Sonoma State Academic Senate advances no-confidence vote in President Sakaki

Faculty voting will begin May 6 and continue through May 13, according to the timeline set Thursday.|
KAYLEE TORNAY
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

What you need to know about the Sonoma State University scandal

Sonoma State University President Judy Sakaki is embroiled in a scandal stemming from a $600,000 settlement paid to a former SSU provost who said she faced retaliation after relaying reports of alleged sexual harassment by the president’s estranged husband, lobbyist Patrick McCallum.

The Press Democrat on April 13 was the first to report California State University system paid former provost Lisa Vollendorf and her attorneys $600,000 in January to settle the retaliation claims, which was first reported by The Press Democrat April 13.

Vollendorf, who was provost at SSU from 2017 to June 2020, filed the retaliation claim with the CSU system in July 2021. Her claim accused Sakaki of retaliating against her in response to reports Vollendorf made of sexual harassment complaints by SSU female employees against McCallum.

Since then, at least two university employees have stated that McCallum made them feel uncomfortable with inappropriate language, standing too close, and brushing their hair from their face in what was perceived as an unwelcome intimate gesture.

The university had stated the $600,000 was paid by insurance, but later backtracked, saying about $250,000 of the sum came from campus funds drawn from student tuition, fees and other sources.

Sakaki has denied retaliation and McCallum has denied wrongdoing. She has also declined repeated interview requests.

Several days after the initial Press Democrat report, McCallum sent a late-night email he said was intended for close friends and family, stating that Vollendorf leveled the accusations against him and Sakaki to cover for her poor job performance.

After The Press Democrat obtained a copy of the email, he sent a follow-up statement stating that he had a hearing impairment that led him to stand close to people and apologizing for making anyone feel uncomfortable.

The following day, Sakaki announced she was separating from McCallum.

While Sakaki has kept a low profile, the revelations have dominated campus news and added to the scrutiny surrounding CSU’s handling of sexual harassment complaints.

On Thursday, the Academic Senate advanced to the full faculty a no-confidence vote on Sakaki’s leadership, and student groups have marched in protest of Sakaki, calling for her resignation. Some students have vowed to boycott graduation ceremonies if she does not.

A week from now, Sonoma State University’s 500 faculty members will answer an important question amid the ongoing fallout of a sexual harassment and retaliation scandal that has rocked the Rohnert Park campus this month.

Essentially, the question is, do you have confidence in President Judy Sakaki’s leadership?

On Thursday, the Academic Senate advanced the no-confidence vote to the full faculty. The decision came moments before Sakaki gave her most full-throated defense of her presidency in the form of a recorded 17-minute video played just before the meeting ended.

“I take responsibility for my role in this situation, and I am committed to doing everything possible to learn the lessons and do everything possible to avoid a recurrence,” Sakaki said.

She added a double standard is being applied to her as a woman of color.

“I do not tolerate harassment or discrimination and reject the suggestion that I, unlike my male counterparts, should have my career on the line because of alleged actions of my spouse,” she said.

“As a Japanese American woman, I have felt the sting of racial and gender bias and harassment my whole life,” she said. “It continues to disappoint me that the very same people who accuse me of looking the other way, or covering up bad acts, have apparently given no thought to how deeply offensive I find this behavior, because I have experienced it firsthand.”

At the recommendation of Faculty Chair Lauren Morimoto, Sakaki was not present at the meeting of the Academic Senate, the governing body for the faculty. Instead, Sakaki recorded a video message addressing the no-confidence vote and the circumstances that led to it.

President since 2016, Sakaki has refused to answer Press Democrat questions and has declined interview requests.

Faculty voting will begin May 6 and continue through May 13, according to the timeline set Thursday.

North Bay Sens. Mike McGuire and Bill Dodd weighed in after the Academic Senate’s decision, saying in a joint statement, “If the vote of no confidence is ratified, it will certainly be time for new leadership. Clearly, it is not in the best interests of the university to have a president with these allegations and serious questions from the campus community about her ability to lead.”

In her video, Sakaki said, “I have apologized unreservedly, but the concept of responsibility and the spirit of fairness would also dictate a review of the entirety of what my team and I have accomplished in the past five-plus years.”

She pointed to milestones achieved under her tenure, such as Sonoma State’s largest graduating class in 2019 and its designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution and subsequent grant moneys awarded to the school.

The no-confidence vote was advanced with approval from 19 members and opposition from three.

A no-confidence vote is largely symbolic, as it does not spur any action beyond expressing the will of the voting faculty.

Ahead of the Academic Senate meeting, about 150 Sonoma State University students and faculty protested Thursday on the Rohnert Park campus. Their overarching message was displayed on signs and echoed in chants: Restore SSU.

Faculty, staff and students began their demonstration at noon on Seawolf Plaza, pounding on makeshift drums made of buckets, and rattling improvised maracas composed of two cups taped together.

After brief speeches by several faculty members, the group then marched around Darwin Hall once, chanting phrases including: “Get us out of this storm. SSU reform!”

Calls for action directed at SSU administrators centered largely on three topics, with demands to overhaul the office overseeing compliance with Title IX garnering the biggest responses from the crowd. Title IX is the federal law that bars discrimination on the basis of sex in education.

They also called for greater involvement of faculty in campus governance and prioritization of student needs in the school’s bid to trim costs amid a $15 million to $17 million budget deficit.

“We are here for you. That will continue to be true,” said Lynne Morrow, a faculty member in the department of music. “We are here for you and we also want to encourage you to bring your voice forward.”

A broader picture of Sonoma State faculty’s views about Sakaki and the potential no-confidence vote was painted in the Senate meeting. Faculty senators, other faculty members, along with a few students, expressed a mixture of hesitation and urgency about the no-confidence vote.

“We don't know so many aspects of these allegations, because President Sakaki isn't even allowed to discuss them,” said Janet Hess, a professor in the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies.

“I would just ask us to be mindful of the racism and sexism that are intersectional. When we critique the President and the legal restrictions she faces, let's just be mindful of her humanity and not succumb to the brutalism that we are seeking to criticize here.”

“It's been an emotionally taxing few weeks that feel like a few months,” said Ed Beebout, a senator for Arts and Humanities. “But I believe we can't even begin to move forward until everyone has had the opportunity to have their voices heard on the matter of President Sakaki's leadership.

“This is why I am going to support the vote of no confidence of resolution,” he said. “And if we do put it to a vote before faculty, I hope that all of us have thoughtful conversations with each other prior to casting our votes.”

Reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.

What you need to know about the Sonoma State University scandal

Sonoma State University President Judy Sakaki is embroiled in a scandal stemming from a $600,000 settlement paid to a former SSU provost who said she faced retaliation after relaying reports of alleged sexual harassment by the president’s estranged husband, lobbyist Patrick McCallum.

The Press Democrat on April 13 was the first to report California State University system paid former provost Lisa Vollendorf and her attorneys $600,000 in January to settle the retaliation claims, which was first reported by The Press Democrat April 13.

Vollendorf, who was provost at SSU from 2017 to June 2020, filed the retaliation claim with the CSU system in July 2021. Her claim accused Sakaki of retaliating against her in response to reports Vollendorf made of sexual harassment complaints by SSU female employees against McCallum.

Since then, at least two university employees have stated that McCallum made them feel uncomfortable with inappropriate language, standing too close, and brushing their hair from their face in what was perceived as an unwelcome intimate gesture.

The university had stated the $600,000 was paid by insurance, but later backtracked, saying about $250,000 of the sum came from campus funds drawn from student tuition, fees and other sources.

Sakaki has denied retaliation and McCallum has denied wrongdoing. She has also declined repeated interview requests.

Several days after the initial Press Democrat report, McCallum sent a late-night email he said was intended for close friends and family, stating that Vollendorf leveled the accusations against him and Sakaki to cover for her poor job performance.

After The Press Democrat obtained a copy of the email, he sent a follow-up statement stating that he had a hearing impairment that led him to stand close to people and apologizing for making anyone feel uncomfortable.

The following day, Sakaki announced she was separating from McCallum.

While Sakaki has kept a low profile, the revelations have dominated campus news and added to the scrutiny surrounding CSU’s handling of sexual harassment complaints.

On Thursday, the Academic Senate advanced to the full faculty a no-confidence vote on Sakaki’s leadership, and student groups have marched in protest of Sakaki, calling for her resignation. Some students have vowed to boycott graduation ceremonies if she does not.

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