We want to bring you up to date on activities that occurred during campus closure related to the illegal actions at the site of the proposed Biomedical Sciences building on Science Hill.
Several people still remain camped in redwood trees above the parking lots adjacent to the Physical Sciences building.
The actions of these tree sitters and those who have aided them have created a health and safety concern for the UCSC community and disrupted the operations of the campus. This has been especially difficult for the faculty, staff, and students who teach, work, and study in that area.
Since the end of fall quarter, the campus has taken several steps to respond to this situation:
. On December 17, campus grounds crews spent several hours on the site, cleaning up trash and debris left by people who had been illegally camping on the ground there since November 7. The clean up also restored parking--including disabled spaces--that had been impacted by the encampment.
. We are seeking a court order that would expressly prohibit named defendants and all other individuals from engaging in the types of activities that have occurred at the site. A hearing is scheduled for January 9 in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
. Several citations have been issued at the site in connection with activities there.
. In addition, Student Affairs staff have continued to visit the site on a regular basis to check on the health and welfare of any students there, and UCSC police have continued to issue daily warnings about violations of law and campus regulations.
We want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the many faculty, staff, and students who have engaged in positive and constructive dialogue over the past few weeks regarding this situation. We support such efforts and believe they underscore UCSC's essence as a place where people can discuss and debate their differences--in a manner that is respectful of all members of our community.
If you haven't already done so, please take a few minutes to review the information posted on the following web site:
www.ucsc.edu/news_events/protest/biomedical/
We will continue to keep you updated on this situation.
