THE SPITTING
Just before the holiday season, one university employee wasn’t ready for good cheer – she allegedly spit on FAU student Sana Akhtar.
Akhtar was present as part of a group silently protesting outside the Boca campus Live Oak Pavilion, reserved that night for controversial speaker Daniel Pipes. The scheduled lecture was entitled “Vanquishing the Islamist Enemy.”
“I felt like she had the guts because of the university environment . . . [After the incident], I felt ignored and neglected,” Akhtar, a Muslim 23-year-old psychology major, told the UP.
University officials established their stance on the incident in a Dec. 6 e-mail from President Frank Brogan to the community. The letter summarized the findings of a month-long investigation of the events on Oct. 30.
“Although the accounts of the incident given by the student and the employee differ, it is apparent that the employee’s actions were utterly reprehensible and require a strong, direct response from the University, which condemns behavior of this kind under any circumstances,” President Brogan wrote. He added the unnamed employee was receiving “appropriate disciplinary action . . . [including] sensitivity training.”
The elderly worker spat and said, “You don’t belong here,” after the student offered her a flyer, said Akhtar.
“I said I would deal with it, and it was dealt with, as any student concern will be dealt with,” said Student Affairs Vice President Charles Brown, who headed the investigation. “I spoke with the young lady, the alleged perpetrator, and the University Police [and] worked around their schedules.”
Despite being uncomfortable, Akhtar refused to press charges afterward. “[The employee] didn’t know me, [but] she didn’t have a reason to spit at me. I feel bad for her,” Akhtar said.
Akhtar added that pressing charges “might embarrass her, but wouldn’t make a difference” in changing the anti-Muslim sentiment she believes prompted the employee’s actions.
SEEKING OUTSIDE HELP
In the days following the incident, Akhtar wasn’t certain how FAU officials intended to handle her allegations. That is, until a Nov. 2 written statement from university spokeswoman Kristine McGrath said the Division of Student Affairs was investigating.Akhtar thought this response wasn’t enough, so she sought support from Emmanuel Lopez, an FAU student activist and a Florida representative of Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER).
They created a petition demanding further response from the university, including cultural tolerance training for all university employees and a public apology from Brogan.
The written petition garnered more than 1,000 signatures by mid-December, says Lopez, with the online version garnering approximately 380 at press time. ANSWER also created a protest group on online social networking Web site Facebook, which claimed another 650 members.
Lopez and Akhtar sought to meet with President Brogan about the incident on Nov. 16, but the appointment was unexpectedly cancelled. “I wasn’t surprised he cancelled,” Lopez told the UP. “[His secretary] wouldn’t even give us an appointment over the phone.”
ANSWER TAKES ACTION
On Nov. 21, ANSWER, in conjunction with the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a press conference at the entrance of FAU’s Boca campus, demanding an apology for the spitting incident from President Brogan and the Board of Trustees.
Two weeks later, President Brogan issued his e-mail statement summarizing Brown’s investigation into the incident, noting that “there were no third-party witnesses,” but that the behavior was nonetheless “extraordinarily inappropriate [and] will not be tolerated.”
Lopez said the e-mail sounded arrogant and that Brogan showed “a false sense of responsibility,” adding “the university has economic and political priorities … we really forced him to act.”
Vice President Brown said he offered to show Akhtar the e-mail before it was submitted; however, it was sent by the time she responded to say she was unsatisfied. Brown welcomed her to voice any further concerns.
“I want to make sure all students receive the highest degree of respect and feel comfortable at this university,” Brown said.
