On May 8, 2025, the Council of UC Faculty Associations, of which the Riverside Faculty Association is part, sent the message quoted below to UC leadership. We requested that the cybersecurity mandate be delayed until the end of Fall 2025 while transparent, accountable use policies were developed. We have received no answer from leadership, therefore, we have renewed our call for a postponement of the mandate. The unresolved questions and grave concerns expressed by faculty across the UC system must be addressed, through shared governance, not a mandate from above.
The UCR Senate and ITS will hold a Q&A town hall on the mandate and its implementation next Tuesday, May 27, 10:30 am- 12:00 pm. We encourage you to attend the town hall and express your concerns about the software. Register here: https://ucr.zoom.us/meeting/register/jqbtVUt6ToOprzyfFTSa3g
Sincerely,
The Board of the UC Riverside Faculty Association
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Dear President Drake, UC Regents, Chancellors, and UC Senate Chairs:
We recognize the urgency of digitally securing data for our students, patients, and scholarly use, especially given the past hacks and breaches of digital security at UC. However, faculty on all campuses, along with local senates and faculty associations, the University Committee on Academic Computing and Communications (UCACC), and the UC-wide Senate have repeatedly raised grave concerns about the implementation timeline, chosen software, software configuration, and use of data. Many questions remain around invasions of privacy and academic freedom, as well as the software’s reliability, compatibility with research protocols, and spyware characteristics. The UC Office of the President promised to respond to these concerns, but never did.
This being the case, we request a delay in implementing this mandate until the end of Fall 2025 and the creation of transparent, accountable use policies clarifying software capabilities, allowable uses, and abuse mitigation methods.
Over 1,300 UC faculty members have signed a petition supporting the above requests.
Given the significant and unresolved concerns articulated by faculty across the University of California system, as evidenced by the widespread support for this petition, we urge your serious consideration of this request for a delay. Postponing the mandatory implementation of this software until the end of Fall 2025, coupled with the development of clear and transparent use policies, will allow for the necessary dialogue and due diligence to ensure the security of our data without compromising the fundamental principles of academic freedom, privacy, and research integrity that are essential to the University of California’s mission. We look forward to your timely and positive response.
Fiat Lux,
Council of University of California Faculty Associations (CUCFA)