Colleges and Universities have a considerable amount of power to discipline students for a wide variety of actions that the schools label as misconduct. Despite their written disciplinary policies and procedures that are supposed to ensure fairness, the schools ultimately have the upper hand. In some cases, schools use those policies to attempt to stifle legitimate dissent. The University of California San Diego (UCSD) has recently been accused of doing just that, when it began disciplinary investigations against dozens of students for protesting at a school event. If your college or university is investigating you for alleged misconduct, contact the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team for help. You need a strong advocate in these kinds of situations, and our experienced attorneys can help you level the playing field. Call us at 888.535.3686, or use our contact form to set up a consultation.

Student Workers Protest UCSD

A number of graduate students at USCD are members of a union that signed a contract with the school in 2023, after a six-week strike in 2022 involving student academic workers at 10 University of California campuses. The new contract included wage hikes of up to 80% for graduate student researchers and teaching assistants. A number of graduate student union members at UCSD, however, contend that the school has failed to implement the contract and is not paying the union members according to the contract's terms. They recently staged a protest at an alumni awards ceremony attended by UCSD's chancellor, where they brought their protest to the event's stage. Video shows them chanting to the crowd, while UCSD's chancellor briefly stands with them before stepping off to the side.

UCSD Begins Disciplinary Investigations

After the event, UCSD notified 59 UCSD student workers that it was investigating the incident and was considering bringing misconduct charges against them. News reports indicated the school was alleging that the chancellor was assaulted by the protesting students; the student's union denied those allegations, and claimed that a number of the students who were under investigation about the event were not even there.

UCSD Drops the Disciplinary Proceedings

The union and the school negotiated for months before the school agreed that it “will not pursue further action against the individuals involved” in both the protest and a separate case of alleged vandalism. That said, the joint statement issued by the school and the union indicated that the agreement they reached still “provided for accountability for violations of University policy,” without describing what that “accountability” involved.

The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team Can Help in a School Disciplinary Proceeding

Schools claim to have fair systems for handling claims of student misconduct. The UCSB situation suggests, however, that there are times when schools may try to use that system to stifle legitimate student dissent. In addition, the procedures used by many colleges and universities ultimately favor the school, which is why if you're being investigated or have been charged with student misconduct, you need a strong advocate on your side. The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team's experienced attorneys understand college disciplinary rules and proceedings – and they also understand your rights. They can help you protect those rights when you've been accused of misconduct.

Call us today at 888.535.3686, or use our contact form to set up a confidential consultation. You've invested a lot in your academic career; don't let your school take that away from you!