CSUF’s Academic Senate pauses livestreaming, allows recordings

Since the start of the fall 2025 semester, Cal State Fullerton’s Academic Senate has stopped livestreaming and offering recordings of their bi-weekly meetings.

Previously, these processes were routine, and while audio recording for reporters has since been permitted again by the senate as of Oct. 3, livestreaming is still postponed.

According to Matthew Jarvis, chair of the Academic Senate, the intent behind cutting livestreaming was for the privacy and safety of those in the Senate after members raised concerns.

The concerns for privacy and safety created a barrier that temporarily prevented Daily Titan reporters from being able to routinely record the Aug. 28 meeting and using the recording of the Sept. 25 meeting in a typical manner.

Since the Academic Senate is a decision-making body of CSUF, these recent changes raise questions of potential law violations.

While both the Brown Act and the Bagley-Keene Act touch on the legislative bodies of campuses, both California acts fail to outline state university-level Academic Senates specifically.

The Brown Act covers community colleges, but it is unclear whether CSUF’s Senate would fall under the Bagley-Keene Act, according to Jarvis. This leads to regulations often being made in-house.

On Oct. 3, the Daily Titan met with Academic Senate officials to clarify their stance on recording and livestreaming during meetings. At this meeting, the Academic Senate emphasized that its intent was not to try to hinder the journalistic process.

“We had to deal with an issue that was in front of our face, at that moment,” Jarvis said. “Now that we’ve had time and have talked with people with more of a journalism background, we can identify how to handle the situation.”

Out of an abundance of caution, the Academic Senate paused recordings while "reviewing these concerns and seeking guidance on how to handle recordings in a way that protects participants and continues to inform the campus community," according to Jarvis.

The Academic Senate chair said the campus community can expect a resolution within this semester regarding livestreaming.

Sara Leon, managing editor of the Daily Titan, contributed to this article.