OCC demonstrators rally to support embattled sociology instructor
Supporters of an Orange Coast College instructor congregated on campus Monday morning, calling on the administration to reprimand the OCC Republicans club for releasing what she and the demonstrators called a false statement about her denying three club members entry to a public event in March.
Various student groups, including the Feminism and Sociology Club, held signs and chanted “We pay tuition to this place, get them up out of our face” and “Hey hey, ho ho, admin neutrality has got to go.”
Jessica Alabi, the sociology and gender studies instructor embroiled in the controversy, appeared at the demonstration and said the African American/Women’s round table discussion was an invitation-only meeting and not part of a series of public events for Women’s History Month, as the Republicans club claimed.
The club asserted on its Facebook page last week that Alabi denied three group members, including club President Vincent Wetzel, admission to the discussion, telling them, “You can’t be here” and asking, “What are you even doing here?”
The club demanded disciplinary action against Alabi, with Wetzel questioning whether she has a “vendetta against Republicans” and saying “she’s supposed to include a non-discriminatory and welcoming environment for all her classes.”
The group called attention to the incident after receiving a response from the college to a California Public Records Act request the club filed. Members requested emails from administrators discussing the club and received in that information some emails from Alabi addressing her frustration to administrators in March.
In an interview Monday, Alabi said: “The current narrative is manipulated and filled with lies from the Republicans club. I feel like the people needed to hear the truth.”
She said that since the club’s Facebook post, she has received hate mail and phone calls from people calling her names.
Asked if she would file a formal complaint against the club, Alabi declined to comment but said the college’s lack of communication is problematic.
“These students have put out a press release that isn’t factual or true,” Alabi said. “The college doesn’t respond to the email saying, ‘This is the truth of what’s happened.’ ”
OCC spokesman Juan Gutierrez initially said last week that the round table was a public event. The next day he corrected himself, saying it was not.
Gutierrez said Monday that the college is investigating the matter and is “fact finding.”
“The college appears to ride the fence and are scared of the (Republicans club) and their support and attorneys and supporters in the community, and I think that’s sad,” Alabi said.
However, she added that “there is nothing these young men can do that I would run away [from].”
Wetzel said in an email Monday that the club still believes Alabi’s actions were wrong and that he asked for an investigation for “policies to be implemented in order to protect students from discrimination on the basis of political affiliation.”
Shaline DeGuzman, a member of the sociology club, said the demonstration was in response to what she called harassment and lack of safety caused by the Republicans club.
“We all have different opinions and ideals, but the main priority should be to protect the faculty and students,” DeGuzman said. “As a student, it’s hard to learn, especially during finals week, when a professor is at fear for her life. But we have to reply back and say the truth of the events.”
Demonstrators marched to the administration building, stated their demands outside and then walked in to try to talk to OCC President Dennis Harkins. They were eventually told Harkins was out of the office and would be in meetings until late in the afternoon.
They then headed toward the office of Madjid Niroumand, the college’s vice president of student services.
The demonstrators again stated their demands and asked Niroumand why the college hadn’t taken action against the Republicans club.
“I appreciate your time being here, and as issues come up, we’re committed to follow up and take the appropriate procedures to have a safe environment,” Niroumand told them. “I cannot say what you can and cannot do; you certainly have the right to take action in the things you’re doing. … The administration is committed to safety to all students and the campus community and the faculty.”
Niroumand was repeatedly interrupted but reminded students of the formal process of filing a complaint. He assured them of the college’s commitment to taking complaints seriously.
Rob Schneiderman, president of the Coast Federation of Educators, which represents instructors in the Coast Community College District, attended the demonstration and said he was proud of the students for “standing up for what’s right.”
Schneiderman said he received emails last week from students who said they had left the Republicans club because of “bad experiences” and “intimidation.”
“This isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue, it’s about students who are intimidated or harassed by other students,” Schneiderman said. “We can’t stand for bigotry or intimidation. It’s unacceptable.”
Wetzel, however, said Monday’s demonstration speaks “volumes to just how intolerant of a campus we are at.”
“The utter lack of respect for the rules of our campus shown on the part of faculty and students today is ridiculous,” Wetzel said. “These individuals entered the administration building and then demanded to make numerous demands of campus administrators. Had the OCC Republicans acted in the same fashion, we wouldn’t have been treated in such an accommodating fashion.”
This is the second time in recent months the club has had a public dispute with a faculty member.
Tensions escalated last year after student Caleb O’Neil secretly recorded human-sexuality professor Olga Perez Stable Cox calling President Trump’s election victory “an act of terrorism” during class.
O’Neil shared his video with the Republicans club, which posted it online.
News of the video spread quickly, sparking a nationwide debate between those who said Cox had the academic freedom to express her views in a private setting and those who argued that her statements went too far.
Twitter: @vegapriscella
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