process.3
       

    While the tiered response outlines consistent expectations in many situations, it is not a rigid prescription that will capture all situations, all specific violations of policy or law, or all response actions. It does not dictate a specific timeframe. A tiered response does not mean a slow response but one that fits the situation and the resources to address it. Specifically, if violation of policy or law poses an immediate threat to life safety4 or critical university functions, the university will act accordingly and mobilize the appropriate resources, which may include UCPD, Campus Fire Marshal and/or other resources, to respond. This is consistent with the university’s established tiered response approach, where an escalation of threat to life safety or of disruption to operations demands a rapidly escalated response. The tiered response approach outlined above is rooted in the best practices and recommendations of the Robinson-Edley report5 and the Community Safety Plan6 to encourage free expression while safeguarding the rights of all members to teach, study and exchange ideas freely.

    Supporting resources for how the campus may respond to activities that threaten the safety of students, faculty, or staff and disrupt their ability to access the campus or buildings, the educational process, or activities on campus.

    [2] Regents Policy 3303: Policy on Employee and Student Protections Related to Student Press and Student Free Speech Rights; Policy on Speech and Advocacy (PACAOS 30); Policy on Use of University Properties (PACAOS 40)
    [3] UC Board of Regents statement on conduct guidelines issued by UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D. | University of California
    [4]  Life safety: Imminent threat of harm or endangerment to people and/or systems designed to protect people from immediate harm (i.e., fire detection and suppression systems)
    [5] Robinson-Edley Report and Implementation Plans
    [6] UC Community Safety Plan

  7. How the campus intends to foster healthy discourse and bring together campus community members, and viewpoints that are ideologically different, in order to best promote the educational mission of the institution and the exchange of ideas in a safe and peaceful manner.
  8. Identify educational programs and activities for faculty, staff and students to support the balance between free speech activities, educational mission and student safety.
  9. Resources available on campus for faculty, staff and students to receive mental health and trauma support.