In a UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) Title IX case handled by current Pitzer College Dean of Students Sandra Vasquez, 629 days into his illegal suspension, the former UCSB student charged with relationship violence by the Title IX office of the University has been cleared of all charges in an unanimous decision by a panel of UCSB administrators. The low-income, minority student in question, initially suspended on August 30, 2016, three weeks before the start of his freshman year, had been accused of either harming his former high school girlfriend or threatening her with serious injury. Almost two years later, it was determined that neither had actually taken place. A previous Independent article highlighted newly-hired Vasquez’s role in concealing material evidence in the case when she was a director of judicial affairs at UCSB despite assuring that she had disclosed to him all of the information upon UCSB would rely in determining whether to lift his suspension. The student’s San Diego-based attorney, Bob Ottilie, previously told the Independent that “[w]hile the specifics of the Department of Education investigation are confidential, I can confirm that Ms. Vasquez’s conduct is a component.” A court ruling affirmed that Vasquez and her colleagues did not provide the accused student with all information at his initial hearing.  Nonetheless, Pitzer released a statement expressing their “full support” for Vasquez, and expressed disappointment with the Independent’s “reckless and inaccurate reporting.” In light of the student in question being exonerated by UCSB’s administrative panel—the student had previously been only exonerated by the Santa Barbara Superior Court—Pitzer could not provide an updated comment, but stated that it reaffirmed Vasquez’s statement in defense of her actions: “I have never concealed material evidence in any case, nor would I do anything that flies in the face of the professional and personal ethics that define me.” Ms. Vasquez stated. However, the UCSB panel found that “had the University considered available evidence at the inception of the case (2016), John Doe’s  suspension and charges probably would not have occurred.” (emphasis original)

In a March 2017 ruling, Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Thomas P. Anderle concluded that UCSB had predetermined the student’s guilt. Most importantly, Judge Anderle criticized Vasquez and other UCSB officials for violating the student’s due process rights when withholding evidence at the time of the student’s initial hearing: “The backbone of our legal system requires all evidence to be presented in the Courtroom where it can be tested; it can be questioned…Evidence acquired otherwise is an abrogation of our legal system.”

The alleged actions had taken place on August 13, 2016, in San Diego, California, before the plaintiff was to attend UCSB. His then-girlfriend, who had illegally hacked his social media accounts, began to film the argument that ensued when the plaintiff discovered this. When he found that he was being filmed, the plaintiff tried to take her phone. His girlfriend claimed the plaintiff had hit her; he denied this. The plaintiff also claimed that his then-girlfriend had repeatedly threatened to make the video recording public if he had any interactions with other women at UCSB. After he returned from a week-long orientation program for incoming UCSB freshmen, the student’s girlfriend accused him of flirting with another woman. Shortly thereafter, she posted a doctored version of the video in which he appeared to be hitting her just as the footage cut out. Aside from Dean of Students, Vasquez is also a Title IX coordinator at Pitzer, tasked with “ensuring prompt and equitable resolution of complaints.”…SOS will pray for the Pitzer men.

claremontindependent By (Courageous) Liam MaDonald  Pitzer Dean Concealed Evidence

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