In response to the thousands of signatures calling for Dr. Katehi’s resignation, UC Davis supporters have started circulating a petition of our own.

The letter reads as follows:

It is regrettable that some students were pepper sprayed by a police officer last Friday, November 18th, during a protest regarding UC finances and budget cuts. However, it seems that pleas for her resignation are short-sighted. UC budget cuts are more of a state legislative matter than a campus matter. Thus far, the issue has become a national news story and there are thousands of signatures supporting her resignation. Most likely a high ranking officer commanded the police to pepper spray the students, not the Chancellor. The Chancellor has already demanded that the officers be censured.

There are so few women in engineering, let alone women chancellors in the U.S. who are also engineers. Chancellor Katehi is a noted engineer and seems to have overcome a great deal of adversity as a female to reach her position on campus. Although not all of her policies have been popular, she has carried out her position with marked professionalism. In light of current events, she seems to be in the cross-roads of a series of circumstances.

We as UC Davis scientists and engineers support Chancellor Katehi and denounce her calls for resignation.

Signed,

Dr. Boaz Arzi, DVM, resident

Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, Ph.D., P.E.
Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering (as himself and not representing the department as a whole)

Bess-Carolina Dolmo, MPP, Ph.D. Candidate Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Jerry Hu

Dr. Angelique Y. Louie. Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Jeni Lee

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