January 3, 2017Chancellor Nicholas DirksCalifornia HallUniversity of California, Berkeley Dear Chancellor Dirks,We are ritin! to i"#lore you to cancel a #lanne$ s#eakin! en!a!e"ent %y &ilo 'ianno#oulos, ho has %een invite$ %y Berkeley Colle!e (e#u%licans for )e%ruary 1, 2017* We su##ort %oth free$o" of s#eech an$ aca$e"ic free$o" on ca"#us an$ reali+e that controversial vies "ust %e tolerate$ in any ca"#us co""unity $e$icate$ to o#en $e%ate an$ o##ose$ to censorshi#* lthou!h e o%-ect strenuously to 'ianno#oulos.s vies / he a$vocates hite su#re"acy, trans#ho%ia, an$ "iso!yny / it is rather his har"ful con$uct to hich e call attention in askin! for the cancellation of this event* We ill enu"erate so"e of his vies %elo, %ut also then focus on his con$uct, the re#etition of hich oul$ clearly violate the co$es of con$uct that o#erate to kee# the ca"#us a harass"entfree s#ace for our hole co""unity* We un$erstan$ that if a $ecision to cancel ere %ase$ on the #olitical vie#oints he hol$s, e ourselves coul$ %eco"e su%-ect to censorshi# un$er other circu"stances* We su##ort ro%ust $e%ate, %ut e cannot a%i$e %y harass"ent, slan$er, $efa"ation, an$ hate s#eech*s you "ay kno, he has la%ele$ Black ives &atter a for" of %lack su#re"acis" an$ ar!ues that the #rotest "ove"ent shoul$ %e la%ele$ a terrorist or!ani+ation4 he refers to #rinci#les of $iversity at colle!e ca"#uses asantiWhite racis"* He has also $enounce$ ra#e culture as a "yth #ro#a!ate$ %y fe"inists ai"e$ s5uarely at un$er"inin! "asculinity* &ore serious, hoever, as his reference to o"en as cunts at a recent event at the University of West 6ir!inia* He "ocks ca"#us cultures of inclusiveness an$ invites his au$iences to ri$icule #eo#le ith $isa%ilities* t a talk at the University of Delaare in cto%er, he referre$ to trans!en$er #eo#le as "entally ill, a$$in!8 Never feel %a$ for "ockin! a trans!en$er #erson* 9t is our -o% to #oint out their a%sur$ity, to not "ake the #ro%le" orse %y #reten$in! they are nor"al* 9n the sa"e s#eech, he a$vocate$ fatsha"in!* #art fro" hol$in! such no:ious vies, he actively incites his au$iences to harass in$ivi$uals* 9n July of this year, 'ianno#oulos as #er"anently %anne$ fro" ;itter for hat the or!ani+ation $escri%e$ as <#artici#atin! in or incitin! tar!ete$ a%use of in$ivi$uals< / he incite$ his folloers to %arra!e an frican"erican actress ith hate s#eech* We ur!e you to consi$er the seriousness of this clai" an$ hat it fore%o$es for his visit to Berkeley*'ianno#oulos.s vies #ass fro" #rotecte$ free s#eech to incite"ent, harass"ent, an$ $efa"ation once they #u%lically tar!et in$ivi$uals in his au$ience or on ca"#us, creatin! con$itions for concrete har" an$ actually har"in! stu$ents throu!h $efa"atory an$ harassin! actions* =uch actions are #rotecte$ neither %y free s#eech nor %y aca$e"ic free$o"* )or this reason, the university shoul$ not #rovi$e a #latfor" for such harass"ent*When 'ianno#oulos visite$ the University of Wisconsin, &ilaukee on Dece"%er 13
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of this year, he s#oke in his #u%lic lecture a%out a trans!en$er stu$ent at the university in $ero!atory ays, !oin! so far as to #ro-ect a #icture of this stu$ent $urin! his lecture, one that as si"ultaneously %roa$cast on the Breit%art e%site* >&ost of his talks are livestrea"e$ onto the Breit%art site, as the Berkeley talk is likely to %e, if it !oes ahea$*? =he as in the au$ience an$ he #ro-ecte$ an ol$er #hoto of her, referrin! to her as he an$ re"arkin! that <;he ayyou kno he@s Asic faile$ is 9 can still %an! hi" Asic*< He continue$ to ri$icule an$ vilify her in front of the liveca"#us au$ience an$ the online au$ience* ;he stu$ent as so $istur%e$ %y this e:#erience that she ith$re fro" the university, feelin! %etraye$ %y the a$"inistration hich ha$ !rante$ a #latfor" to a s#eaker knon to
o#erate in this ay an$ faile$ to intervene to #rotect her fro" harass"ent* 9n a si"ilar fashion, 'ianno#oulos often "akes use of a tar!et ca" $urin! his lectures hich +oo"s in on stu$ents in the au$ience, #ro-ects their i"a!es in front of the au$ience ithout first securin! #er"ission, as he s#eaks in $ero!atory an$ insultin! ays a!ainst the" an$ to the"* =tu$ents are not #u%lic fi!ures, an$ they $o not a!ree to have their likeness #ro-ecte$ in #u%lic or to %e $e"eane$ si"#ly %y virtue of atten$in! an event* &oreover, 'ianno#oulos is incitin! >an$ in$ee$, co""ittin!? harass"ent %y sin!lin! out stu$ents as tar!ets of $erision for his folloers* =uch harass"ent risks violatin! our o%li!ations un$er ;itle 9 to #rovi$e an environ"ent free of se: an$ !en$er %ase$ harass"ent / in$ee$, this s#eaker.s chronicle$ %ehavior sets a "o$el for hat e seek
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to #ro"ote on ca"#us throu!h our on antiharass"ent co"#liance orksho#s an$ vi$eos* 9t is our res#onsi%ility to ensure that Berkeley stu$ents are not su%-ecte$ to this sa"e treat"ent on )e%ruary 1* ;he recent announce"ent that the ca"#us a$"inistration is re5uirin! that the Berkeley Colle!e (e#u%licans raise u# to 10,000 for security costs of course in no ay #ree"#ts the #ossi%ility that there ill %e incite"ent, $efa"ation, slan$er an$ harass"ent at this event* We have hear$ Dan &o!oluf.s e:#lanation that there is little "ore that the university can $o, that the )irst "en$"ent #rohi%its the University fro" censorin! events an$ that ca"#us re!ulations sti#ulate that (e!istere$ =tu$ent r!ani+ations are se#arate le!al entities fro" the University* We are still left ith 5uestions e ask you to anser* s e un$erstan$ it, (=s like the Berkeley Colle!e (e#u%licans !et a $iscount on the rental for Eauley Ballroo"* Has the university su%si$i+e$ 'ianno#oulos.s talk throu!h this $iscountF Ho $o you reconcile this ith our o%li!ation to #revent se:ual harass"ent an$ the na"e$ function of our EHD, the office for
prevention
of harass"ent an$ $iscri"inationF 9f the event !oes forar$, as e ho#e it $oes not, hat $oes the a$"inistration #lan to $o shoul$ the s#eaker harass so"eone in the au$ienceF What "easures in !eneral ill %e taken hen lecturers invite$ %y stu$ents also feel free to #ass fro" #rotecte$ s#eech to har"ful con$uctF ;he university.s o%li!ation to #rotect the ca"#us co""unity fro" har" ou!ht to take #rece$ent over contractual o%li!ations ith re!istere$ stu$ent or!ani+ations, if an$ hen an invite$ s#eaker has "a$e it clear that harass"ent is characteristic of his #resentations* We $irect your attention to several re#orts of his con$uct as ell as successful efforts on the #art of other universities to cancel his events, inclu$in! the #ro%le"s face$ %y universities that $i$ not antici#ate his harass"ent tactics in a$vance* His talks sche$ule$ at N'U, University of &ia"i, )lori$a =tate University last "onth ere all cancelle$4 the N'U a$"inistration cite$ concerns for co""unity safety, an$ De Eaul has issue$ a state"ent clai"in! that he ill not %e invite$ %ack to ca"#us* ther ca"#uses, 'ale an$ Colu"%ia, have #ost#one$ his visit, in 'ale.s case in$efinitely* 'ou "ay fin$ evi$entiary su##ort for our clai"s in these various re#orts online8htt#8GGny"a!*co"GthecutG201G12G"iloyianno#oulosharasse$atransstu$entatu"ilaukee*ht"l
offviolentharass"entGFut"KsourceLface%ookMut"K"e$iu"Lsocialflo We ur!e you to cancel the #lanne$ s#eakin! event for &ilo 'ianno#oulos as soon as #ossi%le* =incerely,li+a%eth %el, Erofessor, De#art"ent of n!lishWen$y Bron, Class of 13 )irst Chair, De#art"ent of Eolitical =cienceJu$ith Butler, &a:ine lliot Erofessor, De#art"ent of Co"#arative iterature9an Duncan, Erofessor, De#art"ent of n!lishDonna Jones, ssociate Erofessor, De#art"ent of n!lishDavi$ an$reth, ssociate Erofessor, De#art"ent of n!lish=a%a &ah"oo$, Erofessor, De#art"ent of nthro#olo!yin$a (u!!, Erofessor, De#art"ent of =can$inavian an$ ssociate Dean of rts an$ Hu"anitieslena =chnei$er, ssistant Erofessor, De#art"ent of History=usan =cheik, Erofessor, De#art"ent of n!lishstelle ;arica, ssociate Erofessor, De#art"ent of =#anish an$ Eortu!ueseOatrin Wehrhei", ssociate Erofessor, De#art"ent of &athe"aticsDa"on 'oun!, ssistant Erofessor, De#art"ents of )rench an$ )il" an$ &e$ia =tu$ies