Pan-African Department Supported at Meeting

About 200 students closeted themselves with instructors Wednesday to discuss the future of Cal State Northridge’s Pan-African Studies Department, which has been rocked by a reputed raffle for grades.

The private meeting between instructors in the department and the Black Student Union and other black students was held as campus police prepared to submit their findings on allegations surrounding the controversy to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

Campus authorities have been investigating whether students were promised “A” grades if they sold tickets to a raffle that would benefit a charitable organization founded by a professor.

Campus police said they ended their interviews with people familiar with the case on Wednesday. They said they will take the results of their investigation to the city attorney’s office Friday. A decision to submit the case to that office, instead of to Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner, suggests that investigators believe that no serious crimes were committed, police said.

“At this point, it does not look like a felony matter,” said a campus police official.

Classes Canceled

The campus was stunned last week by an administration decision to cancel three Pan-African Studies classes amid allegations that students were being promised the “A” grades if they sold $100 worth of raffle tickets for a sports car drawing to benefit the United Crusade Foundation. The foundation was founded in 1982 by Eleazu Obinna, one of two faculty members who allegedly promised the high grades in return for selling raffle tickets.

The organization was founded with the stated goals of helping to solve hunger in Africa and reducing the dropout rate of minority students in Los Angeles.

Kermit Jackson, president of the Black Student Union, said the meeting was called Wednesday to express support for the Pan-African Studies Department.

“The department is the best in the country. We are backing our department. We are there to support our department, to make sure its credibility is not taken away,” Jackson said.

“Some heart and soul went into creating this department and to see it damaged because two individuals maybe or maybe not did something wrong is not right,” Jackson said.

The meeting was attended by Obinna, Willie J. Bellamy, an instructor also accused in the alleged grade-selling scheme, and Verne L. Bryant, chairman of the department and second vice president of the foundation. Bryant has not been accused of selling grades.

Bryant refused to comment on the meeting, saying he had been asked by students not to discuss what transpired.

Several students who attended the meeting also refused to talk about it.

But other students and faculty members said several students at the meeting appeared angry and upset at Obinna and Bellamy and seemed concerned that the controversy surrounding the faculty members would damage the department. Obinna and Bellamy said they could not comment on the grade-selling allegations because of the investigation.

Jackson said the majority of the students attending the meeting were angry at the CSUN administration for canceling classes.

“Students were wondering why they were being penalized by the university for something that two individuals did,” Jackson said. “That’s a definite violation of their academic rights when the university just cancels the classes,” he said.

“For some, it affects their graduation status,” Jackson said.

Other students could lose financial aid if they do not receive credit for the units they were to receive from classes, Jackson said.

Administration officials have said they would allow students to take incomplete grades and complete work later.

But Jackson characterized many students as confused.

“We’re waiting for the administration to clear up this mess of what kind of options are being offered. . . .”