After months of protests and condemnations of the Pacifica Forum, which some label a hate group, University of Oregon students have worn down the University Senate's opposition against formally rebuking the Pacifica Forum.

The Pacifica Forum, known for denying the holocaust and making comments about women and rape that some deem offensive, has been called out as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Many students have rallied for its removal from campus both inside the campus government and outside of the Forum’s meetings. They say Pacifica creates a threatening environment and a breeding ground for white supremacy.

Pacifica has provided “free speech forums” and hosted debates on contentious topics on campus for years.

Two administrators sponsored the resolution. Bob Bussel, director of the University Labor Education and Research Center, and Margie Paris, dean of the University School of Law, were concerned for student safety.

“While the students were very vocal, we were concerned that the University be vocal as well,” Bussel said. “Another thing that we were concerned about was when people stood up and spoke out, that they felt vulnerable and alone. This resolution will help people who felt threatened by the Pacifica Forum know that they are not alone.”

The Senate’s decision to denounce the group “in the strongest possible terms” came after a previous decision, only days before, to move the group for a second time to a location off the main campus. The student government had already passed a resolution in opposition to the Forum about a month before.

The group was moved earlier during winter term to accommodate the influx of protesters who made the room too small for group meetings.

“It puts them further away from directly antagonizing the majority of the University community, and that’s a positive thing,” Bussel said. “But I think the type of speech that they engage in and the types of views that they consider is obnoxious. This move doesn’t remove the need to be vigilant, to scrutinize and speak out.”

The passage of the resolution culminated in a university listserv message notifying the campus of the new position.  The message said “the University Senate will publicize this stand widely throughout the University community.” 

A university press release will be the sole form of official publicity about the resolution. The president of the University Senate said that they will not pursue other actions at this time.

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