The ACLU of Northern California is harshly criticizing UC Santa Cruz’s treatment of students accused of participating in the occupation of UCSC’s Kerr Hall last November. Citing UCSC’s “failure to provide notice of specific factual allegations” and “its imposition of significant financial restitution payments without a hearing,” the chapter declared its belief that the students constitutional rights have been violated.

In a seven-page letter to the university’s chancellor and the chair of its academic senate, the chapter detailed the improprieties and inadequacies of the disciplinary process currently in effect, and urged UCSC to take immediate steps to remedy the legal and constitutional deficiencies of its current approach.

The chapter sent a letter to Berkeley’s administration earlier this month alleging similar deficiencies in that university’s treatment of student protesters. About a week ago, more than a hundred Berkeley faculty signed a petition echoing those charges.

The letter to UCSC has not yet been made available online. When it is, I’ll update this post with a link and a more detailed discussion of its contents.