Cunje's termination spurs conflict between faculty, administration

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Several faculty called for a new round of no confidence votes amid revelations that the administration ended 30-year Campus Safety veteran Lt. Joseph Cunje’s employment on Feb. 10.

“I came to work today, and all I felt was incredible sadness,” Faculty President and mathematics professor Nalsey Tinberg said. “[Cunje] is one of the most beloved, dedicated, passionate, competent, student-centered people that has graced this campus.”

On Jan. 20, 2013, Cunje suffered a stroke that left him with impaired vision in his right eye. He has not been able to work since. Cunje attributes his stroke to the stress from the treatment and workplace tension he felt after Campus Safety was put under the Dean of Students’ jurisdiction. After his stroke, Cunje was put on medical leave. His son, Ed Cunje, had already gone on medical leave after having back surgery, and was let go in the summer of 2013 when his doctor did not clear him to return to work. On Feb. 10, 2014, Joseph Cunje met the same fate.

“We are left with no alternative than to regretfully inform you that the college can no longer extend your leave and has ended your employment,” a letter sent to Cunje by Director of Human Resources Richard Ledwin said.

The letter also states that Cunje’s insurance benefits will end on Feb. 28. Associate Director of Human Resources Jacalyn Feigelman said that Cunje is receiving long-term disability, and Vice President of Academic Affairs Jorge Gonzalez has asserted the same.

“I can assure you that the college recognizes and values his long service, and that we all care deeply about Joe,” a Feb. 14 letter sent to staff and faculty from Gonzalez states. “Statements that have been made suggesting denial of access to disability insurance benefits (which the college does not control and is typically a matter between the insurance carrier and the employee), along with some other statements about confidential personnel matters, are not accurate.”

It is apparent that there is considerable confusion around the terms of his dismissal, which Cunje attributes to being let go without warning or a face-to-face conversation. It is also clear that the college did not offer Cunje the option of early retirement.

“After all the years, the memories, the trials and tribulations, the joy and the sorrow, I am asking you to treat me with a little more dignity and not treat me like a pile of garbage,” Cunje wrote to Ledwin. “Occidental means the world to me. It has given me and my family numerous opportunities and it would be a shame to leave such a bitter taste in my mouth.”

Over two days, Ledwin was unavailable for comment.

Cunje came to the college after immigrating from Guyana to Washington D.C. He worked four jobs to keep his family afloat, including as a janitor at Occidental. When the job in Campus Safety (then called Campus Security) opened, Cunje applied and was hired. Six months later, he was promoted to sergeant. He took classes at Pasadena Community College in law enforcement and eventually, after graduating from the Police Academy, was promoted to lieutenant. For 21 years, Campus Safety Director Holly Nieto and Cunje ran Campus Safety under the vice president of administration.

But according to Cunje, things started to change when the Dean of Students Office began requesting Monday morning meetings with Nieto to review incidents from the prior week. Cunje said Nieto would come back every week from the meetings with a massive list of criticisms from Associate Dean of Students Tim Chang, Vice President of Student Affairs Barbara Avery and others second-guessing officers’ judgment.

“They always criticized us, never gave us accolades, we never did anything right in their eyes,” Ed Cunje said.

According to Cunje, Student Affairs continued to slowly diminish the independence of Campus Safety, making numerous mandates to trained officers for how to deal with students. Cunje and the other officers were told they were no longer allowed to write citations for noise violations or parties. Cunje was also restricted from bringing students into his office to discuss problems, as was his preferred form conflict reconciliation.

The transition culminated in November 2012 when, amid restructuring by President Jonathan Veitch, Vice President Mike Groener left the college and Chang was officially put in charge of Campus Safety. Chang immediately proposed major schedule changes, stunning Cunje. He had no idea why an assistant dean, with no law enforcement experience, was treading so deeply into Campus Safety operations.

For Chang, the move was a way to put Campus Safety and the Office of Residential Education and Housing Services (REHS) under unified management since the two offices already work closely together.

“In my four to four-and-a-half years, no one worked more closely with Campus Safety than REHS,” Chang said.

But Tinberg, like Cunje, questions the judgment of placing a troubled student affairs division and an associate dean with no law enforcement experience in a position to fundamentally change Campus Safety’s operating culture. She asserted that the actions of the current administration have repeatedly contradicted the college’s core values.

“When you have as your values excellence, equality, community and service either those are intrinsic to who you are and you make decisions based on them or you don’t,” Tinberg said, noting that faculty will try to remedy the contradiction. “We feel that when injustice occurs, we have to speak up.”

Tinberg said she would bring up no confidence votes if that is what the faculty want.

“If there’s support for that, I’ll bring it to the faculty,” Tinberg said.

Professor of politics Roger Boesche has been Cunje’s most vocal backer, penning a letter to faculty expressing his outrage over the situation that spread quickly through the online community.

“When I came here, this was the nicest, most compassionate place I had ever seen. And we had faults, we certainly weren’t perfect; I don’t want to romanticize the past,” Boesche said in an interview with The Occidental Weekly. “Even now, students, staff, you know I am riding my wheelchair, or in the occasional case I’m walking, people rush to open the door, it’s just amazing. They’re just so wonderful. But it’s a poisonous administration right now. Somehow the environment has come to this point where you’ve got a poisonous, bitter, angry administration and it’s real sad.”

But Avery has a different take, blaming the faculty’s vote of no confidence in her leadership on the campus environment.

“That nastiness didn’t come from us; [the no confidence vote] is where it started,” she said, noting that the faculty’s decision to vote no confidence in a dean of students made history and that the faculty does not understand what her division does. “Our goal is to make sure that we do what we need to do for the betterment of students.”

Cunje recalled several incidents which solidified his displeasure with the administration’s alleged intrusions. On a rainy night several years ago, a student got into an accident when making a right turn near the soccer fields. Debris had fallen from the hillside, making it very slippery, and the student spun into some pipes. Cunje, who was off-duty, came to help.

After clearing the accident and taking the student to his room, Cunje went home, only to be greeted by criticism the next morning from Chang, who Cunje says assumed the student must have been drunk.

“Tim Chang and his group got a hold of the report and the first thing I was greeted with was, ‘Why didn’t you call the police? Why didn’t you turn the student over to the police? He was drunk.’ In my mind, I’m going you’re an administrator and this is the way you think, the first thing you think of is calling LAPD. It was a rainy night, how did you know the student was drunk?” Cunje said.

Chang stood by his decision-making.

“We should call LAPD because we are not able to give field sobriety tests,” Chang said. “If a student is intoxicated and gets into a traffic accident on campus, then we take him home and put him in his room, but he leaves again and gets into a car and hurts himself or others, then we are liable for what the student then does. Better be safe than sorry to call LAPD to help us.”

About a month after Chang officially took control of Campus Safety, the Department held its annual holiday party. According to Cunje, upon arriving, Avery and Chang turned away from him as he entered. Then the two deans sat at the main table and never got up, even when Nieto asked them if they would like to say a few words.

“They never moved from that side of the table,” he said. “A couple days later on Dec. 17, I got a written reprimand,” Cunje said. “In 30 years at Occidental, I have never received a letter much less a written reprimand.”

The Letter of Admonishment, provided to The Occidental Weekly by Cunje, cites three reasons for the reprimand. First, that “you did not acknowledge nor did you even speak to either Chang or Avery. Your apparent disdain for their attendance was obvious and made for an awkward situation that was embarrassing and bordered on disrespectful.” Second, that “you have generally shown an overall lack of acceptance for and exhibited only minimal cooperation with recent changes. You were unwilling to seriously consider and, more importantly, discuss the pros and cons of scheduling and staffing suggestions.” Lastly, that “you allowed personal feelings as to what you consider ‘right’ to overshadow your professionalism.”

The letter did not cite any violations of specific college policies. In response to the charge that he was unwilling to discuss the pros and cons of scheduling suggestions, Cunje provided a document outlining numerous problems with the proposed schedule, which he had written and presented to Chang and Nieto before the holiday party.

Chang said that because this is a personnel matter, he was not able to comment on the letter or the holiday party.

“It is interesting that he is giving this to you when he knows full well I can’t respond to it,” Chang said.

“I internalized a lot of this, this bickering and this fighting,” Cunje said. “I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t deal with all of this, having to deal with Tim. It bothered me a lot. It caused me a lot of anxiety and stress. And I went to bed and woke up and that was it. I got very sick. And that was the end of me.”

Many others were disappointed in the treatment of Cunje by the college. Cunje’s daughter-in-law, Micaela Cunje, expressed the effect of his termination on her family and on Cunje.

“This is a man who really didn’t want to bring anything up,” Micaela Cunje said. “It is difficult to see his heart broken … It is really sad that somebody loves a place and students so much and his heart is so broken because since he has been out of work, all he wants is to get better so he can go back and then this happens. I mean 30 years and it isn’t 8-to-5 thirty years; it is 24/7 thirty years…it is terrible how they can just break someone’s spirit.”

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48 COMMENTS

  1. As an alum of Occidental College, it saddens me to say that I’m not surprised to be reading this. During my time there I always felt that REHS was too involved in the decisions made by the school. Cunje’s statement of Tim Chang coming in and making several changes that are non-negotiable reminds me of my endless battles with the administration over transparency. Campus safety was always loved by the students, and REHS was always hated, for very simple reasons. Who is the person who comes in and makes changes to solve that problem, it Tim Chang also?

    Here I am, a grown man, still talking about the poorly run ResLife program of my alma mater, maybe I’m the immature one. But someone please explain why I am still hearing about this.

    It breaks my heart to save this, but as long as Juls White and Tim Chang are at Oxy, I will not be able to send my kids there. This is something I will say to anybody, feel free to quote me.

  2. Three strikes, Oxy. My, how things have changed (for the worse).

    I worked with Joe when my on campus work-study job with Campus Security began in 1990. My memories of working with him are among my favorite from my times there. He is a very good man and a dedicated, caring and compassionate officer. Shame on you for what you have done to him.

    It saddens me that I will never give another dollar to my alma mater. And why should? My major has been dissolved (while Professor Littleton was away, no less!), my coach was fired for some very questionable reasoning, and now you do this to my favorite staffer? I know I’m just one person and my experience is unique, but in the past decade I have felt less and less connected to this place. What a shame.

    I was once a proud Tiger. No more. Stories like these, not to mention the sexual assault issues, just make me sad. I hope there is some serious leadership change there before it devolves further.

    Io Destructo.

  3. As an alumni who knew Cunje well I would like to record my own vote of no confidence in this current administration. To treat someone like Cunje who dedicated all those years of service to the college like that is a travesty. I will not be donating any money to the college in the future until such time as Cunje is offered an early retirement and a formal apology is made. I will also encourage all my fellow alumni to do the same. Shame on you Occidental.

  4. The faculty are right to be concerned about the atmosphere. I sensed a real shift in the OXY environment after graduating at the end of the 2000s. There were slow changes in ResLife, attitudes towards off campus housing and student activities, and administrative restructuring that seemed to have one thing in mind, reduced liability. It feels that the college has allowed its financial concerns to rule and dictate sweeping policy changes over the needs and betterment of students (Chang wanting LAPD to handle on campus traffic incidents).

    One of the things I valued most about my time at Occidental was having a Campus Safety team that I trusted and respected. They have an incredibly difficult job with a primarily residential campus and I felt they always conducted themselves with the student’s best interests in mind. Students learned lessons far better in Cunje’s office than the dean’s and their autonomy fostered that.

    The unacceptable treatment of Cunje is disheartening and the details of his interactions with the administration underlines my opinion that the college wants to limit its interaction with students and seems disinterested in directing student growth “in-house”. Of course doing so comes at a lesser risk where they could be found liable when that growth is difficult, but at what cost. Outsourcing that interaction to LAPD, lawyers, and Monday morning dean’s meetings isn’t the Occidental I remember or care to support.

  5. Here’s another vote of no confidence and another alum whose donation will be withheld until there’s a change in administration. Barbara and Tim are so worried about liabilities but surprise! They’re liabilities themselves.

  6. I sent the following message to those who need to do some oxy “soul” searching:

    My name is Kabir Randhava, class of 03, just recently I was put on “notice” (via Facebook) of the firing of an individual that epitomized everything that Occidental stands for: Joseph Cunje. Joseph Cunje went about each day not only with his family on his mind, but also with the central question: what could he do to ensure each of the students under his watch were safe. It goes without saying Occidental is not in the best of neighborhoods especially considering the gang violence that riddled surrounding neighborhoods in recent years; however, Mr. Cunje took it upon himself to ensure that each student would be safe and he instilled confidence in each of his officers. The “bubble” of security throughout the years could no doubt be traced back to the hard work of Mr. Cunje and many other campus safety officers, the unsung heroes, those that never get the recognition they deserve. I shudder to think what could have happened if Mr. Cunje was not vigilantly watching over our school. Could Oxy have been victim of another massacre akin to Virginia Tech? Could the Avenues gang violence have spilled over into our school? The hypotheticals are endless.

    What is transpiring is simply not the Occidental way; I am fully aware of the circumstances, and the faculty needs to do some “soul searching” and give this man his “do”, as he has sacrificed his blood, sweat, and tears for Occidental. Act in a manner that we as fellow Alumni could be proud of; Occidental has a history steeped in tradition, excellence, but the actions demonstrated in handling Mr. Cunje’s affairs and even those of these “rape” cases in taking preemptive measures to exclude or kick out students speaks wonders on how the school is now approaching its affairs. I ask you sincerely as a concerned alumni to get back to the tradition that made us great; we do not need “black eye” after “black eye”; I ask you earnestly: if a problem is presented whether it be a rape allegation; whether it be Mr. Cunje, look to the facts, and rationally decide what needs to be done in accordance with the Occidental way. Mr. Cunje represents everything good about Occidental, and I hope my voice is heard, because right now I am ashamed to even say I went to Occidental College.

    BTW: I just read some comments made by Mr. Chang that were posted in the Occidental Weekly, namely: “We should call LAPD because we are not able to give field sobriety tests,” Chang said. “If a student is intoxicated and gets into a traffic accident on campus, then we take him home and put him in his room, but he leaves again and gets into a car and hurts himself or others, then we are liable for what the student then does. Better be safe than sorry to call LAPD to help us.”

    I don’t believe Mr. Chang is a lawyer (does not appear to be an attorney from the alleged statement above), if he in fact did say this statement, Mr. Chang should leave the legal reasoning and counseling to an individual that Occidental hires as being legal counsel, an individual that is equipped to handle such fact patterns.

    The Occidental community is simply taken aback by the callous handling of Mr. Cunje, I sincerely hope Mr. Cunje is reinstated and treated with the dignity that he treated everybody with.

  7. The administration will be hearing from me. I find this unacceptable. I have multiple instances where Officer Cunje personally addressed issues that I witnessed and faced during my time at oxy. He is one of the friendliest and compassionate men you will ever come across. If this is how staff that genuinely cares about the welfare of the student body is treated, then my further support as a giving alumni should cease. I hope the administration finds a way to rectify this matter and right this injustice. Oxy needs to hold on to the pieces of it that made it jewel and an honor to attend. Kevin baker c/o 2002

  8. Count me on the list of alum who is INFURIATED by this. Joseph Cunje adored Occidental. As a TA to two departments (Film and Geology), as well as running the Dudes That Don’t Use, I had the honor or working with Officer Cunje frequently. He was all class.

    I don’t know who Chang and Avery are, but if they can’t get along with Cunje, then they don’t stand a chance with Jesus Christ or Mother Teresa. In full confidence, I have never met Avery or Chang, but they both need to be fired. And at the very least, Occidental needs to add Cunje back to their insurance policy.

    I have emailed my disappointment to President Veitch. I hope it is heard.

    With love and peace to all!

    Miguel Ali

    (Formerly Ali Hasan – alum – 2004)

  9. Color me surprised, but lemme get this straight….

    So LAPD is supposed to handle traffic infractions at Occidental?

    But if a student is raped, ResLife handles it?

    Chang/Avery have to go.

  10. It saddens me with deep regret that Dean Avery & Mr Change have and will continue to tarnish and demoralize Occidental College both External and Internally. I have known Lieutenant Joe Cunje and his officers of Campus Safety and from my experience with Joe Cunje, he has always been a proud and professional Officer with pride and dedication to the Campus.

    Cunje is the unique caring and 100% reliable officer that always extended Campus Safety and every shape way and form and beyond in such a positive means beyond words. I can’t believe based on everything I have heard on campus and local news outlets from students and faculty, Alumni and probably beyond my comprehension and intelligence, that this great proud rare unique 1 and a trillion plus of a hell of a Campus Safety Officer would just be fired and put in a weird bizarre situation, going on leave with medical problems due to the change of Campus Safety administration and upside down policies, with a new appointed Chief from “Azusa Pacific University” I am sure not even campus safety officers will say much, but common sense tells me something is just not right.

    It surely sounds like Mr Change is definitely not QUALIFIED to over see Campus Safety Department especially when Mr Change has no Law Enforcement Experience not even in any Security apparatus. What a poor unintelligible decision it was to cause what I can only describe as a catalyst to a current and slow moving debacle of Campus Safety supervision and administration and reputation.

    I am deeply concern with everything I am hearing and reading and with Joe Cunje. If he is not reinstated and Mr. Change is not removed including Dean Barbra Avery from oxy, I will definitely exit Oxy, and not ever support with any donations or recommendations or good word of mouth of Oxy.

    I hope and pray the best for Lieutenant Joe Cunje, and if his wrongful termination is upheld, then hopefully he pursues the maximum litigation against Occidental College and also pursues individual litigation (Law Suits) against Tim Change and Barbara Avery for every element of pain, suffering and damages they have caused Joe Cunje and the change to Campus Safety, for fixing a system that didn’t need to be FIXED.

    God speed my friend, Joe Cunje I hope you find justice against those who have brought you such agony, and their foolishness cost them not only their careers and reputations and their check books and retirements !

  11. It breaks my heart to read this.

    The current administration doesn’t seem fit to run a clown college, though they are certainly expedient with those solicitations for donations…I fully support a vote of no-confidence. It seems they just can’t restrain themselves from further shaming the college. It’s really a slap in the face to every one of the amazing professors and staff members, those people that actually keep the place running each day, to know that the institution they pour their lives into won’t be there to support them in a time of need. It is pitiful.

    Lt. Cunje deserves better. The students deserve better. The staff deserves better. I certainly won’t be supporting an institution that demonstrates such callous indifference towards the people that make up its foundation.

    In the event that Lt. Cunje reads these comments, I just want to say thanks. I always enjoyed seeing you around campus, even when you were jamming me up. It’s not worth much, but the students know how much you mean to the college, and you’ve got our support.

  12. Amazing. I always had an ideal vision of Oxy, which I think was self-created based on my experiences as a student. It’s unfortunate that the same crap happens at a small liberal arts school as a large university; admin gets their claws into everything and messes up a good thing and respect for others b/c liability and profit are the chief concerns. I will have to start rethinking my annual contributions.

  13. I had been closely connected to Oxy for a decade through a family member that worked on staff and my grand daughter attending preschool there. My great respect for the college has greatly diminished because of the highly questionable decision making and what I consider to be the failed leadership of the current administration. Simply stated, Oxy seems more concerned about maintaining a profitable image rather than doing the right thing for its students and employees. The reporting and handling of campus sexual assaults and the decimation of the highly successful football program are but two glaring examples of failures to do the right thing. Joseph Cunje’s termination is just another example of the callous disregard that the administration seems to have for the “little people” who oil the big machine and keep it running smoothly and more importantly with sincere integrity. Great institutions can be judged by how they treat the least of their people. Unfortunately, the current Oxy administration will be receiving a continuing “F” in this regard. I feel deep sorrow for the victims of this leadership folly and for the damage that has been caused to the historical reputation of this formerly great institution of learning.In the end, perhaps a tiny Toto will pull back the curtain for all to see the true Wizard of Oxy.

  14. The problem with reacting to this story is the lack of reliable facts in the record. On the emotional side of things, clearly, there is no lack of good will and positive sentiment that exists for Mr. Cunje, as I recall him fondly across 30 years of being regularly on campus coaching the collegiate rugby teams and playing with the old boys rugby team. He was always there with a respectful smile on his face and a helpful spirit. Unfortunately, that is not the case with all folks involved in law enforcement. He was different, yes, and he was a fixture, yes, and he defined himself as an honorable man, not because of Oxy’s meandering search for self-culture, but rather, because he is a good and decent human being. So yes, am I pissed that he seems hard done by, of course we all are (or should be in abstract).

    The underlying issue here is culture, and Oxy used to lead in that regard. But for some years now, just as Americans have become fatter, lazier and utterly uninterested in learning, our collegiate culture has changed from discovery and encouragement of imagination, to the limiting and stunting idea of being politically correct.

    I live my life and engage the world using critical thinking, and in this case, the facts may never come out for other Oxy alumns to fairly judge what really happened here. But one thing is certain, Oxy is being pulled quite unwillingly in a direction that avoids legal liability and this longtime corporate trend does great harm to the culture of learning and intellectual discovery.

    And, for those of you that don’t know the truth about the man, whenever Roger Boesche complains of problems at Oxy, you should listen carefully, as like Mr. Cunje, Roger is one of the few at Oxy that has always had the best interests of his students at heart.
    Best regards,
    Patrick

  15. I did part of my work-study at Campus Safety while I was at Oxy. Joe Cunje is one of the most caring, hard-working and dedicated people I know. What happened to Oxy?? I’m very disappointed.

  16. I am so absolutely livid that I am on the verge of tears and my stomach is turning. The administration’s recent conduct is nearly irreversibly tarnishing the college’s image in my mind and I am sure that is true for others as well. Until I see the long overdue replacement of Barbara Avery with someone who comes from outside of the college that can bring some direly needed fresh perspective, I will not be contributing a cent to Oxy.

  17. Infuriating and disappointing – with so many terrible decisions being made like this, forget donating money or sending your children here, what alumni would even want to say they even went to Oxy?

    Joe Cunje kept us all safe, and is a role model of true community building. The lack of kindness and basic respect in this action is dehumanizing, and an embarrassment.

  18. I had more than a few encounters with Cunje over my reckless partying ways while at Oxy but he was always polite, professional and more concnerned with students’ well being than in punitive, beuaracratic policies. I thought that’s why students chose to attend a small liberal arts school; a place where common sense and compassion trump foolish policy. I hope whoever is responsible gets an earful.

  19. So what they’re saying is that a POSSIBLE (without actual suspicion by the officers actually TRAINED AT A FULL POLICE ACADEMY) student that may have been drunk for crashing on a rainy day and taken to his dorm is MORE of a danger than a student who has serious accusations of sexual assault!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

    ADDITIONALLY, if you had to follow Chang’s unthoughtout or developed line of thinking about these incidents, then every drunk student found on campus should be detained/arrested/held because of that said chance that he might get in a car and drive somewhere. That’s not how our justice system works and it’s also not right (but again, that doesn’t seem to be the priority, does it?).

    So, who gets to decide what values the administrators are to follow? Someone needs to step up and let them know we don’t want that type of leadership. I think the current students agree here, I think most alumni would agree, I think a lot of faculty/staff would agree…what’s missing here?

    -Alumni

  20. Joe Cunje is a man of integrity. It says a lot about this administration that a man who served with distinction for 30 years has a stroke and when his medical coverage runs out they terminate him in a letter? How cold and uncaring can you get? I don’t understand how they couldn’t offer the man early retirement so he could leave with a bit of dignity and retain at least some of the benefits he earned after so many years of service.

    Joe deserves to be treated much better than this. I will be certain to let everyone I know to stay away from this place at all costs.

  21. I believe the press needs to get involved, I know one Occidental alumni: Ben Bergman who works at NPR, and who also knows Mr. Cunje. The public needs to know, and more alumni need to be put on “notice”.

  22. I believe the press needs to get involved, I know one Occidental alumni: Ben Bergman who works at NPR, and who also knows Mr. Cunje. The public needs to know, and more alumni need to be put on “notice”.

  23. This is horrifying. They’re treating Joe Cunje like this? What is happening at Oxy? What is going on with this administration? It seems to be staffed by a clique of inept and petty three year-olds. What sort of college is this administration trying to build?

  24. I know Joe only as “Cunje!”. The exclamation point is always included even though I’m probably too old to talk that way. I’ve yelped it out since my first week on campus whether he was giving me a ride or busting a party that had gotten a little out of hand. Like most normal teens and 20-somethings I pushed boundries, made mistakes, and at times got a little wild. Yet no matter the circumstances Cunje’s manner was exactly what you hope for in an authority figure; nuanced, fair, calm, and just. We respected him because he respected us.

    I love Occidental. I started my business in the Oxy library and SAE house. I built my business to serve Oxy students. After almost ten years I still end up on campus a handful of times each semester and without a doubt the best times are when I run into “Cunje!” He may not say it, but I can tell that he’s proud of us, proud that a couple of guys he had to rein in at times are succeeding, are using their Oxy degrees to build a growing business that started just a mile from the school. That’s the kind of officer you want looking after your students. That’s the kind of officer who can make a difference at a school trying to find its way again. That, tragically, is the kind of officer this Occidental administration fires.

    Robert Wicklund ’05
    Owner
    Spitz

  25. I join my fellow alumni in support of the faculty’s reaction to this incident among others described in Prof. Boesche’s letter. I will not be donating to my alma mater again until the principles of excellence, equity, community, and service are brought back into focus.

  26. Class of ’05 here. This is a devastation to our alma mater and I am deeply ashamed by what has happened at this school, particularly after the departure of President Ted Mitchell. Joe Cunje DOES embody the spirit of Oxy (or at least what it used to be). Dr. Boesche is right: Oxy has been polluted with poor leadership. I hope Joe knows how loved he is by faculty, students, and alumni and that we are right behind him. As for the shameful leadership from the Dean’s office, where is the Board of Trustees in all of this?

  27. I too ran into Cunje (We always called him “Joseph”, never “Joe”) many, many times after a night of reckless partying. He was a kind, decent man who was always trying to help. It was against the rules to give us a ride back to our off-campus house, but Joseph never batted an eye. He wanted us to get home safe and sound and trouble-free.

    Is there a medical fund for him? I would be interested in directing my yearly Oxy donation there instead of the general fund.

  28. I recently sent this letter to President Veitch (president@oxy.edu), with cc to the Board of Trustees (trustees@oxy.edu). Feel free to plagiarize it and send your own.

    Dear President Veitch,

    I recently learned from an article in The Occidental that Campus Safety Lt. Joseph Cunje was released from employment at Occidental College after a long period of illness. As I am sure you are receiving many letters on this topic, I will skip over the part where I tell you my experience working for Mr. Cunje for four years of work-study, the friendship that I developed with him and his family, the lasting impression that he made on my life, the value that he brings to the college, and the vast hole that will be left by his absence from campus.

    While the college may have been within its legal rights to terminate Mr. Cunje’s employment, by letting him go without providing early retirement benefits, Occidental has made a morally indefensible decision, one which will not soon be forgotten by students and alumni alike.

    Suffice it to say that I will not support Occidental College through alumni donations as a result of its decision to lay off Mr. Cunje. Additionally, I will encourage all Oxy alumni that I know to withhold donations unless and until Mr. Cunje receives fair and adequate compensation for the investment that he has made into the college, at the very minimum his full retirement.

    With deep disappointment,

    Tawnie McNeil
    Class of 2001

  29. I try to reserve judgement until I know all the facts, and I realize that Oxy is in a bind because privacy rules prevent the administration from telling its “side.” And perhaps Joe did things that warrant being fired. I do agree that security issues, like a car accident or drunk driving, should be handled by outside forces rather than by Oxy’s system (which has a record of messing up its handling of such matter).

    I do, however, have enough facts to know that some of the people involved in this story have severely messed up Oxy’s handling of sexual assault cases. It’s shameful. I will not contribute any funds to the college until this is addressed and until the people who helped create the problem are removed from the school.

    Related to sexual assault issues on campus, I do approve of efforts by the Oxy administration to formalize security issues and involve LAPD. Sure, it might work sometimes for people like Joe to handle matters informally or to pull students into his office to mediate security/safety issues. But this kind of discretion can also harm victims and the college with misapplied, as it often is to victims of sexual violence. I would much rather have security and safety issues handled by formal processes that are transparent and by the LAPD when there’s a criminal matter.

  30. Also, are children running the school now? I was surprised to read such snarky, mud-slinging comments coming from high-level administrators. Maybe if you’ve faced a no-confidence vote, you should do some introspection and grow a little to gain back the confidence that others lost in you. I see that Avery is focusing more on blaming others than on looking at herself and her (massive) flaws.

  31. Recent graduate (class of 2013) here.
    Reading this just solidified the decision I’ve been trying to make for some time. I won’t be giving Occidental ONE CENT until Veitch, Avery, and Chang are gone – and the Board of Trustees issues official apologies to everyone who suffered from the decisions of this administration. This has gone on FAR too long. I’m so disappointed to have attended this college under this kind of ‘leadership’.

    Deep gratitude to the faculty voting (and voicing) no confidence. As alums, we can do the same with our wallets. I know I will be.

  32. I must say this saddens me! I was far from a saint during my time at Oxy, and hand more than a hand full of run ins with Cunje, not counting the other campus safety officers. That being said, he always treated me and those in my circle with the utmost respect, and always gave us the benefit of the doubt rather than treating us like criminals. For the position he held, he was as respectable and respectful as it gets! My heart goes out to him and his family!

  33. Dear All,

    As an Occidental Alum, I am not surprised one bit by what has happened. I know Dean Avery and find her to be a great person. I worked with her as a student worker and found her to be very supportive of my growth as a student. I know Prof. Tinberg and thank her for helping me understand intergration. I remember Prof. Boeche and have always enjoyed hearing about his remarks in lecture from friends.

    My point is, we need to come back to dignity, common sense and respect. I remember Officer Cunje very well. He ran into me many times asleep in the Norris Chemistry library, waking me up so I could finish studying. I never had a negative thought about the man and respected his service to the community. I believe Officer Cunje deserves to be treated with dignity in this process. I do not know Mr. Chang, but I will relay my experiences of Officer Cunje so that he understands my position.

    Mr. Chang, I believe that your choice to involve LAPD in campus matters is a poor choice. In my years as the only African-American male in the Chemistry Department, I felt safe and respected by campus safety. When I left campus and interacted with LAPD, it was never a positive experience. I was almost arrested because i fit the description of mugger in the eagle rock area. When they could not pin that detail on me, I was then exposed to a sobriety check because it was “a Saturday night.” May I remind you, I was a chemistry major at this institution and had little to no time to party everyday of the week.

    Policing on this level is a terrible idea and I think you should step back from this area and let Hollis Nieto take over because I believe that she has done a great job over the years. Don’t change something that does not need fixing.

    In the end, Occidental is not the place I remember. I do not give to Occidental because I see no use in supporting an institution that fails to properly support its student population. Women are not safe there because the institution fails to evaluate their practices. Minorities are not safe from the long standing history of brutality that is the LAPD because an institution has decided to pass the responsibility of campus safety to someone else. Why have a campus safety? I do not question individuals on this matter. I question the institution.

    I hope all parties see my statements as a call to solving the issue at hand. We need to stop the finger pointing and give Officer Cunje his respect. To the family of Officer Cunje, my hope that officer Cunje recovers.

    Donald D. Johnson, Jr.
    Class of 2008

  34. “Note too that a faithful study of the liberal arts humanizes character and permits it not to be cruel.” Ovid, Epistulae ex Ponto (Letters From the Black Sea), II, iii, 14.

  35. when I graduated oxy in 2000, I left with such a strong sense of pride. One of the most best things about oxy was always it’s strong sense of community. a bond shared by its students, alumni, faculty and staff. 13 years later and several interactions with the present school administration, it is evident that that sense is no longer there. Alumni are no longer allowed to just walk onto campus and use it’s facilities without paying a fee and now this: the firing of a man whose family represented so much of what oxy was. Times are changing at oxy and it’s obvious… but it’s not a change that I can now be proud of. As a result, I, too, will be withholding my donation to the school this year until the administration does something to fix this. And yes… if there is a fund for Officer Cunje, please let me know. I will gladly give what I usually give to oxy to that instead.

  36. It is very sad to read that Oxy fired Mr.Joseph Cunje,after reading all these comments from past and present students.30 years of dedicated service and this is what you get, shame on Oxy.

  37. http://occidentalweekly.com/sports/2013/03/27/athletic-trainer-resigns-following-sexual-misconduct-investigation/

    Sweet was able to resign into early retirement, after assaulting students.

    http://occidentalweekly.com/news/2012/09/26/project-safe-pa-forced-out/

    Project Safe PA was forced out because he disagreed with dean of student’s handling of sexual assault cases.

    Joe was fired, and not offered early retirement, seemingly because he disagreed with policies, not because he did not enforce them.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/college-sexual-assault-complaints_n_3536004.html

    Botterud and Avery face no confidence votes from faculty for handling of cases. Botterud is only forced out after continuing involvement in ongoing cases after his position change.

    Mess up the policy and implementation, lose the confidence of the faculty in serving the students of the college, keep your job.

    Critique said policy you lose your job. Forget to say hi to your superiors you recieve a letter of reprimand.

    And how dystopian is this in the letter of reprimand? “you allowed personal feelings as to what you consider ‘right’ to overshadow your professionalism.”

    The culture of intimidation and harrassment is clear. Its source is swuarely within the Dean of Students office. I urge alumni to keep up the pressure.

    They cancelled telefund this weekend because so many of you are saying no over this. Keep up the pressure!

  38. I think I know why Cunje was let go – the school needed the money to pay for those sexual assault policy consultants:

    “According to Dirks and Heldman, who met with the consultants, Gomez is paid $515 per hour while Smith is paid $585 per hour. Over the course of two eight-hour work days, this amounts to a bill of approximately $17,600.”

    I wonder how much they have billed in the last 10 months.

  39. Interesting – and a little disheartening – to read all this, as the parent of a prospective Oxy student.

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