BY Alexandra Mendoza
The dismissal of a Cal State San Marcos (CSUSM) advisor upset a student coalition who is now demanding his reinstatement.
Arturo Ocampo, who was the Associate Vice-President of the Office of Diversity, was released by the school; the exact reasons remain unclear. Thus far, school authorities have stated that the dismissal was due to “personnel reasons.”
The Students United for Social Justice Coalition immediately started a movement on campus demanding answers.
“There’s a culture where if you [talk about social justice and controversial issues] you are automatically considered a problem, that you’re not working in the university’s best interest,” shared student activist Karen Guzman.
Clearly upset, CSUSM students attended a forum with University President Karen Hayes where they had the opportunity to voice their demands due to Ocampo’s dismissal, which students called an attack on diversity.
Their requests included more resources for the Ethnic Studies and Women’s Studies departments, opening an African-American Student Center, gender-neutral restrooms, renaming the campus’ community center the Center for Social Justice, and reinstating Arturo Ocampo.
The document also calls for the President’s resignation unless the students’ demands are met and if it became clear that “President Haynes is incapable of supporting and acknowledging the students’ concerns regarding diversity”.
In response, the President committed to look into each of the petitions, but said from that some fall out of her purview.
In previous statements, university officials had told the media that diversity “has always been a priority” and that they were undergoing an internal reorganization in which the Office of Diversity – where Ocampo worked – would become part of another department.
School staff members also expressed their disagreement with Ocampo’s release.
“The students had in Arturo a champion who would fight for them. He created spaces we did not have before to talk about topics such as diversity, social injustice, and aggressions to a level of detail we previously could not,” shared professor Michelle Ramos, stating that they have not received an explanation about the firing.
She also regretted that the Office of Diversity was moved into another department, expressing that it would lose its autonomy.
“With his dismissal, we have lost spaces we did not have before him. We don’t know whether we’ll be able to get them back”.