LEO Union Council Statement on Student Surveillance

The Lecturers’ Employee Organization condemns the University of Michigan’s use of law enforcement and plainclothes security contractors to follow, record, and otherwise harass its students both on and off campus. While we applaud the recent decision to terminate all contracts with outside vendors providing plainclothes security on campus, it does not restore the trust broken by the unchecked activities of these individuals over the past year. Private contractors represent just one aspect of the University’s strategy to intimidate and silence activism and chill free speech. We also call on University of Michigan leadership to rethink the relationship between its internal police force and the students, employees, and community members impacted by their actions.