Posted on 10/20/2001 7:04:09 PM PDT by Shermy
Here's the latest from San Diego State:
Oct 18, 2001
The following statement from San Diego State University Vice President of Student Affairs James Kitchen pertains to a reported confrontation between students in the SDSU Library on Sept. 22 and the university's subsequent investigation of the incident:
Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, San Diego State University has shared the nation's sorrow over the tragedy and loss of life, as well as the resolve to heed President Bush's call to carry on our daily responsibilities in a civilized manner.
On Sept. 22, SDSU Public Safety officers were called to Love Library to investigate a complaint by a student who alleged that he and several fellow Saudi Arabian students were verbally harassed by another student, Zewdalem Kebede. Mr. Kebede alleged that the Saudi Arabian students, speaking in their native language, made statements approving of the Sept. 11 attacks, and that Mr. Kebede told them those comments were inappropriate. The Saudi students deny making any statements approving of the attacks. No citations were issued, although Public Safety did share the incident report with the appropriate law enforcement authorities.
Since a student had registered a complaint against Mr. Kebede with Public Safety, the university followed standard procedure and had Mr. Kebede meet with a representative from the SDSU Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities. The Center took no disciplinary action against Mr. Kebede and notified him in writing with a standard letter. The standard letter also warned him to abstain from engaging in behavior that could be considered aggressive or abusive.
San Diego State University is an international campus that values free speech and a free exchange of ideas, conducted in a responsible manner that does not present a threat to others. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, we have endeavored to maintain these standards of freedom, while at the same time protecting the individual rights and safety of our students. We have cooperated with law enforcement agencies investigating the terrorist attacks. We held a campus memorial for the attack victims that drew more than 3,000 students, faculty and staff, and we held a candlelight vigil as well. We hosted "town hall" meetings to foster a better understanding of our current situation, and we have taken precautionary steps to protect innocent Muslim or Middle Eastern students from potential backlash or hate crimes.
SDSU joins with all Americans in the desire to protect our nation's freedom and individual liberty, and we will protect that freedom and liberty by following due process and continued cooperation with law enforcement.
I will let the articles speak for themselves. First, the Daily Aztec reported on September 27:
"Four Saudi Arabian males were verbally harassed in the Reserve Book Room of Love Library at about 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 22. According to police reports, the four students were speaking in their native language when another man, who appeared to be a foreign national, began to call out to them from another table. Reportedly, the man accused them of being related to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.[use Daily Aztec search engine to find articles]
On October 17 the Daily Aztec printed "the rest of the story."
"Student: Attack praised
Conversation of three Saudi students about Sept. 11 events overheard in library
By Jason Williams
Managing Editor
On Saturday, Sept. 22, Zewdalem Kebede, a political science senior and native Ethiopian, was studying in the Reserve Book Room in Love Library. Nearby, a group of Saudi Arabian students sat talking in Arabic -- a language Kebede speaks fluently, having learned it in his native country. He was attracted to their conversation when the topic shifted to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"They started talking about the Sept. 11 action," he said. "And with that action they were very pleased. They were happy. And they were regretting of missing the 'Big House.'
"It was a long chitchat."
Kebede tried to continue studying, attempting to ignore the students, but finally he approached their table and spoke to them.
"Guys, what you are talking is unfair. How do you feel happy when those 5 to 6,000 people are buried in two or three buildings?" Kebede said. "They are under the rubble or they became ash.
"And you are talking about the action of bin Laden and his group. You are proud of them. You should have to feel shame."
Kebede spoke to the students in Arabic so as not to disturb others studying in the library.
"I didn't want to spread it," he said. "I didn't want the rest of students to hear it."
Another Saudi student approached from a nearby table and spoke to Kebede in English, asking if he had a problem with the other students speaking in Arabic.
A heated exchange took place.
Kebede told him there was no problem, and the man asked if Kebede was going to threaten them, to which he replied he was not and returned to his table.
After about 30 minutes, two university police officers approached Kebede and asked to speak with him. Kebede related his story of what had occurred. The officers informed Kebede that he should have reported the incident to them rather than get involved.
"I thought to report it to the police, in order that they follow it and so on, but they would hear my words only, so it is useless," Kebede said.
"It was upsetting. Very upsetting."
University Police said both parties involved in the disturbance were cautioned and statements were taken from one of the Saudi Arabian men and Kebede.
Because the Saudi students are listed as victims in the report and the case is non-criminal, theirnames cannot be released.
The police report states that University Police responded to a disturbance involving Arab students, that Kebede was contacted and that he understood Arabic.
No specific mention was made in the report regarding what Kebede heard the Saudi students saying.
University Police Crime Prevention Specialist Marc Fox said that it basically boils down to "a free speech issue."
"It's horrific, yet legal," Fox said.
All agencies are operating at a "heightened state" since the Sept. 11 attacks, Fox said, and a background investigation is conducted in any instances resembling a threat to see if a statement was "more than just rhetoric."
Fox said the university routinely networks with off-campus law enforcement, and that this case was passed on to "other agencies," though he could not identify them specifically.
"This case was looked at further," Fox said. "It was not dropped. Let's put it that way."The case is no longer active with University Police.
On Sept. 27, The Daily Aztec printed a crime brief detailing the verbal harassment of four Saudi Arabian men in the Love Library Reserve Book Room. In the brief, Kebede was described as a "foreign national" who accused the men of being connected to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Shortly before the publication of this brief, Kebede related his experience in the library to his History 514 class during a discussion about the terrorist attacks. Students from the class contacted The Daily Aztec about the inconsistency.
Kebede received a letter from the university's Center for Student Rights, dated Sept. 25, requesting that he set up a meeting to discuss his conduct in the Reserve Book Room. The letter stated that he had allegedly been "verbally abusive to other students" and that he had three days to respond or else face possible sanctions.
The letter also stated that "any student of a campus may be expelled, suspended, placed on probation or given a lesser sanction for: Abusive behavior directed toward, or hazing of, a member of the campus community."
Kebede said he met with University Judicial Officer Antionette Jones on Oct. 3.
"What she had heard previously and what I said to her when I went to give my statement according to the summons is different. She told me what the police officer reported. It was not proper or accurate what she had heard," Kebede said.
Cases handled by the Center for Student Rights are considered private and not made available to the public.
"What have I done to these Arab guys? I have done nothing," Kebede said. "How can they behappy when innocent people just perished? Vanished by the cruel actions of their own brothers.
"It's sad, that's what I told them. Of this am I going to be charged and penalized with a warning or a probation or expelling from school? No, damn. No one would do that. "I haven't committed any wrong."
In numerous addresses, President George W. Bush has made clear that the war on terrorism is not a war on the Muslim people nor the Islamic faith, stating that Americans should be tolerant and not treat Muslims different than any other American. Across the nation there have been episodes of hate, some deadly.
University President Stephen Weber entreated students not to give in to and propagate a backlash against international students on campus in an address at the Sept. 13 memorial for those lost in the attacks. Muslim Student Association President Omar Behnawa has been atching for the backlash on campus, and has yet to see any episodes of hate or anti-U.S. sentiment.
"I have no reason to doubt that it happened," Behnawa said about Kebede's experience. "I'm saying that it's a very sick thing. But I could possibly see that happening.[!]"A decision on the case has since been made, and Kebede will face no penalties at this time, though he was warned in a letter received Oct. 9 that future involvement in "confronting members of the campus community in a manner that is found to be aggressive or abusive" will result in severe disciplinary sanctions.
The letter also stated: "You are admonished to conduct yourself as a responsible member of the campus community in the future."
"I'm naturalized American. I have taken an oath to live to protect this country, so that is my part to do -- for that I am happy," Kebede said. "I am an honest citizen for this country. I showed those guys that there are people who love America, who defend America. That's what I showed.
"Is that a crime?"
_____________________
The Opinion Journal has reported on this case two times. The latest [Oct. 19] is:
"Sometime after we published yesterday's column, the Web page of the Center for Student Rights, which had been here, vanished from the SDSU server. Will they take down James Kitchen's page next?"
SUCCESSFUL FREEPI bet many posters here are responsible for the SDSU Center for Student Rights--as advocated on the Kebede Thread. The Opinion Journal suggests that Mr. Kitchen deserves the same attention. Here it is:
Division of Student Affairs, and its Comment Form
Unfortunately I cannot find an e-mail address for Mr. Kitchen. But I have one for the Ombudsman for the Division of Student Affairs, Ms. Susan Chappellet: chappell@mail.sdsu.edu E-MailI'm e-mailing her a report of an anti-american hate crime!
Also, here is SDSU President Steve Weber: steve.weber@sdsu.edu E-Mail
Mr. Kebede is a patriotic and brave fellow.
Weber and I had the following exchange...
From Weber...America's Fifth Column ... watch JIHAD! In America -- hereThank you for sharing your viewpoint on the Sept. 22 incident in the
SDSU Library, which involved a confrontation between several students.
Unfortunately, initial news stories on the incident didn't include all
the facts as gathered by the SDSU Police and SDSU's Judicial Officer.
Below is a link to Web page that includes a statement on the incident by
SDSU's Vice President of Student Affairs James Kitchen dated Oct. 18, 2001.
I encourage you to review the statement and also visit the site established
shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to see how the university
community has responded to this terrible tragedy.The Web page with Vice President Kitchen's statement is located at:
http://www.sdsu.edu/announcements/20010911-a.html
Stephen L. Weber
President
San Diego State UniversityMy response...
Vice President Kitchen's statement added nothing to the original
report that I read.It seems unlikely that a single black student would attempt to
harass three other students unless something was said or done that
just couldn't be ignored. If it wasn't words about the WTC
slaughter was it a personal slur of some kind? What did the Saudis
give as the reason for the confrontation?Rather than posting platitudinous drivel on your Web pages about
"innocent Muslims" you should be investigating the backgrounds and
associations of these students to determine whether or not expulsion
from the university and deportation are in order -- or summon the
FBI to do it.
Obviously not. What about Mr. Kebede's free speech rights? He has no right to critize the opinions of others?
This is pure PC cr@p.
"Is that a crime?"
Welcome to the USA Mr. Kebede. God Bless You.
The Arab Muslims are lying. They are emboldened by 9/11 successes and the resistance locally to criticize the Muslim community, by the politically-correct San Diego-Union-Trib.
Now this puts it all in perspective, Muslim or Middle Eastern students are the victims, so it is better for the rest of us just to keep our mouth shut as not to offend them. BARF!
The Arab Muslims are lying. They are emboldened by 9/11 successes and the resistance locally to criticize the Muslim community, by the politically-correct San Diego-Union-Trib.
Good for you. Is there an email adress for Mr. Kebede? He would make a great Freeper.
Thanks for the heads up.
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