UC Davis becomes HSI eligible with more than 8,000 Latine students
UC Davis is now eligible to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) after fall enrollment numbers crossed the threshold for the first time on Oct. 29. The federal designation, which allows campuses to apply for grants to serve Latine students, becomes available after 25% of the student population is Latine.
Latine enrollment at UC Davis peaked at 8,100 students, or 25.1% of the student population this year. In the previous year, Latine enrollment was at 24.6%.
“I’m grateful to all the members of the UC Davis community who worked for nearly a decade to reach this milestone,” Chancellor Gary May said in a UC Davis News article. “Achieving eligibility for HSI designation shows that UC Davis is fulfilling its mission to serve the state, the nation and the world.”
The University will likely renew its status in January, as it is already a Minority Serving Institution through its designations as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. HSI would also be added under its Minority Serving Institution umbrella.
“This synergy provides opportunities to deepen our understanding of and better serve Asian, Pacific Islander and Latinx students,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Pablo Reguerín said in the article. “It helps us build a more inclusive campus community and links together the success of all students.”
Federal judge permits pro-Palestinian protestors to participate in antisemitism suit against UC Berkeley
A federal judge has allowed six pro-Palestinian student protestors at UC Berkeley to present their perspective in a lawsuit filed against the school alleging antisemitism, according to CBS News.
The lawsuit was filed in 2023 by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a nonprofit that supports the civil rights of Jewish people. The plaintiffs argue that UC Berkeley failed to protect students and faculty against antisemitic discrimination and harassment due to the school not immediately clearing the pro-Palestinan encampment or stopping pro-Palestinan demonstrations.
The suit focuses on Berkeley Law Students for Justice in Palestine, a student group that adopted a bylaw that banned supporters of Zionism from speaking at its events. Roughly 22 other groups across the UC adopted variations of this bylaw.
“Anti-Zionism is different from criticism of Israel or opposition to the policies of the Israeli government,” the lawsuit states. “Anti-Zionism rejects the very right of Israel to exist and denies Jews the fundamental right to self-determination.”
Attorney Ronald Cruz, who spoke on behalf of the six pro-Palestinian student protestors, said the lawsuit asks the federal courts to make any criticism of Israel illegal under the claim that it is “antisemitic.”
He said a trial would present an opportunity for the students to clarify their message. The student coalitions protest called for the University to divest from companies that benefited from the war in Gaza, Cruz said, and not that they are antisemitic.
In June, the University filed a motion in the U.S. district courts to dismiss the case, and the decision is still pending. The University argued that halting the encampment or demonstrations would have violated students’ constitutional rights.
A version of this article appeared on p. 2 of the Oct. 31, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.
Gary May should be ashamed of his behavior as UCD chancellor. There’s a reason he only allows comments from people who praise him on social media. His predecessor also tried using university resources to cover up bad behavior, and she was forced to resign as a consequence. Those watching Gary May do the same thing without protest are complicit.