Breaking News: UCLA Administration issues “intent to dismiss” notice to lecturer over encampment arrest.

LOS ANGELES — UCLA has notified lecturer Eric Martin of its intent to dismiss him, citing his arrest during a May 2024 campus protest and his refusal to participate in a university investigation.

Martin, a lecturer in the Center for the Study of Religion for six years, was arrested May 2, 2024, during a police force sweep of the Palestine Solidarity Encampment. On April 12, 2025, UCLA sent him a notice stating its plan to terminate his appointment in May, citing noncompliance with time, place, and manner (TPM) policies and “insubordination” for declining to participate in the review.

The notice also barred Martin from campus and deactivated his UCLA email, preventing him from informing students. Martin had already begun teaching his spring quarter course when students arrived on April 15 to find another instructor in his place. They were not notified of his dismissal, leaving some to wonder why he had not shown up.

Martin said he had taught four class sessions over two weeks and that, as far as he is aware, the department has not informed students of his dismissal or why a replacement lecturer was assigned. The university had approved all classes Martin was scheduled to teach throughout the academic year, including the spring quarter.

Different procedures apply to faculty and staff following the arrests at the encampment. Lecturers and staff are subject to Human Resources investigations, while tenured and tenure-track faculty face review by an Academic Senate committee. The Senate committee opted against sanctions, finding insufficient evidence of misconduct beyond arrest records.

On April 26, 2025, Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced that her office would not pursue charges against the more than 205 people arrested during the raid, citing support for freedom of speech and assembly. Despite the city attorney’s decision, UCLA has continued disciplinary actions through other university branches, extending measures to staff and students involved in protests.

In a statement obtained by Poppy Press, Martin said he was told he would be fired effective May 12. He criticized the university’s handling of protests and said he refused to participate in the internal investigation because he believed officials should instead review the conduct of police, counterprotesters, and administrators.

“On April 12, UCLA sent me about a 150-page packet through FedEx saying they intend to fire me on May 12, and that I’m banned from campus and using my email,” Martin said. “The reasons given are non-compliance with TPM and insubordination for not participating in their investigation.”

“The letter was dated April 11, and my next class was April 15,” he said. “In that time, no one informed my students & there was no replacement to teach the class. So, everyone showed up and waited for class to start, having no clue why I wasn’t there. As far as I understand, UCLA still has not told them.”

“Since UCLA already spent $10 million on handling the protests, I think it’d be a better use of money to investigate the people who beat our students with poles, the police who opened fire on our students, and administrators who enabled this violence through action or inaction,” Martin said. “All three of those groups seem to be in egregious violation of the UC Statement of Ethical Values, UCLA’s Principles of Community, and the True Bruin Values that are being used as norms for misconduct. In my thirteen years of teaching first grade and college courses, I’ve never seen such reckless endangerment of students’ lives. The real harm they’ve done to our community needs addressing if we’re going to move forward in a loving and just way.”

“I hope having one less meeting makes your Friday more enjoyable, and that we can cross paths someday under friendlier circumstances,” Martin added.

Martin teaches courses on global liberation theologies, religious fascisms and antifascisms, and the use of the Bible in U.S. justice movements.

On the student-run site Bruin Walk, Martin consistently received the highest possible ratings. “Professor Martin is hands down one of the best at UCLA,” one student wrote in 2022. Another student in 2024 said, “Professor Martin is so knowledgeable and clearly cares about his students a lot.”

UCLA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.