CSUN Student Leader Investigated

Cal State Northridge campus police earlier this week investigated allegations that student body president Joaquin Macias had a gun on campus--a felony--but found no evidence to support the claims, school administrators said Thursday.

CSUN spokesman John Chandler said Macias does own a weapon, which he acquired after his tumultuous election to office earlier this year. “He has stated he has some concerns about his safety,” Chandler said.

Chandler said Macias lives, works and attends class on campus, but that the gun he uses for protection is kept elsewhere.

“You’ll have to ask him about that,” Chandler said.

Macias could not be reached for comment late Thursday.

Chandler said university police received a tip over the weekend that Macias was keeping a gun in his campus apartment. “They pursued the case and ultimately were not able to obtain sufficient evidence that would allow them to proceed,” he said.

But at least two campus police officers, who asked not to be identified, said the investigation was ruined when someone from the office of the vice president for student affairs tipped off Macias that police were planning to seek a search warrant for his apartment, giving him time to remove the weapon if it was there.

“It’s conceivable somebody said something to him, but as far as I know, it’s not one of my staff,” said Ron Kopita, vice president for student affairs. “There was no effort to put the kibosh on it.”

Rather, Kopita said, the case began to fall apart when the person who allegedly saw Macias’ gun disavowed having done so to detectives.

“That individual said ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’,” Kopita said.

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Chandler said the incident was discussed Monday in a meeting in which Macias, campus Police Chief Marcus Hissong, and Kopita’s assistant, William Watkins, were present.

“It was determined we would no longer be working that case,” said one police officer. Officers had intended to continue the investigation, to determine if the evidence would justify a search warrant, he said.

The fact that such high-ranking administrators attended the meeting is an indication of interference from above, the campus police sources said. “[Macias] was not handled like we normally handle a person,” one officer said. “Everyone is supposed to be treated the same.”

Chandler said there was nothing unusual about such a meeting.

The incident is not Macias’ first brush with controversy at CSUN. His election in March was marred by allegations that his party, We The People, broke several university election regulations en route to victory.

Members of We The People, an all-minority slate, countered that the losers of the elections were racists desperately looking for an explanation for their defeat.

The results of the election were upheld after weeks of acrimonious debate in the Student Senate.