UCI Announcement on Suspension/Probation of Muslim Students Union (September 3, 2010)

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Decision Regarding MSU Appeal
From:    "Rameen Talesh, Office of the Dean of Students" 
Date:    Fri, September 3, 2010 6:00 pm
To:      All Campus Employees, Campus Faculty, Campus Staff:;
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The Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UC Irvine received notice this week of the  outcome of the appeals process following disciplinary measures imposed last spring resulting from the group's disruption of a campus speaker and other violations of the campus code of conduct.

The MSU had appealed the decision, recommended after an in-depth adjudication process undertaken by the Office of Student Affairs that found that the group's actions surrounding the February 8, 2010 speech on campus by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren had violated campus code of conduct policies.

After an additional two-month process that included meetings with officers of the MSU as well as the careful review of new evidence, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Manuel Gomez affirmed that the MSU violated the campus code of conduct, and imposed the following sanctions:

The organization is suspended through December 31, 2010 and must complete a collective 100 hours of community service at which time they can request reinstatement. Following this, the organization will be placed on probation for two years.  The organization's leaders will  meet monthly with the Director of Student Conduct for one year. This process has been exhaustive and detailed. The sanctions described above reflect the need for appropriate discipline following the violations of campus policy, while recognizing the role of the University in educating students in and outside of the classroom.

The sanctions described herein apply to the organization as a whole, and do not address disciplinary processes for individuals in this incident. Under federal law the University is prohibited from releasing information on individual student disciplinary matters.

"This has been a difficult decision," said Gomez.  "But in the end, this process demonstrates the University of California Irvine's commitment to values, principles and tolerance.  Although this has been a challenging experience for all involved, I am confident that we will continue to move forward as a stronger, more respectful university community."