A letter in support of Chancellor Katehi
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
Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=108038
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Posted by Letters to the Editor
on Nov 22 2011.
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All,
I understand completely your human motivations to protect Chancellor Katehi. One can look at this and feel a twinge of empathy for her. Who has not found themselves in a situation that they could not get out of? If this were just the actions of a rogue cop, then it would seem appropriate to perhaps allow her to stay.
However, she agreed to a very high salary with the trust that she would protect students. As they say “The buck stops here!” If it true that it does not stop with her then we should investigate that.
To dismiss justice because she is a woman and an engineer does a massive disservice to the entire community. It is insulting to other women, other scientists, other engineers to protect her not because her policies were just and responsible but because she is a woman and an engineer.
Your last sentence needs rewording gang. Perhaps you meant calls for her resignation rather than “her calls for resignation”. I don’t think you really wish to denounce calls the Chancellor has yet to make.
Your letter states the following: The Chancellor has already demanded that the officers be censured.”
A vicious criminal act was done to those students and you use a word like “censure” .. Truly, in my opinion you are as out of touch with reality as your chancellor…….Censure indeed. try prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.. I suggest you take a break from academia and get a dose of real life.
Vicious criminal act? I think not. A mis-use of force, perhaps, depending on force use guidelines governing the police officer and his department. If he violated force use, then matching disciplinary action should be taken, but get rid of the Chancellor? Amazing how folks fail to do the most basic research for situations. Plus make unreasonable demands. UC Davis students and faculty asking for the Chancellor to resign, show your intelligence, consider all the facts and due process, and let the system work to resolve it.
I support this petition.
I do wonder why no other leader has been attacked like she has when similar events have happened. I do think women and minority leaders get more heat than male leaders when things go wrong.
The word censure is appropriate.
It’s quite clear she did not commit a vicious criminal act. Also, yes, the pepper spray was wrong, but there is a bit of an overreaction in the words used above. Perhaps you should watch some videotapes of protests at UC Berkeley.
I don’t know why UC Davis faculty are jumping all over this. I am disappointed in the lack of discourse, the irrational finger pointing, and their behavior. Yeah, you get as much attention as Berkeley for once – so you are going to throw your lead admin out to dry just to seek attention? There are no facts to support her involvement. Scientists and scholars of all fields should care about facts.
I feel like somehow the people making the uproar don’t have the campus’ best interests at heart.
A lot of people at UC Davis (and the JC’s in California for htat matter) and at other universities have high salaries.
That doesn’t mean that when police brutality occurs, they caused it.
Is this trial by salary? Or by fact??
Grow up UC Davis physics and English. You have made a bad choice for your campus, and your rationality and fairness are in question.
Again, faculty at UC Berkeley don’t act like this.
so glad they stepped up to counter the cacophony of craziness!