We talked with the students behind ‘Students for Linda’

Yesterday, we broke a story about the “Students for Linda” Facebook page that surfaced. We were able to catch up with students Matt Palm, Nic Doyen and Nolan Matters who are behind the page and ask them some questions about the pro-Katehi movement.

What prompted you to start the Students for Linda page?

We hit a critical mass.  A couple of us hosted a small gathering thanking staff for their hard work – many custodial and student affairs staff had to work double shifts during the Mrak Hall occupation, and that can be physically and emotionally draining.

We all organized the staff thank you because a couple of us know staffers who were harassed.  We believe the staffers and faculty deserve to be treated with respect.

It is perfectly alright to be outraged and call for change, but it must be done in a non-abusive manner.  After the staff appreciation we realized there were enough of us to do something – like speaking up.  Unfortunately, a large number of people who are a part of our group and who helped write these responses, are still uncomfortable with being “outed” as not supporting firing Linda.

What are you hoping to accomplish with it?

Fire Katehi spread a lot of malicious rumors, and flirted with conspiracy theories without doing their research. The staff and faculty caught in the crosshairs of these rumors deserve better than this. They allowed media and secondary sources to propel their belief that the Katehi administration is totally corrupt. We acknowledge that Linda and her administration have made a couple of specific mistakes, but are against firing her.

The protesters are using “selective exposure,” when it comes to getting their information. That means they are avoiding sources which will conflict with their view and failing to recognize a counter argument. We want to show the community at large that there is a bigger picture. So our first job is to be a truly informed student voice on campus.

Our second goal is to create a space in the campus debate for people who don’t agree with all of our Chancellor’s decisions but want practical solutions to the issues of transparency and accountability.

We have a lot of the same goals as the Fire Katehi moment, such as addressing privatization of the University, transparency, and accountability, but we fundamentally disagree with their obsession with firing Linda. We want to answer her call for new approaches transparency and accountability at UC Davis.

Therefore, our third goal is to get Linda to implement the things we would like to see, including more direct lines of communication between Mrak and students, budget information produced in less opaque, student-friendly ways, and a chance for students to have a voice in debates on the future of the budget, whether that be on the faculty senate budget committee or some other committee the campus creates.

Chancellor Katehi has been open and honest about using this opportunity to create reforms that will benefit students. Her genuineness for waiting to see students thrive is one of the things that drives us.

Other universities allow students to be involved at every level of decision, why can’t Davis?

This is the kind of response students should have when the administration makes mistakes. Because Katehi recognizes her mistakes and is willing to work with the students to move forward, we believe firing her would only hurt this institution.

Does Chancellor Katehi know about the page?

Probably.  Her staff reached out to us after the Tab article – I don’t think they knew if we were students or staff, they were not expecting this!

Do you guys have meetings or anything?

Not really.  We chat over Facebook mostly. We are also busy students trying to finish our coursework or research. But we are working to come together and hashing out our vision.  Linda is ready to act on student ideas! She is so receptive to working with students and listening to how they think this institution can be made better – it’s rare to find a Chancellor willing to do that.
What’s really remarkable is if you are a student and you write an email  to her without getting abusive, she will get back to you within a couple of days. This is something she doesn’t have to do, but for the benefit of students it is something she cares about doing.

What made you decide to ask the Chancellor to do a video series? What is your response to the backlash the first video received? 

As students we believe the student body deserved more than an email apology and Linda completely agreed. To your second question: it was her first video after a string of bad press, you could show her holding a cat while riding a unicorn and there would be a vicious backlash. Because this video is the start of a series, we wanted her to be honest about who she is and where she comes from and why she believes in the mission of UC Davis.

How do you justify the Chancellor’s recent actions in terms of moonlighting and hiring PR firms to scrub the Internet?

We are not going to defend her mistakes.  This is a more complex issue than people are letting on. There is another side to the story with a more detailed reasoning as to why the administration made those decisions. She has apologized and is taking responsibility for it – as a good leader should.  You are only as strong as your weakest team member, and this is something she is learning.

Student agency is the model this university needs to adopt. But it only works when the students involved know their limits and are willing to be kind to those whom they disagree with, including and especially the staff. Fire Katehi will never get this, but that’s ok, it’s part of the process.

How does it feel to know you are currently the minority opinion on campus? What is your plan to become the majority?

We don’t need to be in the majority. In fact we would argue that the Fire Katehi Movement doesn’t even come close to representing how the majority of students feel either. People calling for the Chancellor to be fired may be loud but they are not the majority.  Students will come to recognize that our work is actually advancing tangible reforms on campus, where the Fire Katehi Movement is only advancing bad press.

But the real battle is not with anti-Katehi people. The real challenge is inside Mrak. We are working with the administration, faculty and professional staff to empower students to be involved at every level of decision making. You’re not going to get that by shouting, banging on doors and spray painting our beloved egg heads.