Cal Poly Humboldt

Administration and faculty reactions to professor’s past Title IX case

by Ricardo Lara Nava

Former Cal Poly Humboldt dean of Professional Studies, John Lee was let go from his position in 2016 after two colleagues spoke out against his sexual misconduct and filed a Title IX report. Lee returned to work as a tenured professor after three months of leave in the College of Education using “retreat rights” in his contract.

Title IX is meant to protect people from sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and assault. According to an email sent from Cal Poly Humboldt, “retreat rights” are stated in faculty members' contracts allowing them to “retreat,” or step down to a lower position on faculty allowing them to keep a job if they are let go or choose to step down.

Since the release of the USA TODAY article on April 18, Cal Poly Humboldt University administration has not named Lee or the specific Title IX investigation findings that got him fired from his position in 2016 in emails sent to students, faculty and staff.

On April 15, three days before the USA TODAY story was released, university administration sent an email to all students, faculty and staff with information about what to do about media inquiries from reporters, what's been done in response to Title IX complaints and resources available to all campus community members.

Cal Poly Humboldt’s weekly student-run publication, The Lumberjack released an article about a dean who is, as of writing this article, in temporary suspension and demoted to professor after speaking to a USA TODAY reporter.

“We kind of went into action once we heard about the article, which was to try to do as much sort of support for folks that was productive, and so we offered resources and materials to the College of Professional Studies and the School of Education,” said Maxwell D. Shnurer, chair of the Sexual Assualt Prevention Committee. “For moments like this in the future, and I think the fact that you know within a couple of days, the administration was like, yeah, let's have that meeting to try to figure out what could be done there.”

Professor Rouhollah Aghasaleh, assistant professor at the School of Education and a member of SAPC at Cal Poly Humboldt, worked very closely with Lee and even considered him his mentor.

“I considered him as a person who supported me and we discussed our work,” Aghasaleh said. “We discussed our teaching. We discussed our campus, the history of campus among our colleagues, he was one of the few ones who has been around for a longer time.”

When Aghasaleh heard about the news he said, “I felt like my stomach was in my mouth. I wanted to throw up.”

Aghasaleh feels that the administration could have shared the information with SAPC about Lee’s Title IX case before the release of the article.

“We just let the trauma happen, and even after that happened there has been no communications, no well check no. No directions, no responses, no comments,” Aghasaleh said.

El Leñador reached out to President Tom Jackson and Shawna Young for a statement on April 27, but as of May 3, no comment or statement has been received.

El Leñador reached out to Grant Scott-Goforth, Communications Specialist at Cal Poly Humboldt, on April 21 through email and phone but no response has been received as of May 3.

Graphic by Peyton Leone

Cal Poly Humboldt Title IX case makes students uncomfortable

by Victoia Olsen

After a USA TODAY story came out about John Lee, a Cal Poly Humboldt professor and former dean of Professional Studies, who was involved in a Title IX case. Students have been feeling confused, shocked and worried about what it means for their degree if they feel uncomfortable attending his class.

At the University Senate meeting on April 26, senate members read letters submitted by students and faculty where feelings and concerns were expressed about John Lee.

“These issues include favoring misogynistic values, mistreatment of women, protection of users and lack of burglary action taken against sexual directors. Retreat rights shouldn't have ever been granted to a person who had violated someone else's body, engaged in predatory behavior, exceptionally used, violated and groped another human being,” said a student letter submitted to the Senate.

Lee is currently teaching six classes both in person and online this spring 2022 semester. These classes are: two LSEE 308 classes, two LSEE 319 classes, a LSEE 453 Senior Seminar 1 and an Activity course.

Next semester, fall 2022, Lee is scheduled to teach three classes, however it has not been confirmed by the department of education if Lee will still be teaching these courses. The courses are: LSEE 317, LSEE 318 and LSEE 723.

Zoe Estelle Rose Sailor is a current student of Lee who stopped attending his class altogether after reading the USA Today story. Sailor had enrolled in one of Lee’s classes for fall 2022 before the news broke. She has since unenrolled from that course.

Sailor was never uncomfortable around Lee and thought he was a helpful professor, but she believes that Lee shouldn’t have been offered a faculty position back to Cal Poly Humboldt. Sailor also believes the university should have been transparent and made students aware of the situation when it took place in 2016.

“There are a lot of students that are attending now that were not here at school in 2016 and weren't aware that this has ever happened,” Sailor said. “I was unaware of it because I didn't start coming to school here until 2017, and so I wish that I would have known, that maybe would have informed my class making judgment or picking process.”

When asked how they felt about being in Lee’s class since the USA Today story came out, Kendra Turner and Jenni Bunneil, two students in Lee’s LSEE 308 class, agreed that it is a complicated situation.

“It was very unexpected and because it was the complete opposite of what we have seen in the classroom, I think that’s what has made it a lot more confusing,” Bunneil said.

There are a lot of mixed feelings amongst students about the situation and this professor. As many students have already enrolled in his fall classes, the biggest question is likely whether Lee will still be here teaching in the fall.