These unannounced modifications can be found at studentmanual.uchicago.edu
We found a few interesting modifications in the student handbook this past week!
Check out our favorite additions: (all the underlined content is new)
Building Occupancy Limits and Access.
To maintain a safe environment for all members of the University community, the number of people participating in a protest or demonstration must be considered and adhere to the occupancy limits of the protest or demonstration area. Walkways and entrances to and in buildings must remain open to allow others safe access and egress as well as passage through the area. Placards, banners, and signs generally are allowed but may not be dangerous for others or impede the participation of others in the life of the University. If the use of placards, banners, and signs are deemed to be dangerous or impede the participation of others, University officials will require the protesters carrying the placards, banners, or signs to move to a different location or remove their materials. Adherence to building closures is expected of people participating in a protest or demonstration within a University building and University officials will require that protestors or demonstrators leave at the time of building closure.
Policy Application.
Application of this policy does not preclude the application of other University policies or regulations as may be warranted by a given situation, e.g., Authority to Direct, University ID policy, use of the Dean-on-Call program, and UniversityDisciplinary Systems. Furthermore, a protest or demonstration that significantly disrupts the operations of the University or fails to adhere to building closures may lead to arrest and prosecution for violations of City of Chicago ordinances or State or Federal statutes.
Students study in President Zimmer's office on the fifth floor of the admin bldg.
Most clear though is that these changes were not coincidental. A quick scan through the entire 24 page document shows that the only pages that were heavily revised were those pertaining to building occupancy during protests, and those regarding the sexual harassment policy. The rest of the changes were either grammatical improvements or revisions to acronyms (ex: SCS is now SCRS.)
In the end, the housekeeper campaign was successful at preventing housekeepers from being laid-off, as the administration never expected so many people to learn about this issue and voice their support for campus employees. More information here: Chicago Weekly Blog Post. The administration knows this campaign worked and is trying to limit the success of future activism on campus.
There are also some other shady changes, such as a new line telling students to get city permits in order to hold protests on the sidewalk:
Like all other events or activities at the University, a request to hold a protest or demonstration should be submitted no later than 48 hours before the start of the event and must be approved by ORCSA
.and/or their appropriate Student Organization Adviser. Student Organization Advisers together with the Dean-on-Call will be engaged with student protestors and demonstrators during the event to help assure that the event is effective, participants’ safety, and does not disrupt the normal functioning of the University. Students are also asked to make appropriate arrangements to acquire city permits for events occurring on city sidewalks and streets adjacent to the University, and must adhere to city ordinances and applicable state and federal law.
Status update posted during the study-in
Also creepy, but something that most certainly is not new, is the way the student handbook begins:
Authority to Direct:
On those occasions when a staff member finds it necessary to exercise authority on behalf and in the best interests of the University, students are obliged to follow his or her directives. Failure to follow the staff member’s directive is a serious matter and may result in referral to an Area Disciplinary Committee. If a student believes that a staff member has acted improperly, the student should:
- Obey the instructions of the staff member.
- Inform the staff member that the student believes the staff member is acting improperly.
- Register a formal complaint with the student’s Dean of Students.
Again though – the “Authority to Direct” is nothing new, but this is the first time we’ve heard about it so we figured we’d share. All of the underlined stuff is new though.
Student Government members show their support for the housekeeper campaign, sending a letter to President Zimmer during the study-in
By the way – we found these changes by using the way back machine to look at archives of the student handbook webpage. Nov 13th was the most recent archive, which we compared with today’s version. http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http://studentmanual.uchicago.edu/student/index.shtml Let us know if we missed anything!
Want to learn more about the study-in that occurred during reading period last spring?
Students Hold Study-In to Protest Potential Lay-Offs
Student and faculty demands rejected, students threatened with arrest
About the Worker-Student Coalition
The Worker-Student Coalition is a collaborative project of nine RSOs and a dozen house reps.
Members include SOUL, MEChA, SSN, Roosevelt, SDS, GSU, UCAN, UCCIR, and OLAS.
Students Organizing United with Labor, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, Southside Solidarity Network, Roosevelt Institute, Students for a Democratic Society, Graduate Students United, UChicago Climate Action Network, University of Chicago Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Organization of Latin American Students
