By Scott B. Wong
Daily Bruin Staff
Chancellor Albert Carnesale approved an amendment to the UCLA
Student Code of Conduct Tuesday that allows for stiffer punishments
for individuals who commit a hate crime.
The amendment defined a hate crime as a violation of university
policy or campus regulation against any person or group because of
that person or group’s color, religion, ancestry, national
origin, disability, gender or sexual orientation.
Dean of Students Robert Naples, who also serves as assistant
vice chancellor of student and campus life, said the policy will
enhance sanctions for students found guilty of hate crimes.
“It is important to send the message that we recognize
(hate crimes) as a critical problem on campus,” said Naples,
who sits on the Student-Administrative Hate Crimes Task Force.
“We are ready to dole out punishments more severely if we
know this activity is taking place,” he continued.
For example, a student found guilty of defacing a dorm room
could be placed on a six-month probation, Naples said. But if the
student marked the room with a swastika and the victim was Jewish,
the student’s sanction could be increased from a probation to
suspension from school.
Sanctions for violating university policy may include monetary
fines, community service, disciplinary probation, a hold on
university records and suspension.
Last spring, student leaders initiated meetings with
administrators and police to establish a hate crimes policy after a
series of hate-related incidents occurred on campus.
In March, a white man kicked an African American woman down the
steps of Campbell Hall while yelling racial slurs.
That same month, the offices of two UCLA student magazines in
Kerckhoff Hall were vandalized ““ Ha’am, a Jewish
magazine, and TenPercent, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
newsmagazine ““ sparking dialogue about hate crimes among
students and members of the Undergraduate Students Association
Council.
Cheryl Marie Lott, general representative for USAC, was one of
three students on the task force.
“This sends the message that it’s not OK to target a
person for anything,” Lott said. “The university is not
standing for it.”
Her role in the task force was to share students’
perspectives with administrators and police and to provide
suggestions about what criteria should be included in the
policy.
Lott said more educational programs about hate crimes is the
best way to address the issue.
“We have to live in a world of different backgrounds, so
it’s important that we educate students before they are
confronted with a situation they are not familiar with,” Lott
said.
Prior to the amendment, students found guilty of committing a
hate crime on campus were still punishable by California law, but
no separate policy existed for the university until now.
Under the new amendment, students who commit hate crimes not
only face criminal charges, but also a fiercer punishment from the
university.
“(The amendment) is a way of explicitly stating disdain
and express our concern for this type of conduct,” Naples
said.
But Elias Enciso, internal vice president of USAC, said he
believes education, not punishment, is more effective in preventing
hate crimes.
“Stricter laws just criminalize people rather than
educating them,” he said.
Last spring, Praxis student groups put on programs dealing with
hate crimes, including art exhibits, teach-ins, workshops and
demonstrations, according to Enciso.
“Organizations of underrepresented groups and Praxis
council members fostered this type of education and awareness,
which otherwise would not be offered on campus,” Enciso
said.
“You don’t get this type of education in the
classroom,” he said.
In 1999, the UCLA FBI Crime Index statistics reported a total of
five bias motivated cases. The incidents included hateful words,
e-mail, fliers and pictures, said Nancy Greenstein, director of
community services for UCPD. Greenstein served on the hate crimes
task force.
Ronni Sanlo, director of the LGBT Campus Resource Center, said
she hopes the new policy will deter people from committing hate
crimes.
“Hopefully, with the enhanced policy, people will think
twice before they participate in anti-gay or anti-anybody
behavior,” Sanlo said.
Victims or witnesses can anonymously report hate crimes to the
center through its home page.
Hate crime policies on a state and local level have only really
come about in the last couple of years, Sanlo said.
“I’m surprised that all of it took so long to
do,” she said. “But in the big picture, the university
worked quickly.”
According to Naples, the UC-system will adopt a comprehensive
statement on hate crimes in the near future.
But UCLA is leading the way in enforcing a campus hate crimes
policy, he said.
“A lot of campuses haven’t gone this far yet,”
Naples said. “To my knowledge, I don’t know that any
other campus has devised a hate crimes policy.”