By Mia Garcia, Staff Reporter
An alleged attack at a CSUDH residence hall on Oct. 26 is still under investigation, according to university officials. Almost a month after the incident, the university is keeping a tight lid on the details. However, Toro students and faculty have said they’re more interested to know why leadership waited a few days to notify campus about what happened.
On Oct. 29, CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham sent an email to the campus community about what he described as a “weekend incident.” Parham said he was “disturbed” by any report of violence at the school, but reiterated that dorm facilities were monitored, secured, and regularly maintained by both Campus Police and housing staff. He said Campus Police had “spoken with both parties, each of whom has alleged the other assaulted them during this interaction.”
“This incident underscores the need for on-campus residents to be vigilant about providing access to visitors who do not live in the facilities,” Parham wrote.
The Bulletin contacted Parham’s office for more information, but the president declined to offer further comment, citing the ongoing investigation. Parham said he would “be delighted” to answer questions about the matter when the investigation concluded, “including the supposed security lapses.”
Some Toros told The Bulletin they were unaware of what happened last month and never received the president’s update.
“That’s something that’s serious,” said Renee Rosales, a third-year music education student. “I know a lot of people commute, but for the people who do live on campus, they should really communicate that to all of us.”
First-year clinical science student Erica Macapagal said it was “concerning” not to have received communication from the university until 72 hours after the incident was reported to police.
“Sometimes I don’t see much security at night,” Macapagal said. “It’s a big gap for when you should alert people – 24 hours at most.”
Local news report stirs speculation
The so-called “weekend incident” was first reported on Oct. 28 by NBC Los Angeles, who said it happened at the Phase 3 residence hall around 12:30 a.m. According to NBC LA, a first-year female student told Campus Police a man she had “never seen” before attacked her in the stairwell. She said the man first encountered her in a common area after entering the building.
“He had come up to me, pushing himself on me, trying to get my number,” the student told NBC LA. “He was trying to convince me to leave campus with him to go into his car and drink.”
Campus Police logged the incident as a “robbery.” In a statement provided to NBC LA, the university described it as a “physical altercation between a female student and a male acquaintance.” Neither the university nor NBC LA identified the man, but Campus Police said he was not affiliated with CSUDH and there was no further threat to the student population.
The university performed a welfare check on the student, but she accused Campus Police of dismissing her concerns. She told NBC LA “they were not very understanding” and tried to manipulate her into “saying stuff as if it was my fault.”
The Bulletin attempted to contact the student via her social media for additional comment, but did not receive a response at press time.
NBC LA reported that the backdoor of the dorm “doesn’t always lock” and could be “opened without a [university] key card.” However, current residents of the building confirmed to The Bulletin that although entrances are accessible only by key card, doors sometimes didn’t shut properly on their own as people walked in and out.
Parham criticized NBC LA for how it reported the incident. In an Oct. 30 email to The Bulletin, he said the network would be “embarrassed when they hear the real story.”
CSUDH offices mum on details
The Bulletin reached out to the leadership of other CSUDH offices for information about the incident and the campus safety alert protocol, including: Student Affairs, Title IX, Campus Police, and University Housing – all of which referred inquiries to university spokesperson Lilly McKibbin.
“A reported incident does not automatically meet the criteria required for issuance of campus alert,” said McKibbin in an email to The Bulletin on Nov. 4. “Law enforcement makes a judgment based on its assessment of any particular report on whether a campus safety alert is necessary.”
McKibbin said the full incident report would not be released until the investigation is complete. With regard to Parham’s Oct. 29 email, McKibbin clarified that such correspondence “is sent at the discretion of university leadership to address topical issues arising within our community.”
She added that a technical error may have prevented some people from receiving the message, because it was sent just prior to what she described as “a list-serv update.” McKibbin said “Communications and IT are working together to create dynamic list-servs that update in real-time.”
The Bulletin contacted the CSUDH Division of Information Technology to confirm the information provided by McKibbin, but the department declined to comment.
CFA-DH: Parham’s email “irresponsible”
Some Toro faculty criticized the language Parham used in his email, saying it was akin to victim-blaming. In a statement emailed to campus on Nov. 1, members of the California Faculty Association at Dominguez Hills called on university administrators to “take accountability for their missteps and the harm caused to student, faculty, and staff survivors.”
“The email undermines the survivor’s credibility and right to privacy when it cites language in the University Police report, specifically that the involved parties ‘alleged the other assaulted them,’” the statement read. “Although ‘situational awareness’ is certainly valuable,
this appears to blame the student for the alleged violence inflicted upon her by another party.”
While CFA-Dominguez Hills said it would not “adjudicate the facts of this specific incident,” the organization believed it was “irresponsible and unnecessary” for the university “to respond to local news coverage.” The group accused Parham of prioritizing “the public image of the university” over “supporting students and ensuring their right to speak out without fear of reprisal.”
“I don’t think there was a need for them to speak to a narrative of what happened in that way,” said English professor Julia Talante, who serves as chair of the CFA Women’s Committee. “In my view, nothing in that statement helps to keep people safe – if anything, I think that it could potentially make survivors feel unsafe.”
McKibbin emphasized that ensuring the safety of students is CSUDH’s “highest priority,” and that the university provides several resources to support their health and wellbeing.
In response to a follow-up email on Nov. 15, McKibbin said Campus Police would be “taking action,” but she could not provide details.
Staff reporter Jenna Birdwell contributed to this report.
