University President Accused of Evading Meeting on Metzger

About 70 Cal State Fullerton students marched Wednesday to protest, for the second week in a row, racist television programs that have been taped on the campus by former Ku Klux Klan leader Thomas Metzger.

The marchers, while chanting against Metzger, also yelled criticism against university President Jewell Plummer Cobb. The students charged that Cobb deliberately has avoided meeting with them and that she has evaded taking action on Metzger.

At issue is Metzger’s ability, under a campus contract with Group W cable television, to use television recording equipment at Cal State Fullerton. For the past two years, Metzger has used the facilities to record the nationally distributed programs that call for racial separation.

Cobb, who is black, has said that she deplores Metzger’s message but that he is entitled to use the facilities as is any citizen wanting to make a “public access” television message for cable.

Cobb also has said Metzger’s “Race and Reason” tapes fall under freedom of speech guarantees in the First Amendment.

Metzger’s activities became a campus issue earlier this month after a student newspaper ran an article on the tapings.

But student protesters, organized by the campus’ Coalition Against Apartheid and Human Rights Violations, have charged that Cobb is trying to ignore the issue and stay away from them.

“President Cobb has done one of her disappearing acts again,” said Bryan August, one of the march leaders.

He spoke to the 70 students in front of the campus administration building, where they had gathered, hoping to present Cobb with an anti-Metzger petition signed by 1,083 students.

Charles W. Buck, associate vice president for student services, told a delegation of the protesters who went inside the administration building that Cobb was in Sacramento on university business.

When word of Cobb’s absence was relayed to the students outside, a loud chorus of boos was sounded. The students then began chanting: “No more excuses, no more excuses!”

August, a senior from Fullerton, said Cobb ignored a protest last week that drew an estimated 300 students.

“This is Cobb’s normal procedure,” said Jacqueline Carey, a junior from Cerritos. Cobb could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

August said a third “and larger” demonstration will be held at an undisclosed date.

“Now we’re going to have to go for a sit-in, but we won’t do it violently,” said August. “All we wanted today was for President Cobb just to come talk to us.”

At the beginning of the hour-long demonstration, one of the student speakers was Michael Vicencia, son of Assemblyman Frank Vicencia (D-Bellflower). The senior Vicencia is speaker pro tem of the California Assembly and a senior member on four Assembly committees.

Michael Vicencia, speaking to fellow protesters, said students need to stick together to force the university to act on the Metzger question.