A UCLA doctoral student said the university found Monday that he did not violate the Student Conduct Code while participating in a vigil for Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war.
The university charged Amed Galo Lopez – a history doctoral student – with conduct violations including disorderly behavior and failure to comply, according to a letter from Dean of Students Jasmine JS Rush that Lopez shared in a Tuesday Instagram post. UCLA alleged that Lopez set up an unauthorized encampment during a June 2024 pro-Palestine demonstration, according to the letter.
“This completely destroys the systems of due process by allowing a singular, biased individual to pick and choose what Student Conduct Code cases they wish to pass and which to influence through retrials if they do not agree with the Hearing Panel Committee’s decision,” the Undergraduate Students Association Council said in a Sept. 29 letter supporting Lopez.
Lopez was cleared of the charges following a Student Conduct Committee panel hearing in May, and Rush reopened the case after receiving a video of the incident that was unavailable at the time of the hearing, according to the USAC letter.
In the letter posted by Lopez, Rush said there is insufficient evidence that he violated the code of conduct during the vigil.
A UCLA spokesperson declined to comment on the cleared conduct violations.
Lopez said in an emailed statement that the dismissal of his charges is a victory for students, faculty and staff who want to advocate for Palestine.
“This is just one win of what could be many,” he said in the statement. “There is so much to fight for since many of our students, colleagues, and friends are still facing these atrocious university administrative threats and punishments of expulsion, imprisonment, deportation and annihilation.”
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