The 20-year-old male student who displayed a knife in a sociology class Feb. 25 comes from a “mixed-race family,” contrary to posts on social media up to this point that stated he was white.
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The race of the individual became an issue both on social media and in the administration-led student forum, but could not be revealed without the student’s permission.
“ … One parent is African American and the other is Caucasian,” according to a list of frequently asked questions about the incident Cal State Long Beach released online on Wednesday. “The student has authorized the release of this information to clear up ongoing misconceptions about the incident.”
According to the FAQ, more information about the incident cannot be released during the ongoing investigation and much of the student’s information will remain protected due to the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
A petition created by CSULB’s Black Student Union on change.org referred to the student as a “white-passing male.” There were 1,008 signatures on the petition as of 11 p.m. last night. The list of demands are:
1) Expel the white-passing male student who displayed the knife.
2) Fire CSULB Dean of Students Jeffrey Klaus.
3) Establish a Student Oversight Committee for Risk Assessment.
The petition states that the letter, along with its growing number of signatures, will be delivered to President Jane Close Conoley.
Conoley met with BSU members at what a flyer called #BlackoutLB for a talk in front of the Nugget Grill and Pub yesterday at noon. The BSU requested that press not cover the event.
The professor and one other student saw the male student holding a 2.2-inch knife in a sociology class on race, class and gender while his group was standing to give a presentation to the rest of the class, according to CSULB President Jane Close Conoley in an email to the Long Beach NAACP chapter President Naomi Rainey March 9. The student claimed to have been cleaning his nails when the professor tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to come with her outside. Once there, the professor told the student he could not have a knife in class and asked him to leave. The professor went into the class to gather the student’s things for him, and he left.
“The male student was assigned to another class,” Conoley said. “All his other professors were told of the incident and all indicated they were willing to keep him in their classes.”
There are currently three entities investigating the incident: the Long Beach Police Department, the campus Judicial and Ethical Development Office and the NAACP.
Valerie Osier and Yasmin Cortez also contributed to this story.
The professor is NOT on leave. Why is the president commenting publicly on the professor’s supposed anxiety? That’s inappropriate and insensitive.