Hecklers on Monday (Feb. 27) disrupted the Israeli Soldiers Tour, a two-speaker event presented by the international organization StandWithUs and sponsored here by the Chai Life student club and Chabad of Davis.

Campus officials said the organizers requested police support a couple of hours before the evening event, held in 106 Wellman Hall. The department provided a supervisor and two security officers from Aggie Hosts — who are Police Department student employees, trained in special event security.

Acting Police Chief Matt Carmichael and three of his officers also were on the scene, as was a staff member from the Office of Student Affairs. After the heckling broke out, Ralph J. Hexter, provost and executive vice chancellor, and Don Dudley, director of Student Judicial Affairs, arrived as well.

Police followed the campus's usual approach to conflict, which is to resolve issues with dialogue and engagement wherever possible.

The Student Affairs staffer and a police sergeant persuaded the most disruptive heckler to leave voluntarily, and this individual was barred from re-entering the venue until the event had concluded.
Hexter spoke with other hecklers outside the room.

Officials said the event continued, and police provided a security escort for one of the speakers after the program had concluded.

Carmichael explained to several people at the event that it was his direction not to make arrests while mediation and dialogue were ongoing.

Police officers had the authority to act in the event of violence or potential violence, and other avenues would have been considered had mediation and dialogue not been successful.