August 1, 2022
President Jane Close Conoley
CC:
CSU Board of Trustees
CSU Academic Senate
CSULB Academic Senate
Provost Karyn Scissum Gunn, CSULB
Dean Deborah Thien, College of Liberal Arts
California Faculty Association (CFA), Statewide
California Faculty Association (CFA), Long Beach Chapter
Dear President Close Conoley,
We call on CSULB’s administration and the CSU Board of Trustees to reject the Statewide University Police Association’s (SUPA) call for an administrative investigation of Dr. Steven Osuna. SUPA’s targeting of Dr. Osuna represents an unprecedented attack on a faculty member, faculty of color, academic freedom, and an employee’s right to file labor grievances. We, the undersigned faculty, affirm the right of faculty to speak out against systemic racism. Moreover, we will not be intimidated by outside political pressure and interference exerted by police unions over our faculty working conditions.
On July 12, 2022, SUPA launched a formal complaint of misconduct against Dr. Osuna for allegedly making “false claims of racial profiling and racial discrimination.” This complaint fails to acknowledge the disparate racial impact that the enforcement of university policy has on faculty, staff, and students of color. While on the surface the unlock policy may not appear to exacerbate racial inequalities, how it is applied leads to unequal outcomes. Dr. Osuna’s treatment by CSULB University Police and the specific way the unlock policy was enforced on May 25, 2022, provide clear proof of such unequal outcomes. In fact, numerous white CSULB faculty members have shared that campus police have opened their office doors, in some cases without ever asking for identification, an example of how the policy has been differentially applied (*see the attached addendum for a selected compilation of recent testimonies of white faculty and faculty perceived as white).
The systemic context of the treatment to which Dr. Osuna was subjected at the hands of the CSULB University Police Department is not an anomaly nor should it be dismissed as a matter of policy or administrative procedure. Policies and their implementation, after all, are complicit in fostering systemic inequality and racism. Even as ongoing experiences of exclusion, violence, and devaluing shape how they exist in academia and the universities at which they work, scholars of color continuously struggle to find a place in those spaces. It is well documented that faculty of color are treated as outsiders at universities across the country, and as illustrated by Dr. Osuna’s experience, CSULB is no exception (Presumed Incompetent, On Being Included, Community as Rebellion).
Under the guise of following a policy, a CSULB police officer denied a faculty member of color reentry to his office after he locked himself out of the building despite the officer’s capacity to confirm the faculty member’s identity on the department’s website, or by looking up his campus ID number, or by simply entering his faculty office and looking at personal photographs that were inside, all of which are options that Dr. Osuna suggested at the time. Across the country, one of the ways that faculty of color are marked as outsiders by campus police is by being asked for campus identification to enter various spaces or simply for being on campus (Orelus 2013; García Peña 2022). Such police encounters with faculty of color routinely begin with assumptions of suspicion and criminality on the part of officers, due to pervasive forms of implicit bias and structural racism, rather than from positions of collegiality, aid, and collaboration. While for some the act of asking for identification may seem harmless, for people of color who face everyday policing and exclusion, such encounters are experienced as reminders that they are not welcomed simply because they are Black or Brown.
From the beginning, and exactly for the reasons detailed above, the CFA@LB and Dr. Osuna have wanted the unlock policy to be reviewed and revised by faculty and administrative governing bodies, as well as for you and the University administration to take steps to address the lack of proper accountability mechanisms for the University Police Department.
Accordingly, and alongside the CFA@LB and Dr. Osuna, we call on you to immediately begin the collective work of creating a mechanism of accountability that reflects this spirit and practice of inclusion, collegiality, and equality at CSULB. The University Police Department is not autonomous and must be accountable to the larger campus community and to the values stated in the CSULB Mission Statement: Educational Opportunity, Excellence, Diversity, Integrity, and Service. One concrete and important step in this positive direction is the necessary formation (in consultation with faculty and the CSULB Academic Senate) of a Campus Police Accountability Council. The existing UPD Community Engagement Group is insufficient in ensuring police accountability at CSULB.
Due to SUPA’s ad hominem attack, it is equally important to note that Dr. Osuna is an internationally renowned scholar, a highly decorated teacher, and a successful mentor of CSU students with expertise in the areas of critical criminology, racism, policing, and criminalization. SUPA’s response is no doubt an attempt to silence Dr. Osuna and to penalize him for bringing attention to the unequal and discriminatory application of the unlock policy. SUPA’s targeting of Dr. Osuna is not only an obvious attempt to distract from the core systemic issues of racism and policing at hand, but also potentially harmful for Dr. Osuna’s career and professional reputation. It also represents a broader attack on the academic freedom of CSU faculty, especially for scholars of color who study the destructive impact that systemic racism, incarceration, and policing have on society.
The University Police Department and the SUPA’s attempt to derail calls for accountability and reform by seeking retaliation against Dr. Osuna is yet another example of why we need systemic change. The tone of and the quite obvious intent behind SUPA’s public statement contributes to a larger chilling effect that extends well beyond Dr. Osuna as an individual by setting a potentially dangerous precedent that may pressure faculty who experience racial discrimination from campus police, as well as other forms of systemic prejudice and harassment, not to speak out in the future.
We unequivocally support Dr. Osuna’s call on you and the CSULB administration to work with CFA@LB (1) to revise the unlock door policy and (2) to create, in consultation with faculty and the CSULB Academic Senate and the community, a Campus Police Accountability Council that encourages communication, transparency, and accountability between the campus community and the University Police Department. We likewise call on you, the CSULB administration, and the CSU Board of Trustees to publicly reject, in no uncertain terms, SUPA’s attempt to criminalize and vilify an important and well-respected member of our CSU and CSULB communities. On numerous public occasions, you have affirmed and committed yourself to the long and difficult work of dismantling and eliminating systemic racism and discriminatory practices and policies at CSULB. In acting swiftly and working with CFA@LB, campus faculty, and the Academic Senate on the creation of a Campus Police Accountability Council, you can make a concrete, important, and immediate contribution to our shared goal of building anti-racism and inclusion on our campus.
In solidarity,
Dr. Jeannette Acevedo Rivera, Associate Professor of Spanish, Department of Romance,
German, Russian Languages and Literatures
Dr. Michael Ahland, Associate Professor of Linguistics
Dr. Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Jake Alimahomed-Wilson, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Sandra P. Arevalo, Assistant Professor of Human Development
Dr. Yousef Baker, Associate Professor of International Studies
Dr. Hyowon Ban, Professor of Geography
Dr. Lori Baralt, Chair and Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Nielan Barnes, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Azza Basarudin, Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Adam Butz, Associate Professor and Chair of Public Policy and Administration
Dr. Niloofar Bavarian, Associate Professor, Health Science
Dr. Anna Bax, Assistant Professor of Linguistics
Dr. Jutta Birmele, Professor Emerita, Romance, German, Russian Languages and Literatures
Dr. Emily Berquist Soule, Professor of History
Dr. James Binnall, Associate Professor of Law, Criminology, and Criminal Justice
Dr. Isacar Bolaños, Assistant Professor of History
Dr. Amy Cabrera Rasmussen, Professor and Chair of Political Science
Dr. Carole Campbell, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Mary Caputi, Professor of Political Science
Dr. Aaron Castelan Cargile, Professor of Communication Studies
Dr. Laura Ceia, Associate Professor of French and International Studies, Chair, International
Studies Department
Dr. Robert Chlala, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Dr. Maria Claver, Professor of Gerontology
Dr. Keith Claybrook, Associate Professor of Africana Studies
Dr. Maricela Correa-Chavez, Associate Professor of Psychology
Dr. F. Elizabeth Dahab, Professor of Comparative Literature
Dr. Jeff Davis, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Deshonay Dozier, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography
Dr. Darin DeWitt, Associate Professor, Political Science
Dr. Alison Ede, Associate Professor of Kinesiology
Dr. Shelley Eriksen, Professor of Human Development and Sociology
Professor Tyler Dilts, Lecturer, Department of English
Dr. Clorinda Donato, Professor of French and Italian
Professor Vanessa Dixon, Lecturer, Department of Sociology
Dr. Christine El Ouardani, Associate Professor of Human Development
Dr. Araceli Esparza, Associate Professor of English
Dr. Kate Flach, Lecturer, Department of History
Dr. Nina M. Flores, Associate Professor, Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling
Dr. Caitlin Fouratt, Associate Professor of International Studies
Dr. Gino Galvez, Associate Professor of Psychology
Professor Claire Garrido-Ortega, Lecturer Faculty, Health Science
Dr. Laurie Gatlin, Director, School of Art
Dr. Bonnie Gasior, Professor of Spanish
Dr. Justin Gomer, Associate Professor of American Studies
Dr. Theresa Gregor, Assistant Professor, Program in American Indian Studies
Dr. Barbara Grossman-Thompson, Associate Professor of International Studies
Dr. Liesl Haas, Professor of Political Science
Dr. Rich Haesly Associate Professor of Political Science
Dr. Jan Haldipur, Associate Professor of Sociology
Professor Deborah Hamm, Lecturer, Teacher Education
Dr. George Hart, Professor of English
Dr. Lauren Heidbrink, Associate Professor of Human Development
Dr. Heloiza Herscovitz, Professor Emerita, Journalism and Public Relations Department
Professor Ben Huff, Assistant Professor of Film and Electronic Arts
Dr. Daniel Herrera Cepero, Associate Professor of Spanish
Dr. Lily House-Peters, Associate Professor of Geography
Dr. Betina Hsieh, Associate Professor and Chair of Teacher Education
Dr. Neil Hultgren, Professor of English
Dr. Gary Hytrek, Professor of Geography
Dr. Ali İğmen, Professor of History
Professor Asieh Jalali-Farahani, Lecturer, College of Engineering
Dr. Christine L. Jocoy, Professor of Geography
Dr. Amber Johnson, Associate Professor Department of Health Science
Professor Stephanie Johnson, English Education and Teaching Credential Program
Dr. Rajbir Singh Judge, Assistant Professor of History
Dr. Adam Kahn, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor and Chair of Africana Studies
Dr. Ann Kim, Assistant Professor of Human Development
Dr. Barbara Kim, Professor and Chair of Asian and Asian American Studies
Dr. Mimi Kim, Associate Professor of Social Work
Dr. Wendy Klein, Associate Professor of Linguistics and Anthropology
Dr. Kavitha Koshy, Lecturer, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology
Dr. Margaret Kuo, Professor of History
Dr. H. Isabella Lanza, Associate Professor of Human Development
Dr. Ron Loewe, Professor of Anthropology
Dr. Claudia López, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Dr. Dennis López, Associate Professor of English
Dr. Javier López-Zetina, Associate Professor of Health Science
Dr. May Lin, Assistant Professor of Asian and Asian American Studies
Dr. Heather Macias, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education
Dr. Stacy Macias, Associate Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Nancy Martin, Associate Professor of Sociology
Dr. Nancy Meyer-Adams, Professor and Chair of Social Work
Dr. Jolene McCall, Assistant Professor of International Studies
Dr. Karissa Miller, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Dr. Shae Miller, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Athena Mitchell, ASA Staff, Department of Civil Engineering & Construction Engineering Management
Dr. Janet Muñiz, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Dr. Chantrey J. Murphy, Associate Professor of Sociology
Dr. Aparna Nayak, Professor of French and Francophone Studies
Dr. Oscar Navarro, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Liberal Studies
Dr. Selena Nguyen-Rodriguez, Associate Professor of Health Science
Dr. Leakhena Nou, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Roberto Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Dr. Mihir Pandya, Associate Director of the Yadunandan Center for India Studies
Dr. Sophia Pandya, Professor and Chair of Religious Studies
Dr. Varisa Patraporn, Associate Professor of Sociology
Dr. Ruth Piker, Professor of Teacher Education
Dr. Ulices Piña, Assistant Professor of History
Dr. Raven Pfister, Lecturer, Communication Studies
Dr. Alejandra Priede, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership
Dr. Nancy Quam-Wickham, Professor of History
Dr. Heather Rae-Espinoza, Professor of Human Development
Dr. Rigoberto Rodríguez, Associate Professor and Chair of Chicano and Latino Studies
Dr. Victor Rodríguez, Emeritus Professor of Chicano and Latino Studies
Dr. Maythee Rojas, Professor of Chicano and Latino Studies
Dr. Abigail Rosas, Associate Professor of Chicano and Latino Studies
Dr. Steven N. Rousso-Schindler, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Dr. Kristy Shih, Associate Professor of Human Development
Dr. Sophea Seng, Assistant Professor, Asian and Asian American Studies
Dr. James Sauceda, Professor of Communication Studies
Dr. Norbert Schürer, Professor of English
Dr. Preeti Sharma, Assistant Professor of American Studies
Dr. Daniela Suárez, Lecturer, Department of Romance, German, Russian Languages and
Literatures
Dr. Esa Syeed, Associate Professor of Sociology
Dr. Shira Tarrant, Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Dr. Tiffini Travis, Librarian, University Library
Dr. Amanda Trefethen, Lecturer, Departments of Philosophy and Political Science
Dr. Yada Treesukosol, Associate Professor of Psychology
Dr. Rene H. Treviño, Associate Professor of English
Dr. Joanne Tortorici Luna, Professor of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling
Dr. Martine Van Elk, Professor of English
Dr. Sherry Vatter, Lecturer, Department of History
Dr. Elaine Villanueva Bernal, Lecturer, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. Kimberly Walters, Associate Professor of International Studies
Dr. Michael Wang, Lecturer, Department of Sociology
Dr. Oliver Wang, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Alex Washington, Professor of Social Work
Dr. Suzanne Wechsler, Professor and Chair of Geography
Dr. Teresa Wright, Professor of Political Science
Dr. Kerry Woodward, Professor of Sociology
Dr. Arturo Zavala, Professor of Psychology
Signatures of NON-CSULB Faculty and Staff (Alumni, community members, educators, etc.)
Malia Baricuatro, CSULB Alum ‘21
Amir Nia, M.S. Counseling, Academic Advisor, University Center for Undergraduate Advising
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August 1, 2022
Addendum
CSULB white faculty and faculty perceived as white testimonials regarding CSULB’s office unlock policy
__________________________________________________________________________
“I’ve taught at CSULB for sixteen years, and if leaving one's keys or wallet in the office were a sport, I'd be a top contender. I've done this at least a half dozen times. In all the years I’ve taught here, I've never been told about a campus policy prohibiting an officer from unlocking a faculty office or requiring us to show an ID. Nor have I been asked to call the dean. The responding officers have always unlocked my door, and unlike Professor Osuna, who is referred to as ‘staff’ in the video that the police union released, I’m generally addressed as ‘professor’ or ‘sir’. There may be a policy about unlocking doors that I’m unaware of, but it is not enforced on an equitable basis.”
- Dr. Ron Loewe, Professor of Anthropology
__________________________________________________________________________
“I am a Professor in the College of Education's Department of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling (ASEC). I have worked as a full-time instructor for the department since 2000. I recently have become aware of the ‘complaint of misconduct’ issued by the State University Police Association (SUPA) against Professor Dr. Steven Osuna. Dr. Osuna had filed a complaint after University Police refused to unlock his office door. He had become locked out of his office and was without his keys and identification.
In the more than 20 years of my CSULB employment, there have been times when I became locked out of my office without keys or identification. During daytime hours, I have been able to have office staff unlock my door.
However, on the occasions when I was teaching an evening class, I called upon University Police to unlock my door. I am perceived as a white person. At those times, never have I been questioned or asked for identification by UP. In fact, the responding officers were always gracious and helpful, and would sometimes go the extra mile to ensure my safety.
I am distressed and angry that the same consideration was not extended to Dr. Osuna, an esteemed colleague of color. The ‘complaint of misconduct’ issued by SUPA is salt to the wound. I urge you to rectify this discriminatory situation as soon as you can.”
- Dr. Joanne Tortorici Luna, Professor of Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling
__________________________________________________________________________
“I feel it is important to add my name to the growing list of white (or white presenting) faculty who’ve locked themselves out and haven’t had an issue getting back in. I’ve had to contact the campus police on at least two occasions after hours when no other colleagues were around. I had no trouble with them. I didn’t have any ID outside with me, and I don’t recall being asked to show ID after the door was unlocked. Clearly there is a serious discrepancy here.”
- Dr. Karissa Miller, Assistant Professor of Psychology
__________________________________________________________________________
“I remember locking myself out of my office on three occasions without an ID outside. Each time someone unlocked the door for me. The first two times, both in 2015-2016, armed campus police arrived to assist me. Neither time did they make me show my ID. Unlike Dr. Osuna, I have no family photos inside my office that could have corroborated my identity.
Why did the campus police not make an effort to verify Dr. Osuna’s identity in other ways? Never has a university employee (police or facilities) hesitated to open my door. I have always been believed and treated like I have a right to the spaces I request access to. It is upsetting (if not surprising) to learn that my Black and Brown colleagues have been treated as suspicious and denied access to their offices when they are simply trying to do their jobs. It’s particularly disturbing that Dr. Osuna experienced such dehumanizing treatment at the very moment that he was going the extra mile to welcome students and make them feel like they belong on our campus.”
- Dr. Kimberly Walters, Associate Professor of International Studies
__________________________________________________________________________
“I am a white, cisgender woman, and I have worked at CSULB for fifteen years. I have locked myself out of my office and called campus police for help at least a half a dozen times. As I recall, I was often asked for identification. At times, I retrieved my ID to show after my office was unlocked. These interactions were easy and friendly with one exception which I describe below. In that instance, my experience was similar to Dr. Osuna’s, but the outcome was different; eventually, campus police let me into my office.
On that occasion, I forgot my wallet at home, and I did not have my ID, either on me or in my office. The responding officer initially refused to open my door. Just like Dr. Osuna, I made multiple suggestions about ways to verify my identity – a picture on my desk of me and my spouse, my ability to describe my belongings in my office, etc. The officer continued to say no, and I continued to plead and, probably, to push. Eventually he called a supervisor. I can’t remember if it was at my request or theirs, but at some point, the responding officer put me on the phone with the supervisor. I also can’t remember on what basis they finally agreed to accept my identity, but what I remember clearly is that the officer did finally open my door.
Dr. Osuna told me the story of what happened the morning after it occurred. Based on my own experiences, I was not surprised that he was asked for identification, but I was sad and angry that they would not budge. As he explained to them, he did not even need them to unlock his office but to simply let him into the hallway which is unlocked to the public most of the time anyway.
The campus police may have followed the ‘letter of the law’ for their unlock policy, but they certainly did not follow the spirit of it. The purpose of a picture identification is to ensure police only unlock an office for the right person. And of course, that is an appropriate step to take. Yet they had countless other ways to establish Dr. Osuna’s identity, and they chose not to do so. A member of our campus community asked our campus police for help, help that they routinely provide, and they refused him.
As disappointed and upset as I am about the police response to Dr. Osuna when he requested assistance, I am even more deeply disturbed by the rhetorical violence of the police union’s attack on Dr. Osuna for speaking out. I strongly urge CSULB and the University Police Department to stand with the CFA and tell SUPA to stand down. If we are to be a campus community, then let’s work together toward positive solutions. The CFA statement calls for reasonable actions to make a start.”
- Dr. Nancy Martin, Associate Professor of Sociology
