New policy sought after infiltration last spring

By Jenna Nielsen
The Collegian

The Campus Peace and Civil Liberties Coalition is working with Fresno State administrators, faculty and students to adopt a new policy on surveillance.

“We are putting together a task force and working on a better surveillance policy,” said Elizabeth Trujillo, president of Campus Peace and Civil Liberties. “We want to come to a consensus on different reforms we are trying to put forth.”

Trujillo said the task force has four faculty members, two students and seven administrators.

“We are trying to get more students on the task force because right now administrators can veto anything,” Trujillo said.

Last semester the group accused the university of undermining free speech by sending undercover police officers to its meetings.

University officials later said there were plain-clothes officers at the meeting.

2005 President of Campus Peace and Civil Liberties Ruth Obel-Jorgensen said the group discovered the infiltration after inviting animal rights activist and veganism advocate Gary Yourofsky to speak on animal rights.

The group staged a 48-hour hunger strike outside the president’s office at the Thomas Administration building and only drank liquids for two days.

Their goal was to get the school to respond to specific demands, including developing a policy against surveillance of student organizations and against activities by undercover agents, and receive a public apology from the university for infiltrating the meeting.

“We still haven’t received an apology,” Trujillo said. “And we haven’t received any documentation either.”

Rupert Crump, member of Campus Peace and Civil Liberties, said one of the goals of the group is to make it easier for guest speakers to come to campus.

“Right now, in order for a guest speaker to come, it has to go through a lot of people. The campus police can even veto a speaker and prevent them from coming,” Crump said.

Crump said they are trying to change the policy so campus police can offer a suggestion but not prevent someone from speaking.

“This university should be an environment for free expression of ideas. We should allow these people to come speak on campus and if you don’t like it, then don’t come,” he said.

Trujillo said the group’s task force is also working on adopting a policy for surveillance cameras in the Free Speech Area.

“We are trying to get these cameras turned off during the day,” she said. “They shouldn’t be turned on in the first place and if something happens during the day you have campus police two minutes away.”

Last semester Ruth Obel-Jorgensen told The Collegian the university’s actions created a hostile environment for the group, making it difficult to recruit members. Trujillo said the group is still experiencing member-involvement troubles.

“This campus is more conservative as it is, but lately it has been more hostile than usual,” Trujillo said. “We have a table in the free speech area every Thursday and we will get two people coming up asking us for information, on a good day.”

On Oct. 22, the group is hosting a pesticide drift conference to promote awareness of pesticides and their effect on humans.

“We have a high concentration of farm workers in the valley and we want to promote an organic way of farming,” Trujillo said.

The event is all day and starts at 9 a.m. in UC 200.

The group also meets every Tuesday at 1 p.m. in the Women’s Resource Center.

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