Student Group Wants UC Chancellor to Quit Over PR Spending

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAVIS, Calif. — Apr 16, 2016, 9:00 PM ET

The association that represents University of California students statewide is calling for the head of the UC Davis to step down over the school's public relations spending to clean up the university's online image.

The Sacramento Bee ( http://bit.ly/1VwDOfR ) reports Saturday the UC Student Association is joining seven state lawmakers and student protesters who say Chancellor Linda Katehi must go.

The demands came after the newspaper reported that UC Davis paid image consultants at least $175,000 to repair the damage online to the university's reputation after campus police pepper-sprayed students in 2011.

UC Davis Provost Ralph Hexter said in a statement that the campus used no public or student funds when it hired consultants to "optimize search engine results in order to highlight the achievements of our students, faculty and staff."

APRIL 16, 2016 7:29 AM

UC Student Association calls for Katehi’s resignation or firing

BY SAM STANTON

The University of California Student Association is calling for the resignation or firing of UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, joining with seven legislators and student protesters who say Katehi must go.

The association, which represents 240,000 students in UC schools statewide, cited revelations Wednesday in The Sacramento Bee that UC Davis spent at least $175,000 trying to scrub the Internet of negative references related to the November 2011 pepper-spraying of students by campus police.

Katehi, accompanied by a man with a shirt that read “Security” on the back, rebuffed a question Saturday at the campus’ annual Picnic Day about student calls that she step down. She said the university will respond further to The Bee’s report on Monday, but gave no details.

“There is going to be a response to The Bee because The Bee has … misrepresented the facts. There is going to be a response on Monday,” Katehi said.

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