By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff
A university librarian said he was suspended without pay from
Sept. 17 to 21 for sending a mass e-mail criticizing what he called
U.S. support of apartheid policies in Israel.
Jonnie Hargis, who works for reference and instructional
services at the Young Research Library, said he was responding to a
patriotic mass e-mail sent to him and his co-workers after the
Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
“An opinion was sent to me, which was an open door to
respond,” Hargis said.
In his response to the e-mail, Hargis wrote that United States
taxpayers “fund and arm a state called Israel, which is
responsible for untold thousands upon thousands of deaths of Muslim
Palestinian children and civilians.”
He ended his message by stating, “so, who are the
“˜terrorists’ anyway?”
His e-mail was cited as being in violation of university library
policy, which prohibits unsolicited messages containing political,
religious or patriotic messages to be sent to library department
lists. The policy was sent via e-mail to all library departments
following his suspension.
Library administrators found out about the e-mail, and on Sept.
14, reprimanded Hargis in a letter:
“Your recent e-mail, which was distributed to the entire
unit, demonstrated a lack of sensitivity that went beyond
incivility and became harassment,” it stated.
It also stated that Hargis had sent “extreme e-mails in
the past,” and that if he did not improve his behavior,
“further disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal,
will result.”
The document was signed by Lorraine Kram, head of reference and
instructional services at YRL.
Neither Kram nor any other official would speak on the matter,
citing the library’s policy not to comment on personnel
issues. Kram neither denied nor confirmed that she had written the
letter to Hargis.
Hargis said he was given pay for the rest of that day and asked
to leave the library immediately.
The library policy was issued in response to the terrorist
attacks, said Alison Bunting, an administrator in the Biomedical
Library.
“We had been discussing issuing a policy concerning use of
internal e-mail distribution lists for non-business
purposes,” Bunting said.
“After the Sept. 11 tragedy, there were so many e-mails
distributed by staff that it was appropriate to issue it at the
time,” she continued.
Bunting said the policy supplements existing guidelines set by
the University of California.
Under the UC Electronic Communications Policy, Section III.D.7.,
users cannot use university e-mail systems to “amplify the
widespread distribution of unsolicited electronic
communications.”
Michelle Torre, who works in Hargis’ department, sent the
original patriotic e-mail. She said she was not the subject of any
disciplinary action or reprimand, but would not comment
further.
Torre’s message was sent to Hargis and other workers to
boost patriotism by citing a speech written in 1973 by Canadian
broadcaster Gordon Sinclair. The speech, titled “America: The
Good Neighbor,” has been widely circulated online since the
attacks.
The Sinclair speech was originally a response to the
near-bankruptcy the American Red Cross experienced after the
Vietnam War, but many say its pro-American general overtones make
it universally applicable to the recent attacks.
Hargis said he could not understand why any disciplinary action
was taken.
“It’s not what I would call cruel or unusual
discussion,” he said.
The Coalition of Union Employees, which represents library
workers throughout the UC, has filed a grievance with the
university.
“CUE strongly believes that employees have the right to
give their opinions of the standard issues of the day and cannot be
disciplined for them,” said Liza Go, who will represent
Hargis when the union meets with the university Friday.
With reports from Marcelle Richards, Daily Bruin Senior
Staff.