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The following message was sent to all UC Berkeley Students today, just before noon:

Dear Undergraduate and Graduate Students,

As you may be aware, a controversial speaker will be on campus the evening of Wednesday, February 1, 2017. The event will take place at the MLK Student Union (adjacent to Sproul Plaza), with doors opening at 7pm and the event beginning at 8pm. We anticipate there will be major protest/demonstration activity leading up to and surrounding this event which may result in large crowds and difficulties transiting the area around the venue. 

Your safety and well-being are our top priorities. We encourage students who do not wish to participate in or potentially be impacted by the events to consider exploring alternative routes that avoid the Sproul Plaza area: www.berkeley.edu/map. 

If you feel the need for support, please be aware that the campus has several resources you may wish to explore, including counseling services. Remember, you can and should contact law enforcement directly if you experience physical harm, direct threats, or emergency situations. 

Campus Resources: 

 

• Support: You may contact the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students, dedicated to helping create an inclusive environment that supports all students to reach their educational, aspirational, and personal goals. Please contact: deanofstudents@berkeley.edu, or visit the Well Being resource (deanofstudents.berkeley.edu/well-being).
• Tang Center - Social Services: Social Services provides confidential individual counseling, group counseling, and consultation. uhs.berkeley.edu/social-services, (510) 642-6074. Counseling and Psychological Services are available to all students for emotional support.
• Reporting: For information and support on reporting hate crimes or hate-motivated acts: stophate.berkeley.edu.
• Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination: OPHD (ophd.berkeley.edu, (510) 643-7985) is responsible for ensuring the University provides an environment for faculty, staff, and students that is free from discrimination and harassment on the basis of categories including race, color national origin, gender, age and sexual orientation/identity.
• Student Legal Services: 510-642-3916, sa.berkeley.edu/legal. Advises students regarding their legal questions, rights, and obligations.
• Law Enforcement:
  University Police Department (UCPD): police.berkeley.edu, (510) 642-6760.
  Berkeley Police Department: ci.berkeley.ca.us/police, (510) 981-5900.

Please know that the campus is committed to our values of tolerance, inclusion, and diversity. The campus is also committed to freedom of speech and UC Berkeley, as a public institution, cannot ban expression based on its content or viewpoints. We invite you to read the open letter from Chancellor Dirks, which explains the campus perspective (chancellor.berkeley.edu/chancellor-dirks-open-letter-regarding-milo-yiannopoulos-campus-visit). 

 

We encourage those of you who wish to exercise your right to lawful protest to review our standing suggestions regarding how to protest safely. We also want to re-affirm our shared commitment to the campus Principles of Community and the extent to which they capture and support our most important values and aspirations. 

Take care of yourselves and each other. 

Sincerely, 

Stephen C. Sutton, Ed.D.
Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs 

Joseph D. Greenwell
Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students 

______________________________ 

The following message was sent last night by UC Berkeley’s Office of Student Affairs to the leadership of the Berkeley College Republicans: 

Dear BCR Signatories - 

I am deeply aware of the many complex issues that are swirling around Milo’s visit to our campus and you no doubt have a lot on your plates right now. I must now also make sure you are aware that Milo, Brietbart and the David Horowitz Freedom Center have published an article today, 1/31/17, stating their intention to use the Berkeley College Republican’s event to launch their campaign targeting the undocumented student community on our campus. Here is the article: 

http://www.breitbart.com/milo/2017/01/31/milo-horowitz-start-campaign-sanctuary-campuses/ 

There are concerns that he will be employing the strategies of using pictures and personal information of Cal students during his speech which, as you know, is simultaneously being live-streamed therefore making these images widely available and subsequently putting students at risk. 

Also, please know other targeted groups on our campus have experienced Horowitz’ tactic of publicizing the names and pictures of individuals on posters throughout campus property and there is a likelihood that there will be Horowitz-backed posters pasted throughout our campus tomorrow publicizing the Milo event in conjunction with targeted individual’s names. 

BCR has expressed their position condemning these tactics and, in fact, have been victimized themselves. We are deeply concerned for all students’ safety and ability to pursue their education here at Cal beyond Milo’s speech. At the bottom of this email are campus resources for reporting incidents. 

Please let me know your thoughts on what BCR can do to address the concerns that Milo’s event may be used to target individuals, either in the audience or by using their personal information in a way that causes them to become human targets to serve a political agenda. Let me know if I can be a resource in managing this issue.