ASO President suspended
Rachael Richards charged with willful disobedience. She calls charges "trumped up" and hires an attorney.
Jose Luis Gonzalez
Posted in: News on 3/12/09 at 4:32 PM PST
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Controversial student Rachael Richards was suspended last month as student body president after challenging the policies of Associated Student Organization adviser, Nina Malone.
The suspension is for the duration of the spring semester and prohibits Richards from participating in any activities or coming into the ASO area of the Seahawk Center. However, Richards is not barred from attending classes.
The Student Discipline Hearing Committee met on Mar. 2 and sent a recommendation to college President Linda M. Spink, who affirmed the suspension.
Richards' term would have completed its run at the end of the spring semester. Richards insists that the charges brought against her are trumped up and has retained the services of an attorney. ASO Vice President Kenneth Gulley has held the top student cabinet spot since Richards' suspension.
The deposed ASO president and Malone, described by many as iron-fisted, have had encounters simmering with conflict ever since she joined student government two years ago. Richards maintains her term culminated in suspension because she objected to Malone teaching Political Science 41, and holding the Associated Student Organization shared governance meetings at the same time. She claimed that was a potential violation of the Brown Act, which requires all student government sessions to be open to the public. She also maintained that Malone was recruiting students into the political science course with wording in the LAHC schedule of classes that made it appear students must be enrolled in the class in order to participate.
Malone refused to comment for this story despite numerous attempts to reach her by phone and at her office.
But John Clerx, Vice Chancellor of Educational Support Services for the Los Angeles Community College District, said that the school is not in violation of the Brown Act by holding ASO meetings alongside a scheduled class.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Former Senator
posted 3/16/09 @ 5:59 PM PST
As a former Senator of Harbor College, I was present when Nina Malone REQUIRED me to enroll in her class. She made us go out and recruit people to enroll in her political science class, stating very clearly "if we did not get enough people to enroll in my class,Brad Young would cancel the class and we could not have student government meetings". (Continued…)
LAHC Student - **READ**
posted 4/08/09 @ 5:30 PM PST
Journalistic Butchery
-By a Student of LAHC
I am an adult and a Student of Los Angeles Harbor College and when I pick up the Harbor Tides I expect to see and read NEWS! I do not want to read one sided gossip stories that seem to have been written by some child straight out of high school. (Continued…)
sheenway
posted 4/23/09 @ 2:47 PM PST
I find it odd that they would suspend a grown woman, someone in their own age group a peer perhaps. I feel they perhaps feel threatened because knowledge is power. (Continued…)
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