Dive Temporary:
- The chief of Sonoma State College stepped down abruptly final week, shortly after the California State College system put him on depart over “insubordination.”
- President Mike Lee introduced final week that Sonoma State had brokered an settlement with pro-Palestinian scholar protesters that largely met their calls for. However Cal State Chancellor Mildred García stated the transfer was made “with out the suitable approvals.”
- Nathan Evans, Cal State’s deputy vice chancellor for tutorial and scholar affairs, introduced Thursday that President Mike Lee had tendered his resignation, efficient instantly. Evans is now Sonoma State’s appearing president.
Dive Perception:
Professional-Palestinian activists have elevated the stress on faculties to divest from Israel-affiliated corporations and weapons producers in response to the Israel-Hamas struggle and Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Lee’s resignation highlights the stakes school leaders are going through when responding to those scholar protesters.
Following multi-day negotiations with scholar protesters, Lee introduced final week that Sonoma State would participate in an educational boycott of Israel. He additionally stated the college would improve transparency round monetary investments of its basis and discover “divestment methods that embody searching for moral alternate options.”
Moreover, Lee joined the group SSU College students for Justice in Palestine in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“I’m happy to witness that our college students have successfully chosen to not be on the sidelines of historical past throughout this important second,” Lee stated in his Might 14 announcement. “They’ve peacefully utilized their company, information, and fervour to impact change, and for that I’m grateful.”
Cal State positioned Lee on administrative leave the subsequent day due to “this insubordination and penalties it has introduced upon the system.”
The identical day, Lee issued an apology.
“In my try to search out settlement with one group of scholars, I marginalized different members of our scholar inhabitants and neighborhood,” he stated in that assertion. “I notice the hurt that this has brought about, and I take full possession of it.”
On social media final week, the Jewish Neighborhood Relations Council’s Bay Space chapter applauded García for placing Lee on depart, calling the deal made between Lee and the coed protesters “unlawful and inappropriate.”
However the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ San Francisco Bay Space chapter condemned Lee’s departure, calling it a “termination within the guise of an abrupt retirement.”
“His removing comes within the wake of his brave resolution to satisfy with and settle for the calls for of SSU college students advocating on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza,” the group stated Friday. The council cited information displaying the dying toll in Gaza has surpassed 35,000 individuals and argued that Israel’s actions quantity to genocide.
SSU College students for Justice in Palestine additionally criticized Cal State’s dealing with of the state of affairs in a social media put up on Friday.
“These actions set an institutional narrative and exhibit the tradition of structural hostility in direction of directors, school, and workers who’re keen to problem the colonial construction of the liberal college,” the group stated.
Evans, Sonoma State’s appearing president, lauded Lee’s previous efficiency as head of Sonoma State and acknowledged “a level of disappointment” brought on by the change in management.
“We’ll create areas and locations to course of President Lee’s retirement and different latest developments as a neighborhood within the coming days and weeks,” Evans stated in a campus message on Thursday.
Since Lee’s sudden departure, Sonoma State has eliminated his authentic announcement on the brokered deal, in addition to his apology, from its web site. In its Friday put up, SSU College students for Justice in Palestine referred to as on Evans to honor the settlement Lee brokered.
Sonoma State didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark Monday. It’s not clear whether or not officers will honor the deal or negotiate with the coed protesters.
Lee got here out of retirement in 2022 to steer Sonoma State as interim president. The Cal State board of trustees then named him president in Might 2023. Previous to retiring in 2018, Lee served as a vp at Sacramento State College.
