The Undergraduate Senate (UGS) passed a resolution on free speech developed in a 9-1 vote with two abstentions. The resolution was developed with the Graduate Student Council (GSC).
During its Tuesday meeting, the UGS also discussed student concerns about surveillance in outdoor areas and heard updates from the Academic Integrity Working Group (AIWG).
First amendment resolution passes
The first amendment resolution, authored by Perry Nielsen M.S. ’24, proposes updated language on University free speech policies to address and protect specific student groups like international students, as well as generally increase clarity on protest policies. The bill hopes to clarify Stanford’s policies on free-speech zones like White Plaza and include captive audiences in the Fundamental Standard.
Senators Divya Ganesan ’25 and Dilan Desir ’26 questioned Nielsen on specific language from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the resolution. Title VII protects “employees and job applicants from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.”
In the wording, Nielsen wrote that when students are situationally “viewed as workers,” they should be protected under Title VII statutes against “a hostile work environment or [conditions that] interfere with a student’s ability to do work.”
Ganesan and Desir pushed back against comparing students and “employees,” prompting Nielsen to clarify that he believed referencing Title VII would prevent peer-to-peer harassment.
“Your job, your role as a student … if we include undergraduate students and graduate students, graduate students are working for a stipend and have very clear expectations that are very much in line with an occupation,” Nielsen said.
When pressed by Desir to explain the reasoning behind Title VII, Nielsen also referred to several appellate level court cases that considered students as employees to back his point.
After a heated debate between Senators, the first amendment bill passed with nine votes in favor, two abstentions, and one vote against, from Desir.
Concerns over security footage
The UGS heard updates from Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) Executive President Sophia Danielpour ’24 about video surveillance conducted by the Office of Community Standards (OCS) in outdoor areas. She said she spoke with Samuel Santos, associate vice provost for inclusion, community and integrative learning, about student concerns associated with the security footage.
The cameras “were installed without any sort of student input, feedback or knowledge in student residences, filming outdoor spaces … which has made students quite uncomfortable. OCS is given access to that footage,” Danielpour said.
Danielpour said OCS administrators told her footage is only used with the intent to investigate theft or assault. However, she raised the concern that OCS was violating student privacy and could use the footage for other purposes.
Academic Integrity Working Group (AIWG) updates
Following concerns over academic integrity and Stanford’s Honor Code, the Academic Integrity Working Group (AIWG) announced a tentative launch date in Spring 2024 for a pilot proctoring program. AIWG was formed to study the causes behind academic dishonesty and test potential changes to the honor code, including an equitable in-person proctoring protocol.
Xavier Millan ’26, who was nominated last November to head AIWG, said the group “only [has] a short list” of potential courses that will be part of the program, and intends to launch on a small scale, before gradually increasing with instructor feedback to improve logistics.
The UGS also discussed plans to bring back the tradition of “Flix,” in which movies are shown on campus for free, but said restrictive policies on space rentals may hinder this. UGS also unanimously approved grants for student groups, including the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB).