Summer Recap: An armed robbery and more news

Jacob Peterson • August 29, 2023

While swarms of students are back on campus, Sacramento State’s campus community saw significant news over the summer. Join The State Hornet in recapping some of the most important stories of the summer. (Graphic created in Canva by Alyssa Branum, Photos by Jacob Peterson, Alyssa Branum and Cristian Gonzalez.)

Between the spring and fall semesters Sacramento State and the California State University system as a whole saw some major changes.

New administrators, damning reports on the CSU systems that handle sexual harassment and updates on the sexual assaults that rocked the campus in the fall 2022 semester. The State Hornet compiled the news that hit the campus community over the summer.

Welcoming Sac State’s new president

President Luke Wood meeting with members of the Sacramento State Pride Center, July 20, 2023. Wood has said both he and the university are committed to keeping CapRadio in operation as a part of Sac State. (Alyssa Branum)

Near the end of the fall 2022 semester former Sac State President Robert Nelsen announced he would be retiring from the position he held since 2015. While the campus said their goodbyes over the spring, there was always the underlying question of who would be stepping up to take his place.

We got the answer to that question on May 24, when the CSU Office of the Chancellor announced Sac State alumnus Luke Wood would become the ninth person to hold the title of president. Wood earned his bachelor’s and master's degrees at Sac State, having attended with his twin brother and also met his future wife while a student.

The second Black president officially took up the position on July 16. One of his first actions was to establish a Presidential Task Force on Campus Safety to provide solutions for student’s safety concerns.

The new president’s efforts have caught the attention of Associated Students Inc. President Nataly Andrade-Dominguez, who said she’s seen more change in the month since Wood took office than over the past three years.

Fatal collision on campus

A white SUV with a shattered windshield on State University Drive near Sequoia Hall after colliding with a cyclist Saturday morning, May 27, 2023. A Sacramento State police officer said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. (Cristian Gonzalez)

One of the most unfortunate events to occur was an on-campus car accident that left a cyclist dead on May 27.

The cyclist, later identified as 49-year-old Sacramento resident Charles Carlson, was struck while riding across the road by an SUV behind Sequoia Hall. Sac State Police arrived at the scene and administered first aid, but Carlson would still die at the scene of the accident.

“It was a beautiful day,” a witness said. “And it’s like, ‘What could possibly go wrong today?’ And this happens.”

An ASI complaint leads to disqualification

Robert Gonzalez delivers his testimony to the Associated Students Inc. Elections Complaint Committee in the University Union Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The complaints led to Nikita Akhumov, director-elect of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, disqualification from his position. (Alyssa Branum)

The spring 2022 semester saw controversy in the ASI elections when candidates for the position of director of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies filed a complaint against the winner for election interference.

Candidates Lillian Weese and Isabella Jimenez both filed complaints against Nikita Akhumov alleging volunteers working for his campaign committed election interference.

After holding hearings for both complaints, the ASI Elections Complaint Committee found there was enough evidence in Jimenez’s complaint to recommend disqualifying Akhumov from the position of SSIS director.

Akhumov filed an appeal challenging the recommendation, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to support the decision. Despite this, the ASI Appellate Council refused to hear the appeal, finding no valid grounds for it.

Jimenez, the runner up in the election, will be taking over the position of SSIS director this coming semester.

Armed robbery at the Hornet Commons

The Hornet Commons, where the Aug. 4 armed robbery took place, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. According to a timely warning notice from Sac State one of the suspects was armed with a handgun. (Jacob Peterson)

While many Sac State students went home at the start of the summer, there were plenty still living at the student housing. Unfortunately for one of these residents, they ended up being the victim of an armed robbery on Aug. 4.

According to a timely warning notice sent by Sac State Police, a resident of the Hornet Commons was accosted by a group of about 4 to 5 men while walking between buildings, one of whom had a handgun in his waistband.

The suspects allegedly demanded the victim hand over their backpack and a struggle ensued that resulted in the victim being struck in the face. The suspects fled the scene in a stolen grey 2018 Hyundai Sonata, with a licensed plate numbered “8DBR130.”

Sexual assault suspect sentenced to two years in state prison

Nida Muhummad Niazy speaks with his attorney while at his sentencing Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. Niazy was arrested in connection with two sexual assaults on and around Sac State, but was only sentenced to two years for assault after making a deal for a no-contest plea. (Alyssa Branum)

In fall 2022 a warrant was issued for Nida Muhammad Niazy, the suspect in two sexual assaults at and around Sac State. Niazy initially eluded capture from law enforcement, but was later arrested in Germany this February.

On May 30, Niazy was extradited back to the United States and booked at the Sacramento County Jail. Three days later he pleaded not guilty to charges levied against him and was found ineligible for bail.

On July 28, Niazy gave a no-contest plea as part of a deal to drop charges of rape from his sentencing.

On Aug. 25, Niazy was sentenced to two years in state prison and ordered to pay restitution to the victims.

In a statement from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, they said new information found during the investigation led them to “reevaluate” their ability to prove all the charges brought against Niazy.

A new CSU chancellor is selected

Mildred García is appointed as the new chancellor of the California State University system Wednesday, July 12, 2023. García is the first Latina chancellor of the CSU, having previously served as president of CSU Fullerton and CSU Dominguez Hills. (Courtesy of calstate.edu)

President Wood wasn’t the only major appointment the CSU Board of Directors made over the summer. On July 12 they announced Mildred García would be the new Chancellor of the CSU.

García previously served as the president of CSU Fullerton, CSU Dominguez Hills and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. García will officially take office on Oct. 1.

The selection of García comes after the resignation of former chancellor Joseph Castro in February 2022 following reports of mishandling sexual harassment complaints while president of CSU Fresno. Jolene Koester was selected as the interim chancellor in May 2022.

While many administrators and community leaders have expressed support for the decision to appoint García, there has been debate regarding the nearly $1 million in total compensation package offered to her. Anne Luna, president of the California Faculty Association’s Sacramento chapter, said the CFA was concerned with the package, calling it “exorbitant.”

Back-to-back reports paint a troubling picture of Title IX programs

A state audit of the CSU found multiple concerning issues with the way the system handled harassment complaints Tuesday, July 18, 2023. This report follows an independent assessment from law firm Cozen O’Connor, who also identified issues with system wide guidelines. (Graphic created in Canva by Alyssa Branum) (Alyssa Branum)

This summer two reports were released regarding the CSU’s Title IX programs, which detailed how 23 campuses and the Chancellor’s Office handled complaints of harassment. Both reports found some troubling concerns with the way CSU manages these issues.

The first report released was from Cozen O’Connor, a law firm hired by the CSU to conduct the assessment. It found a lack of consistency across campuses with guidelines for handling discrimination and harassment. The report also recommended hiring more staff to better accommodate the volume of reports to ensure they are resolved in a timely manner.

The second report, a state audit ordered by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee following Castro's resignation, found even more damning problems. Namely, over a quarter of the cases reviewed in the audit were closed without investigations despite warranting action.

In response to the O’Connor report, President Wood released a statement via email stating Sac State would be putting together an implementation team in an effort to apply the recommendations it gave.

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About the Contributor

Jacob Peterson, News Editor

(he/him)

Jacob joined The State Hornet in fall 2022, and served as the spring 2023 visuals editor and now the fall 2023 news editor. He earned his A.A. in journalism at Cosumnes River College and is working on his B. A. at Sac State.