San Jose State faculty condemn racist conduct toward Black Student, criticize administration

MercuryNews

San Jose State faculty leaders formally apologized this week to a black student allegedly bullied for weeks by his white roommates, saying the reported abuse should have been stopped sooner.

" ... This despicable behavior may have been significantly reduced had it been addressed promptly," says a resolution passed by SJSU's Academic Senate.

The senate executive committee also begged the administration to renew its focus on diversity and to follow through on earlier suggestions for change.

Last month, four white SJSU freshmen were charged with misdemeanor crimes, accused of tormenting their black roommate for weeks. The four students -- who reportedly told police that the abuse was just a prank -- have been suspended while their criminal and campus discipline cases proceed.

The resolution also echoes broader concerns raised by faculty and students, including assertions that SJSU President Mo Qayoumi shelved a diversity master plan that was published before his arrival. The 122-page document calls for a more diverse faculty and measures to prevent "intercultural hostilities" and "cultural isolation," among other recommendations.

A former administrator who coordinated the plan said she met with Qayoumi after his appointment in 2011, but he didn't seem interested implementing its ideas.

"... It wasn't continued, and nothing replaced it," said Rona Halualani, an SJSU communications professor who was a special assistant to former SJSU President Don Kassing.

Now, she said, "No one really knows what the plan is."