Fresno City College’s MEChA Club packed the senate chambers at the April 26 Associated Student Government (ASG) meeting to publically respond to ASG’s findings that they were in violation of the Student Conduct Policy.
ASG had asked MEChA to issue a formal apology by the April 26 meeting for their conduct at the rally for Community Unity on March 14 or face penalties.
A representative from MEChA read a letter expressing their “sincere disappointment with (ASG’s) decision and the demand of the Associated Student Government’s Review Ad Hoc Committee.”
The letter continued, “We must frankly and respectfully inform you that MEChA will not be apologizing for alleged violations of the Student Conduct Standards for conduct that did not emanate from our organization.”
The contention is that although members of MEChA spoke and used profanity at the event, they were not doing so as representatives of the club. The letter stated, “Not all people that appear to be of Latino/Mexican descent are part of our organization, and even if they are part of our organization, it does not automatically entail that they were speaking on behalf of our organization.”
While the MEChA letter admitted that the actions of some of its members may be seen as, “zealous and assertive”, it also contends that, “our organization has the constitutional right to continue expressing its opinions and ideas.”
However, some students maintain that MEChA’s conduct was improper. They cite MEChA’s national philosophy of responsibility which states, “Accepting our responsibility for the Movement requires self-discipline and understanding that our behavior becomes a reflection of MEChA. For this reason, we must be consistent in our thinking and our actions.”
ASG Senator Nathan Alonzo who headed the investigation said that any penalties for not apologizing will be at the “discretion of Dr. Chris Villa, the dean of Student Services. Anything that he decides will be appropriate; this is out of ASG’s hands now and will be handled by Dr. Villa.”
However, the issue has become more complicated as current president of MEChA, Cindy Quilarte, is the president elect of ASG for next year.
