The Associated Students Inc. Student Media Board has confirmed a petition to recall Kevin O’Brien as Editor in Chief of the Union Weekly has the required number of signatures by current Cal State Long Beach students.
The board will meet May 6 to deliberate whether O’Brien will remain editor. His term ends May 30.
Two articles published by the ASI-funded publication have caused recent public upset. On March 14, the Union published a review by campus editor Noah Kelly of Cal State Long Beach’s annual Native American Pow Wow event, which was considered offensive by some. The second article, “How to Get Laid: A Girls’ Guide for Guys” printed last semester.
The petition was turned in April 15. The American Indian Student Council, Justice and Gender Education (JAGed) and others collected 1,182 signatures for the petition, more than the 500 necessary. This is the second petition created to oust O’Brien. The first petition did not gather enough signatures.
During the April 15 board meeting, members from the AISC and JAGed stated reasons to remove O’ Brien include his alleged “failure to ensure inclusivity” for all students on campus and his lack of consultation with an advisor prior to publishing articles. ASI funds the Union with more than $35,000 annually. O’Brien is paid $220 per issue, up to 30 issues in the year.
The May 6 meeting will be at 11 a.m. in University Student Union, Room 234. There will be a public comments section according to Student Media Board chair Jaime Varela. The board’s deliberation, however, will be closed to the public.
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