Students persist in ISP protest

In the wake of the recent Student Affairs reorganization, protesting students are continuing in their attempts to have administration members acknowledge their objections.

The students are upset by the loss of International Student Programs (ISP) director Parandeh Kia, whom they value highly, and by the growing feeling that their needs are being ignored in administrative decisions.

“This is a very emotional issue,” says Julian Revie, a biochemistry graduate student. “ISP, and Parendeh in particular, have played a huge part in improving life on campus, especially in terms of diversity and acceptance. She has been a pillar of support, not just for international students, but all graduate students, and by far has been the most visible face for us in the administration.”

Physics graduate student Daniel Wagenaar calls Kia “a very strong voice for the needs of students” and says she will be greatly missed “as someone you could talk to about any issue . . . That is one of the reasons why many students feel so personal about it.” She helped numerous students through difficult times, he says, particularly those whose cultural backgrounds led them to shun traditional counseling. “There is much grief to see her go, and the circumstances make it worse.”

News of the restructuring, including elimination of the associate dean for graduate studies position, came in a May 13 memo from Vice President for Student Affairs Margo Marshak. According to Wagenaar, because the memo did not mention the ISP director position—Kia’s other, better-known role—many people didn’t know she was affected and were “shocked” to eventually realize she was leaving. Adding to the confusion, says Graduate Student Council chair Marissa Mock, was the lack of up-to-date campus mail codes for graduate students, which delayed or prevented the memo’s delivery; many first learned of the changes by word of mouth and rumor.

Once the situation became clear, students began circulating a petition requesting the reinstatement of Kia as ISP director and of the office as “a distinct entity.” (ISP now administratively falls under Human Resources’ International Scholar Services office, but will remain in the Student Services building.) As of press time, the document had approximately 650 signers, including more than 300 grad students, 100-plus undergrads, 79 postdocs, and six faculty members. The students also held a protest rally May 23, drawing an estimated 200 to 250 people, and presented the petition to President David Baltimore and Provost Steve Koonin at the May 27 faculty board meeting.

The response from Marshak and other administration members has not been unsympathetic, but they maintain that the changes are necessary for budgetary reasons and that it is inappropriate for students to have a say in such actions. The students disagree. “It’s not just a personnel matter,” Wagenaar says. “A restructuring of Student Affairs has a direct impact on communication between students and Caltech . . . Students should have input into this office. It is essentially about destruction of service.”

The students are continuing to pursue appointments and dialogue with administration members. Revie says that whether or not their protests ultimately have any effect, the students “believe very strongly this is the only right thing to do . . . We are willing to take this as far as we can.”
•