GSC calls for transparency on University’s sanctuary status and campus policing

The Graduate Student Council (GSC) emphasized the need for transparency and community dialogue around policing practices at their meeting March 31. 

“It’s important for us to be clear about safety and transparency,” said Lynde Folsom, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in psychology, referencing the ongoing escalation of federal immigration enforcement. Authorities have detained numerous international students and faculty involved in political protests at colleges across the U.S. on the Trump administration’s orders. 

“We need to clearly communicate which areas on campus are public and which are private,” Folsom said. 

4017 of the university’s 8180 acres fall in unincorporated land in Santa Clara County. The Stanford University Department of Public Safety (SUDPS) provides various safety, crime and emergency response services in this area but must comply with the orders of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.

Folsom stressed the need for a statement from the chief of SUDPS, affirming it will follow the direction of Santa Clara’s County Sheriff Robert Jonsen, who has publicly stated that the county does not intend to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Folsom shared that they had sent an email to Stanford’s Community Board on Public Safety and are awaiting a response to discuss Stanford’s sanctuary status. If tensions escalate, the council said they would push for a town hall meeting to address these concerns, citing concerns over previous incidents involving SUDPS officers, including an officer pointing a gun on campus.

The council emphasized that their priority should be to create an environment of trust where students feel safe to engage in freedom of expression.

After discussing concerns about students’ safety, multiple council members voiced concerns over The Daily’s reported coverage, calling it inaccurate or ineffective. Specifically, benefits and affordability chair Chris West MBA ’25 said that The Daily incorrectly reported that the GSC opposed including triples in the EVGR housing lottery. 

“Several times they have misquoted people. We should start thinking about how we can start working with The Daily to ensure [proper quotation],” said West. “In the current era of students clearly being targeted for speech, it’s very different and needs to be taken more seriously.”

West and others claimed that The Daily had refused to share quotes with a source before publication to let them approve it. The GSC also said The Daily published names of individuals who asked not to be quoted by name in coverage. The Daily’s policy is that anonymity generally cannot be applied retroactively and that anonymity requires a compelling reason. Council members discussed the possibility of requesting a meeting with The Daily’s editorial board and reconsidering the GSC’s funding for the coverage of GSC. 

The meeting continued with a student’s concern over the Office of Community Standards (OCS). The fifth-year graduate student, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, spoke out about the Office of Community Standards (OCS), citing their experience with a disciplinary case that the office concluded should have never been introduced. 

“The way discipline is done at the school right now is quite problematic,” the student said.  

The student also highlighted widespread confusion and anxiety surrounding confidentiality, noting that it’s unclear to students if speaking about their experiences with the OCS can result in disciplinary action. The student, who is a previous member of the GSC, opted to have a private discussion with the council about the issue to maintain confidentiality. 

OCS commented that students may speak openly about their experience with OCS, as long as the privacy rights of other students are protected, as stated by guidelines on their website. 

The council is also preparing for a leadership transition. Elections are to be held April 25 and 26, with the new council being sworn in during mid-May. Current members were advised to prepare transition documents to convey the current state of the council. 

The council raised concerns over low participation in the upcoming election. Only nine candidates are currently running for 15 seats. If need be, the GSC discussed plans to offer candidacy to students with the most write-in votes or conduct an internal search. Council members expressed confidence that the remaining seats will be filled in time. 

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