Rachael Richards

ASO President suspended

Rachael Richards charged with willful disobedience. She calls charges "trumped up" and hires an attorney.

By: Jose Luis Gonzalez

Posted: 2/17/09

APPENDED VERSION: Due to a reporting error, the original version said affirmation of suspension arrived via email. It was actually sent to the campus sheriff. The hard copy of the Harbor Tides was on the presses when the error was discovered.

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.

"ASO meetings are open to the public," he said. "Those who wish to be student senators do not have to enroll in the class to be part of the ASO, but it does not preclude the class from functioning as a lab."

Clerx agreed, however, that wording in the schedule about the political science course was mis-leading and said he has told LAHC to change it.

Abbie L. Patterson, LAHC Vice President of Student Services said that the new changes in phrasing would be reflected in the summer/fall schedule and fliers will be posted on campus within 2-3 weeks informing students that enrollment in the course is not mandatory to join ASO.

Richards has made several other allegations against Malone and the ASO, among them: a non-student being sent to Sacramento on a field trip with student monies, limiting the decision-making power of the ASO president and re-enrolling students in a non-repeatable class for department funding.

"I'm aware of the allegations and they are untrue," Patterson said.

Patterson charged Richards on Feb. 11 for violating the District Policies and Procedures page of LAHC's 2008-10 catalog, under the Standards of Student Conduct for willful disobedience and disruption of classes or college activities.

Richards complained that customary student disciplinary guidelines were bypassed by her immediate suspension. But Patterson argued that guidelines were not ignored and that meetings aimed at re-establishing rapport between Richards, the ASO and Malone were scheduled between December and January.

"I try to be a student advocate," Patterson said. "I've been in the district since 1978 and it's rare to see a student leader removed. I don't like to see students removed from leadership roles."

Others felt Richards brought the action upon herself and it was long overdue.

"The suspension was justified,"said Gulley. "Issues started surfacing between Richards, the ASO and Malone weeks into her term as student body president. To say the suspension came out of nowhere is false. A lot of the [student] senators felt problems within the legislative and executive branches of our organization could be dealt with at the student cabinet level."

Last December, student Senator Betty Rios petitioned the ASO senate to impeach Richards after she allegedly browbeat a fellow senator, causing discord in the organization. Proceedings never materialized. Instead, an unofficial meeting was called by the ASO near the end of the fall semester to "put things on the table, clarify all problems and bring a solution," Rios said.

Another meeting took place on Jan. 8 between Patterson and Richards to resolve Richards' concerns between Malone and the ASO. Among other things, Richards claimed she wanted to move ASO meetings to different times of the day and Malone did not approve.

"Both of us are capable leaders with different goals," Richards said of Malone. "She is on the side of the administration. I'm on the side of students."

Apparently, not all students were on board.

"It's my way or the highway with her," Rios said of Richards. "She was screwing everything up."

ASO financial officer Liz Anceno agreed.

"She was very manipulative," Anceno said.

Gulley feels ASO must move on.

"Her passion made her aggressive," Gulley said of Richards. "She was a micro-manager and had good qualities about her, though. She was excellent at organizing events and networking."