Members of UCSD’s controversial satirical student newspaper the Koala have staged a round-the-clock sit-in since Oct. 26 to protest the university’s decision to evict the organization from its Student Center office following allegations of possession of illegal drug paraphernalia and alcohol.
Above: Eleanor Roosevelt College senior and Koala Editor in Chief David Gregory handcuffed himself to a couch in the Student Center Media Lounge to protest the newspaper’s impending eviction from its offices. Below: John Muir College alumnus Michael Nitzani distributes the Koala newspaper to students in Earl Warren College.
The Koala members were ordered by interim University Centers Director Paul Terzino to vacate the premises of their Media Lounge office space by Oct. 25 because the locks would be changed at 8 a.m. the following day, according to Koala Editor in Chief David Gregory, an Eleanor Roosevelt College senior.
However, the locks were never changed. Instead, the door to the Koala’s office was removed “sometime during the night” of Oct. 26, Gregory said, although he said he did not know who was responsible for the removal.
“I don’t see how our not having a door would benefit us,” Gregory said.
At least one member has been present in the Media Lounge since the sit-in began. Gregory has handcuffed himself to the lounge’s couch multiple times since last week. In addition, students delivered a petition protesting the eviction in the form of John Muir College alumnus and former Koala member Michael Nitzani’s half-naked, signed body to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph W. Watson later that day.
Watson stated in an e-mail that he listened to the protestors briefly before walking away.
“As long as the protest does not violate the law, campus regulations or the student conduct code, I have no opinion on it,” he stated. “Individuals have a constitutional right to express their views.”
Although Nitzani was lying on top of a door at the time of the petition’s delivery, the door was not from the Koala office, according to Gregory. However, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life Gary R. Ratcliff stated in an e-mail that Student Center personnel told him while the protestors were marching to the Chancellor’s Complex that the door to the office was missing.
The protests come in the wake of a discovery of prohibited items in the organization’s office in June after Commuter Student Services Manager Deborah Gordon passed by the office and noticed a marijuana bong and bottles of liquor in plain sight. Gordon called university police, who confiscated the items.
“I used a narcotics test kit to test a small piece of a dried green leafy substance from the bowl area of the bong,” UCSD police officer Christine Greer stated in the official police report. “The substance tested positive for marijuana.”
According to the University Centers Web site, any discovery of alcohol or illegal drugs automatically results in an organization losing its space assignment. Organizations are entitled to appeal an eviction, although Terzino said that this eviction is the first to occur “in a long time.”
Ratcliff stated that Koala members have until Nov. 6 to submit their appeal in writing, including all evidence the members believe warrant the appeal, and that he would review an appeal and have a response by Nov. 9.
“My decision will be final,” he stated.
Before Koala members submit any appeal request to Ratcliff, Gregory said, they will investigate other options, including taking the issue to “Ratcliff’s bosses” or the UCSD Judicial Board.
“[Ratcliff] is kidding himself if he thinks [the review] is going to be satisfactory,” Gregory said. “We want our fucking office back, and we want the alleged [marijuana] residue back.”
Though no hearing has been set and some appeal options are available, the University Centers Advisory Board has already selected other student organizations to take the Koala’s space in the Media Lounge.
In an e-mail obtained by the Guardian, UCAB Vice Chair Soheyl Tahsildoost offered the space to UCSD’s Mock Trial organization due to an “unexpected vacancy” in the Media Lounge. No other organization that shares an office in the lounge is being evicted.
According to Terzino, the Koala’s eviction is for this academic year only, and the newspaper would be allowed to apply for office space again next year. The Koala’s funding, which amounts to approximately $5,100, will not be affected, and members will still be allowed to access computers in the Media Lounge.
The Koala, which has been a registered UCSD organization for 25 years, has had a historically rocky relationship with the university because of its controversial satirical content.
Gregory said that “certain factions” of the administration are biased against the group because of the newspaper’s content.
“The administration has railroaded us,” he said.
