The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) announced its designation of Stanford as a “hostile campus” at a press conference held at their Santa Clara office Wednesday.

“Hostile campuses” are “campuses known for targeting anti-genocide voices,” according to CAIR’s website. Any universities that oppose a campus environment where pro-Palestine voices cannot “enjoy free speech and academic freedom” without being subjected to disciplinary action are subject to this designation by CAIR.

Jeffrey Wang, CAIR-SFBA’s legal representative, pointed to Stanford’s updated free speech guidelines, which “could further limit discourse around Palestine and student activism” as one reason for the designation.

The updated free speech guidelines were released early September following wide scale protests last year, including encampments that led to frequent conflict with the University.

“Stanford’s administration has enabled a climate of fear and intimidation by failing to protect [Muslim, Palestinian and pro-Palestine students],” CAIR-SFBA’s civil rights coordinator Hibah Hammoudeh said.

A Stanford clinical researcher Eman, who did share their full name, said at the press conference that Stanford removed Li Ka Shing Center from the free speech zone the day before they were meant to hold a pop-up clinic in the space. 

“Stanford forc[ed] us to relocate and threatened us with arrest,” Eman said. 

The University lists several spaces approved for outdoor demonstrations, including White Plaza, Meyer Green and Manzanita Field. 

“As a result of aligning myself in protest with Palestine, I faced an involuntary suspension,” Germán González ’26 said at the press conference. “I was effectively unhoused and taken from the community.”

González is one of several students who faced disciplinary action last spring following the occupation of the president’s office.

On June 5, approximately 10 students barricaded themselves inside of Building 10 in Main Quad — the president’s office — while dozens of others surrounded the building. Following the incident, 13 individuals who entered the building were arrested, including one Daily reporter.

Many of the protesters involved were suspended and temporarily banned from campus until Office of Community Standards (OCS) proceedings were completed. González was not permitted to return to campus until winter quarter, and said that the University “[dragged] their feet” throughout the disciplinary process.

In January, CAIR began their “Unhostile Campus Campaign,” which advocates for campus environments to allow free speech and academic freedom without students fearing punishment. The initial list designated schools such as Harvard University and Columbia University as “hostile campuses,” and has grown to a list of over 17 schools since.

Following the press conference this week, their website now includes Stanford University. It mentions Stanford’s tendency to “[suppress] speech and [punish] activism under the guise of policy enforcement” as the primary reason for its designation.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) standards ranks Stanford as number 218 of 251 academic institutions, placing it among the worst institutions for free speech in 2025. 

“Our policies are viewpoint-neutral and seek to protect the freedom of expression of all members of our community, to protect the rights of others in our community, and to prevent disruption of the university’s operations,” University spokesperson Dee Mostofi wrote in an email to The Daily. 

Mostofi also noted that the University’s student conduct process has been initiated in cases “where there have been disruptions of university operations, including the takeover of university buildings last year.” The process was utilized multiple times last year in response to the encampment and occupation of the president’s office, leading to controversy in the community. 

Pro-Palestine protesters had previously set up two campus encampments last year. One was a sit-in located in White Plaza that ended after 120 days, following negotiations with the University. The other was established during Admit Weekend to demand divestment from Israeli ventures, and was forcibly removed following the occupation of the president’s office.

Mostofi did not comment on the University’s planned response to the designation.

González remains uncertain for the future of student free speech. “I may not have a ton of faith,” he said in an interview with The Daily, pointing to president Jonathan Levin’s ’94 renewed commitment to institutional neutrality in an interview earlier this month.

“Neutrality often just means accepting the status quo. And the status quo in the United States is harmful,” said González.