On Thursday afternoon, Cal Poly Humboldt’s University Senate met a two-thirds majority to make a vote of no confidence for President Tom Jackson and Chief of Staff Mark Johnson. The general faculty of the university demanded the immediate resignation of both Jackson and Johnson.
While the results need to be verified by staff to ensure all votes are valid —many proxy votes were made due to the short nature of the meeting — Patrick Malloy said the preliminary count Thursday for both proxy votes and those polled at the meeting surpassed a two-thirds majority.
The resolution notes that shortly after students occupied Siemens Hall, the university called on multiple law enforcement agencies to respond, which included dozens of armed, non-university police officers arriving at Siemens Hall wearing body armor and carrying shields.
“President Tom Jackson and Chief of Staff Mark Johnson, through their unfamiliarity with the Cal Poly student body, mishandled the protest by calling those law enforcement agencies to attempt to extract protesters from Siemens Hall, which led to the injury of students and faculty of Cal Poly Humboldt,” the resolution states.
Three students were arrested and some were injured in a clash with police. According to student protesters interviewed by the Times-Standard over the past week, the initial aim was to occupy the building and allow classes to continue — however, the administration responded by closing off the building, evacuating classes and later calling seeking the aid multiple police agencies to remove the group. Now, dozens are barricaded in the hall with demands including divestment.
The resolution states the general faculty of Cal Poly Humboldt has no confidence in the leadership of President Tom Jackson and his Chief of Staff Mark Johnson. It demands Cal Poly Humboldt not pursue disciplinary action or legal prosecution against any students for actions taken in connection with the protest and occupation of Siemens Hall. It calls for accommodations to be made for students to complete the semester and compensation for student employees.
Chair Jim Woglom, who has been meeting with the occupiers, emphasized the need to get the kids out of the building safely at the meeting. He said he planned to meet with the occupiers Thursday afternoon to discuss demands.
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Previously, faculty considered including Provost Jenn Capps in the resolution. It’s not clear why she was excluded in the vote, but some at the meeting called for the resolution to be amended to include her again. The California Faculty Association called for Capps to be included earlier in the week.
“While I respect so much the strategies, the tactics that y’all are using to be there on the ground, really working with our students and really concerned about their safety, the concerns that Jenn (Capps) made yesterday in the framing of the meeting that gathered all of us together, never took into consideration the safety of our students. They only served to try to fear monger, to try to encourage us to be complacent,” with militarized tactics like law enforcement, said Nicola Walters.
Woglom said it was essential to pass the resolution.
“I promise that I will raise a resolution to y’all based on whatever you want, as long as we get those kids out of there,” he said.
Faculty at the meeting commended the quick nature of the resolution, which was initiated around 8 a.m. Thursday morning.
Sage Alexander can be reached at 707-441-0504.
