Cal Poly professor suspended for pushing police barricade at Pro-Palestine protest
The Office of the Provost accused Shanae Aurora Martinez — who uses 'they/she' pronouns — of 'unprofessional conduct' for their behavior at January and May protests in 2024 — the first which exploded into a confrontation between police and protesters that ended in violent arrests.
A Faculty Hearing Committee recommended a one-month suspension without pay for Martinez because they joined other protesters to push on a metal police barricade at the January demonstration. However, the committee did not think that Martinez's behavior at the May protest violated campus policies.
On Friday, President Jeffrey Armstrong approved the committee's decision — making it official.
Martinez's suspension begins on Sept. 11, which is the the first day of the fall quarter for faculty, according to Cal Poly's academic calendar.
'Dr. Martinez stated that she was at the protest to support students' right to protest and to serve as a peace liaison,' the letter from the committee said. 'While we applaud her desire to support Cal Poly students and combat inequity, we note that pushing on the barricade goes beyond what would be expected of a peace liaison or a person simply supporting students' right to protest. Instead of just supporting their rights, she was actively involved in the protest.'
Cal Poly professor could face lighter penalty for Pro-Palestine protests
The committee included Cal Poly professors Samantha Gill, Gregory Schwartz and Pasha Tabatabai, with Crow White as the alternate member.
Because Armstrong agreed with the Faculty Hearing Committee's decision, Martinez cannot appeal the one-month suspension.
On Friday, Martinez's faculty representative San Jose State University professor Sang Hea Kil said she would have preferred that Martinez wasn't suspended without pay, but nonetheless, she was glad to see that the committee recommended a lesser penalty.
'It's still a victory in the sense that the faculty hearing panel saw the excessive and punitive nature of the Cal Poly school administration's approach toward Dr. Martinez and, you know, mitigated that,' she said.
Sang said she was also glad that the Faculty Hearing Committee's decision included 'protectionist language,' pointing out that they didn't want the punishment to continue after the one-month suspension. She hopes that discourages the university from using the incident against Martinez when considering their tenure promotion in the fall.
'My hope is that they'll do the right thing and honor what the faculty panel had said in their language, and not use this as further amplifying punishment against Dr. Martinez,' Sang said.
In February, the Office of the Provost sent Martinez a letter of pending disciplinary action, which recommended that they be suspended for two quarters without pay for their conduct during Pro-Palestine protests on Jan. 23, 2024, and May 23, 2024.
The office said Martinez's behavior violated the California Education Code of Conduct, the Campus Civility Statement, Cal Poly's Statement on Commitment to Community and the Faculty Code of Ethics.
The office, however, never shared precedent or policy that supported a two-quarter suspension.
In Tuesday's letter, the committee called an unpaid two-quarter suspension 'excessive.'
'This one situation does not and should not define Dr. Martinez or detract from all the good work she has been and is doing,' the letter said. 'It is important to emphasize that we believe Dr. Martinez's actions were not antisemitic.'
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