The recent events involving the protesting students at UC Davis created an unnatural storm on the UCD campus and caused complex reactions by many citizens of the university, the city of Davis and beyond. There are signs that the storm is abating, and hopefully, this will never happen again.

The students have a right to seek help regarding their need for an education that is becoming unaffordable to them. This is the emphasis of their demonstration on the Quad. Regrettably, what happened is their protests were met with a response of force that was harmful and totally inappropriate.

The responding officers did not take into account the rights and the important status of the students. These are the precious kinetic and dynamic sources of knowledge, energy and inspiration for building wholesome nations and a safer world.

What happened to the students in their appeal for attention to their concerns may be the saddest and most embarrassing of occurrences. It was an aberration by the persons responsible for keeping the campus safe for all: students, administrators and visitors — an egregious demonstration of disregard for human dignity.

The apparent result from this harsh storm started yet another storm by critics, citing unfounded facts and misleading information, blaming the administration, namely the highly regarded chancellor, Linda Katehi. The chancellor had no prior knowledge of the excessive force used to remove the protesters’ tents. Katehi’s request, when she summoned the campus police, was simply, “Remove the tents. If the students resist, back off. I do not want any violence.”

This demonstrates that the chancellor acted wisely and responsibly in this action, and therefore should not be blamed, and certainly should not have been exposed to such cruel and painful negative rhetoric that has ensued. The ongoing investigation should validate her care for the safety of the students, and peaceful approach to conflict.

I have known Katehi since she first became the chancellor. I remember that another distinguished chancellor, her predecessor, Larry Vanderhoef, referred to her during the consideration for that position as a “superstar.”

In my meetings with her, I concluded that she is a humanitarian and compassionate scholar and administrator with a love for the students and her work. If she is given the opportunity, she will shape UCD to be a precious jewel in the crown of American academic institutions.

Kamal S. Yackzan, Ph.D.

Davis

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