At a disciplinary hearing held Jan. 4, a hearing officer for SFSU was allotted 10 days to make recommendations to university President Robert A. Corrigan. It would then be up to Corrigan to determine a course of action.
As of press time Wednesday, a decision had not been reached.
Despite an attempt to inform him via certified mail at his last known address, the student, whose name has not been released, did not attend the hearing. According to Ligeia Polidora, SFSU public affairs director, he may have still been in the Middle East, where he went on vacation in late December.
Although technically a December 2000 grad, the student could suffer penalties ranging from a verbal warning to expulsion, she said.
A warrant for the misdemeanor charge of a harassing phone call, with a hate-crime charge attached, was issued by the S.F. District Attorney on Dec. 20, she added.
The 31-year-old student confessed to campus police that he left the recorded threats, including “I will teach you a very good lesson you fascist Nazi Zionists” and “I will get every single one of you,” before his departure for Jerusalem, Polidora said. The messages were left at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Hillel office adjacent to the campus.
While he is a member of the General Union of Palestinian Students, he is believed to have acted alone.
He is also believed to be the same man who threatened a pro-Israel activist during a Nov. 15 peace rally on the SFSU campus. Josh Saidoff, a student at Stanford University, was participating in the rally when he said a member of GUPS walked up and said: “I’m going to Palestine…I’m going to kill you.”
Because the suspect has left the country, SFSU police have not had a chance to question him about that threat, said Polidora.
Despite these incidents, Hillel executive director Seth Brysk told the Bulletin he hopes Jewish students will not be deterred from participating in the campus’ Jewish groups. “The best way to combat hate is to seek partners, and to seek out your community” he said, “both Jewish and non-Jewish.”