Racism Charged in CS Northridge Athletics

The president of the Black Student Union at Cal State Northridge said Thursday she would call for a boycott of all school sporting events and campus stores unless Athletic Director Bob Hiegert resigns in the wake of a university task force report on racism within the athletic department.

Karen Brannon--head of the BSU, which has an estimated 2,000 members--also sharply criticized the reaction of university president James W. Cleary, saying he either “didn’t read the report or he’s lying.”

In his response, Cleary voiced strong support for Hiegert, saying the report fails to mention a single example of racism by Hiegert within the athletic department.

In a written statement released by Cleary’s office Thursday, the president said: “It appears that Karen and I may be interpreting portions of the report differently, and certainly we are all entitled to our opinions. I hope we can move past this stage and get to the task of implementing the report’s recommendations as soon as possible.”

Cleary announced last year that he would resign next month, ending his 23-year tenure as the school’s leader.

Brannon said the 68-page report--produced by four faculty members, one student-athlete and a former Northridge athlete who is now a businessman--”substantiated all issues raised” by the BSU, including inadequate academic advising for student-athletes, a graduation rate of only 9.2% for black athletes, a need for black coaches and academic advisers and a lack of financial support for the athletes.

Hiegert was unavailable for comment.

“The committee didn’t come out and say, ‘Bob Hiegert is a racist,’ ” Brannon said, “but it clearly states that the department run by Bob Hiegert has great problems in that area.”