Firings Planned in Grade-Selling Case

Cal State Northridge officials have decided to fire two Pan-African studies faculty members allegedly involved in a grade-selling scheme that benefited one of the professor’s nonprofit foundations, the professors’ lawyer said Thursday.

Campus police said they have served Prof. Eleazu S. Obinna and instructor Willie J. Bellamy with letters from university President James W. Cleary formally notifying them of planned disciplinary action. But police said they did not know the contents of the letters.

CSUN officials said state law prohibits them from discussing the matter. But Francis E. Smith, attorney for Obinna and Bellamy, said the letters notified the two faculty members of the university’s intent to fire them.

“We intend to vigorously oppose any effort on the part of the university to dismiss either Dr. Obinna or Prof. Bellamy,” Smith said.

Obinna and Bellamy declined to comment Thursday.

Cleary’s letters accuse Obinna, a 17-year member of the department, and Bellamy, a first-year instructor, of offering A grades to students in three Pan-African studies field work in exchange for selling $100 worth of raffle tickets during the spring semester, according to a CSUN faculty member, who said one of the letters had been read to him. The faculty member spoke on the condition that he not be identified.

According to the letters, the raffle money went to benefit Obinna’s nonprofit United Crusade Foundation, the faculty member said.

Violations of Law

The faculty member said the letters accuse Obinna and Bellamy of involving students in a scheme that violate state law and campus policy, an apparent reference to the fact that raffles are illegal under state law and violate campus policy.

Cleary’s letters also accuse Obinna and Bellamy of falsely maintaining that students were required to complete specific course work under supervision, according to the faculty member.

Campus sources said Alfonso Ratcliffe, dean of the school of engineering and computer science, would serve as a special hearing examiner to review the case.

Ratcliffe declined to comment Thursday.

Under the faculty bargaining agreement, Obinna and Bellamy have seven days to request a meeting with a hearing examiner. They may present evidence rebutting the allegations and may be accompanied by an attorney. The two then have seven days to file a written response, officials said.

The hearing examiner must then report the results of his investigation and make recommendations to Cleary within five days of receiving the written response, campus officials said. The examiner may recommend that the charges and punishment be amended or changed, the officials said.

According to the faculty bargaining agreement, which governs discipline against full- and part-time faculty members, Cleary then has five days, after the hearing examiner reports his findings, to rescind, modify or affirm the disciplinary action, said Don Cameron, CSUN’s executive assistant to the vice president for academic affairs.

If unsatisfied with Cleary’s decision, Obinna and Bellamy may appeal it to the State Personnel Board or may seek to have the matter heard by an independent arbitrator, Cameron said.

If found guilty, Obinna and Bellamy could be fired, demoted or suspended without pay.