College Editor Placed on Probation Over Article

A student editor of the East Los Angeles College newspaper was placed on disciplinary probation for a year Monday for his authorship of an article that the college president said violated the right of a student government leader to keep her academic record private.

The editor, Porfirio Flores, could have been expelled but still reacted angrily to the decision by President Arthur Avila to reprimand him instead. Flores said he will appeal the action to the Los Angeles Community College District chancellor because the probation chills press freedom on campus.

“I’m not happy at all,� said Flores, who is scheduled to become editor-in-chief of the Campus News in the fall. “All they’ve done is push me around and stomp on me. I feel abused.�

The controversial May 4 article alleged that Lisa Quesada was not taking enough classes to remain as student government president. The piece was based on--and accompanied with a picture of--Quesada’s academic transcript, a copy of which Flores said was mailed anonymously to the newspaper. In addition, a photographer for the paper, saying she was a friend of Quesada, obtained a copy of Quesada’s receipt for school fees from a records clerk.

Quesada and school administrators maintained that the article was incorrect and that the transcript did not reflect courses she had added. But far more serious was their contention, in a formal disciplinary action, that federal, state and college district privacy rules were violated.

Flores and journalism teacher Jean Stapleton said Quesada gave up privacy about her qualifications when she became a student leader, no matter how the transcript was obtained. U.S. Supreme Court decisions allowing newspapers wide freedom to write about elected officials apply to student leaders, they said. Furthermore, they contend administrators want to silence the newspaper, which has been critical of campus policies.

A campus disciplinary committee recommended that the charge be dropped because the student who was then editor-in-chief, not Flores, had final say about the article. But in a letter Flores received Monday, college president Avila disagreed, saying: “Regardless of how many people were responsible for the content of the publication, the writer of the article also shares in the responsibility. . . . The administration of this college and the district counsel do not hold that Lisa Quesada is a public figure.�

Disciplinary probation puts a student under close watch for further violations that could lead to permanent expulsion from all nine colleges in the Los Angeles district, according to Diane Lucero, a school spokeswoman.

Quesada, whose presidency ended last month and who has transferred to USC for the fall, said she was pleased that Avila recognized her right to privacy.

“I knew I might be up for criticism as a leader. But I would have seriously questioned even running for office if I knew my grades and Social Security number might be published,� she said Monday.

She added that she thought Flores should not be allowed to become editor-in-chief.

Flores, 31, was also reprimanded for taking part in classes without being properly registered. He said that he tried several times to clear up the confusion about his registration.

Avila also reached a decision on charges facing photographer Beatriz Beltran. However, Beltran said she had not received her letter Monday, and Lucero refused to disclose its content, saying it was confidential. Beltran, however, already has transferred to UC Riverside.