Cal State San Marcos students rallied Thursday to demand justice after the chair of the school's diversity program was fired.
“We want to let them know we’re not going to let them just fire anyone that advocates for students of color,” CSUSM Junior Selena Arellano.
Arellano is a member of M.E.Ch.A. (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan), one of the student groups that worked closely with Arturo Ocampo, the Associate Vice President of Diversity.
On Wednesday, students were notified by email that Ocampo was no longer an employee of the university. School administrators told NBC 7 they can't go into details on why Ocampo was fired.
Protestors told NBC 7 they feel they’ve lost one of their greatest advocates on campus.
“There is no one that could top him. We want him back immediately,” said junior Daniesha Thornton.
Not only did Ocampo serve as an advisor but the student leaders say he also challenged the administration. Something several students said may have cost him his job.
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CSU San Marcos administrators want to send a message to students that diversity has always been and will always be a priority.
“We have reorganized so that we are able to provide greater resources by moving this department into our community engagement,” said Cathy Baur, Associate Vice President for Communication.
The university is currently doing a national search but it could be several months before the position is filled.
Students say this will have a big impact on their planned events and future conferences.
