Identity of Speakers
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BT Werner
Faculty/Staff
OtherProfessor of Geophysics at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Rally or protest
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
University investigation issuing in sanctions
Faculty sanctioned
Campus police
Other Law Enforcement
State Campus Free Speech Act
Title IX or other federal statute
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
On May 1, 2024, UC San Diego students established a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus as part of demonstrations related to the Israel-Hamas war. The encampment included demands for university divestment from entities students argued were connected to Israel’s military actions in Gaza and other institutional changes. Professor BT Werner, a UC San Diego faculty member, participated in the encampment and later became the subject of disciplinary proceedings related to the demonstration. The encampment ended on May 6, 2024, after tents and other materials were removed.
Following the encampment, UC San Diego began investigating Werner’s involvement in June 2024. In February 2026, Werner was notified that the university would pursue disciplinary proceedings based on alleged violations of faculty conduct policies arising from participation in the 2024 encampment. UC San Diego stated that the proceedings concerned alleged conduct violations during the demonstration rather than Werner’s political views or speech. The matter proceeded under UC San Diego’s faculty conduct and discipline procedures, with a faculty disciplinary hearing scheduled for May 2026.
Public attention to the disciplinary proceedings increased on April 6, 2026, when the Council on American Islamic Relations San Diego, Faculty for Justice in Palestine, and Students for Justice in Palestine held a press conference regarding disciplinary actions against Werner and other faculty members connected to the 2024 encampment. The organizations called on UC San Diego to reverse the sanctions. On April 12, 2026, Werner was identified as one of the UC San Diego professors facing discipline related to the pro-Palestinian encampment.
UC San Diego stated on April 20, 2026, that Werner’s disciplinary matter involved alleged conduct during the encampment rather than punishment for speech or political expression. On April 23, 2026, additional information regarding Werner’s case indicated that the university investigation began in June 2024, Werner received notice of disciplinary charges in February 2026, and a faculty disciplinary hearing was scheduled for May 2026.
The disciplinary proceedings continued into May 2026, when the Council on American Islamic Relations San Diego, UC San Diego students, and faculty members held a press conference on May 18, 2026, regarding Werner’s case. The disciplinary hearing was scheduled to begin on May 19, 2026.
