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Pomona College President David Oxtoby expresses concern
over the FBI's recent visit to
campus.
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March 9, 2006
To the Pomona College Community:
On Tuesday, March 7, Miguel Tinker Salas, Arango Professor
of Latin American History and Chicano Studies, was visited
in his Pearsons Hall office by two men from the Los Angeles
County Sheriff/FBI Joint Task Force on Terrorism. To avoid
rumors, I wanted the Pomona College community to be aware of
the facts.
The agents asked Professor Tinker Salas a number of personal
questions as well as questions about the Venezuelan
government and the Venezuelan community in the U.S. During
the meeting, they told him that he was not a subject of
investigation. The tone and content of the questioning,
however, troubled him deeply. He was also troubled by the
fact that the agents reportedly questioned some of the
students outside his office while waiting to see him.
Miguel, as all of you know, is a superb Wig Award winning
teacher and a fine scholar on Latin American history,
politics, and culture who is sometimes asked by the news
media to comment on topics related to his research,
including Venezuelan politics. The College supports him and
his scholarly work without reservation.
I am extremely concerned about the chilling effect this kind
of intrusive government interest could have on free
scholarly and political discourse. I am also concerned about
the negative message it sends to students who are
considering the pursuit of important areas of international
study, in which they may now feel exposed to unwarranted
official scrutiny.
The College is currently consulting with legal advisors
about the most effective way to register a strong official
protest about this intrusion into our scholarly and
educational activities, and we will take appropriate action
as soon as their advice is received. We are also asking for
their help in assuring that all members of the College
community are fully informed about their rights and their
options in such situations.
David Oxtoby
President, Pomona College
Update: March 10, 2006
To the Pomona College Community:
This afternoon, I received a phone call from the Agent in
Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office of the FBI, who
apologized for any disruption caused on our campus by the
visit of two members of the Joint Task Force on Terrorism to
Professor Miguel Tinker Salasıs office on Wednesday. He
assured me that no intimidation was intended and that he
regretted that the timing and location of the interview
request suggested otherwise.
A short time later, the FBIıs Los Angeles Office released
the attached
public statement. There has been a great deal
of media interest in these events, and I believe that these
latest developments may be covered by several news channels
this evening or this weekend.
We are grateful to all of you who have helped bring about
this apology by virtue of your communications with
professional colleagues and professional associations across
the country. I am very sorry that our colleague was
subjected to this treatment, and I'm sure you join me in
hoping that we will not have a repetition of this kind of
incident in the future.
David Oxtoby
President, Pomona College
Related links:
Statement from the American Association of University
Presidents
Los Angeles Times article (registration required)
Associated Press article
Reuters article
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