From our colleagues at the California Faculty Association and Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union (PTLFC-AAUP-AFT, Local 6324):
On May 15, 2024, several hundred heavily armed police were called in to break up a peaceful encampment at UC Irvine in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Among those arrested that day was UC Irvine Global Studies Professor Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, a world-renowned scholar of race, global studies, and decolonial theory. Aware of the racialized police violence that had already endangered students on other UC campuses, Prof. Willoughby-Herard had gone to the protest site to protect her students. While following well-established protocols for deescalating confrontations between police and protesters, Prof. Willoughby-Herard was assaulted and harassed by police, significantly injured, and arrested. She was booked into a county jail facility where she remained for approximately 24 hours before being charged with resisting arrest.
Ultimately, the legal case against her was dismissed. However, almost a year later, UC Irvine charged her with having violated multiple sections of the faculty code of conduct. Following a lengthy hearing process, a UC Irvine Senate Committee has recommended that Prof. Willoughby-Herard be suspended for a quarter without pay and a letter of censure be placed in her personnel file. The final decision on any sanctions that Prof. Willoughby-Herard may face—including and up to her possible dismissal—now rests in the hands of UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman.