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.
Comment
on this story in the News forum >>
|
