Dear UCSF Community,

As we begin the new academic year, I thank you for your hard work and dedication to UCSF’s mission of advancing health worldwide through discovery, education, and patient care. It also is an important opportunity for us all to reaffirm our principles of community and to ensure that all members of our campus are informed about the rights and the responsibilities of free expression.

New members of the UCSF community will find that the diversity of our community is a key driver of excellence in all mission areas. Let us take the start of the year as an opportunity to reinforce to everyone that the UCSF community welcomes all people, regardless of ancestry, religion, ethnicity, country of origin, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, age, or any other different identity. I call on all members of the UCSF community to cultivate and sustain a culture and climate of inclusion by recognizing the lived experiences of others in our community and engaging respectfully with those who hold different views. 

It is important that everyone understands the rules, regulations, and resources that exist to achieve these goals. We urge you to consult this detailed information about the policies and procedures impacting expressive activities that support a safe and inclusive environment for all members of the UCSF community. 

Freedom of speech and the right to engage in nonviolent demonstrations are bedrock principles throughout the University of California. In keeping with that tradition, there are many campus avenues for students, faculty, and staff to advocate for their views. Examples of this include organizing or joining peaceful demonstrations, participating in on-campus forums, and engaging with student, faculty, and staff organizations and committees. In all situations, we must work to ensure that all members in our UCSF community feel welcome and able to participate freely in our work or educational programs or activities.

As we support members of the UCSF community exercising their First Amendment/freedom of speech rights, UCSF has important responsibilities to uphold. 

• As we care for patients, we must prioritize our patients’ rights to be cared for in a healing environment, by providers who earn their trust, and attend to their comfort. Expression of personal viewpoints or advocacy in ways that may be acceptable on a university campus may not be appropriate within a clinical setting. Our policies reflect this. 
• We must ensure our ability to pursue our learning, teaching, research, and patient care work safely and without disruption. 
• Equally important, we will take action to protect all members of our community from harassment, intimidation, threats, and violence of any kind. 
• Finally, as stewards of public resources, we must protect University property. 

UCSF’s policies impacting expressive activities are aligned with recently passed California State legislation, which requires the UC system to develop a systemwide framework for consistency in implementing and enforcing these rules and regulations. Together, these policies undergird our principles of community and our shared UCSF PRIDE Values, and help foster a healthy, thriving campus climate for all members of our campus community.

Thank you for your individual and collaborative contributions to the extraordinary promise of what we can accomplish together.

Sincerely, 

Sam Hawgood, MBBS
Chancellor
Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Distinguished Professor