Student Barred From CSUN During Trial

A Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered a Cal State Northridge student leader, accused of using his position to coerce dormitory residents to give him money, to stay away from campus until his trial is over.

The condition was part of a three-month protective order requiring Gustavo Gutierrez, 26, of Mission Hills, to avoid contact with student David Gomez. Gomez told police he was forced to pay Gutierrez $200 in November to keep Gutierrez from reporting that Gomez had smoked marijuana in the University Park Apartments.

Gutierrez has pleaded not guilty to the charge of compounding a crime by not reporting it, an “extortion-type” misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine, said Deputy City Atty. Jan De Andrade. Trial is set for Jan. 22. Gutierrez refused to comment after the hearing.

Gutierrez’s alleged actions in the classroom have triggered a campus debate about whether school administrators favor protecting students over faculty members. In a separate campus investigation, three sociology professors claim Gutierrez made threatening remarks to them and followed them to their homes.

Gutierrez, a residence hall advisor in charge of the floor where Gomez lived and a police liaison for the Associated Students, needs only a few more classes to graduate, university officials said.

De Andrade said she wanted to prevent Gutierrez from harassing other students.

“That was one of my goals--to get him off campus,” said De Andrade, who filed the protective order. She said she expects to call several witnesses from the apartment complex who will testify that Gutierrez took money from them.

The protective order requires Gutierrez to stay at least 100 feet from the student who made the complaint.

Gutierrez appeared in San Fernando Superior Court with a public defender and sat beside and conferred with William Watkins, CSUN’s vice president of student affairs, who is conducting the on-campus investigation into the professors’ allegations.

Five student supporters accompanied Gutierrez to court.

CSUN spokesman John Chandler said Watkins was in court to monitor the proceedings on behalf of the university.

“He has no role or relationship in those proceedings,” Chandler said of Watkins.

The court order could complicate matters for Gutierrez. He earns a stipend to represent students in affairs with campus police. Associated Students President Robert Hanff, who appointed Gutierrez to the job, has said Gutierrez will remain in that post unless he is found guilty by the court.

Hanff already has met opposition in retaining Gutierrez. Elizabeth Peisner, a student senator, said she asked Hanff in October to remove Gutierrez from the position he has held since September.

“Having him in that position is like having the devil teaching Bible school,” Peisner said. “The man is facing criminal prosecution. Hello! I demand that Robert fire him. If he doesn’t, I will bring it up at the next meeting to have him elected out.”

If Hanff does not remove Gutierrez, it would take a two-thirds majority vote from the student senate to oust him.