By Bella Brannon and Eli Tsives
Restoring a truly inclusive campus climate requires accountability and Alicia Verdugo’s resignation is a step towards that goal. While she has framed her departure on their own terms, the reality is that her tenure was defined by blatant discrimination against Jewish students, violating UCLA’s anti-discrimination policies and federal law, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Leaked internal messages revealed that Verdugo explicitly instructed her staff to reject Zionist applicants to the Cultural Affairs Commission, resulting in the exclusion of every applicant who expressed a Jewish identity– none of whom made mention of Zionism or Israel. Their commission also blocked Jewish students from official social media pages, denied them access to events, and openly endorsed acts of terror against Israelis. In a telling display of disregard, even Verdugo’s written statements defending themself contained multiple misspellings of “antisemitism.”
Verdugo cites threats to their physical safety as the rationale for her resignation, and Ha’Am unequivocally condemns all threats and doxxing. While no student leader should be subjected to such behavior, it is crucial to acknowledge that Verdugo’s own actions contributed to a hostile campus environment in which Jewish students were systematically excluded, and many faced harassment simply for speaking out. Unlike Verdugo, these students sought redress through established university procedures and legal avenues, not through exclusion or intimidation. Their resignation, though overdue, is not in itself justice.
But Verdugo did not act alone. A broader group of students not only felt entitled to but righteous in discriminating against Jewish applicants—all while operating under the banner of “Cultural Affairs.” Expressing negative beliefs about Israel and Jews is protected speech; institutionalized discrimination against Jewish students is not. UCLA has the opportunity to foster a culture of free inquiry and a formative experience for all students, but by refusing to provide consequences for over two years of Verdugo’s behavior, the administration is allowing radicals to run roughshod over institutional guardrails, shifting the university’s mission away from education and toward ideological activism. This radical capture of universities is not just a problem for Jews or Zionists—it threatens the integrity and success of institutions that are essential to American society.
UCLA must ensure that future student leaders are held accountable for upholding the True Bruin Values of respect, accountability, integrity, service, and excellence. This moment should serve as a turning point, one where UCLA reaffirms that all students, regardless of background, deserve equal access to campus life, free from bias and exclusion.
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