new developments: two staples and the truth

Due to some puzzling behavior by the Cal Poly Humboldt administration, it has become necessary for me to issue a technical correction to my previous post. This is not an admission of error or expression of regret.

Here’s what happened:

In September I published a zine, Free Reading #11: two staples and the truth (the full text of which is on this substack) which alleges abuse by my father, Dr. Peter A. Lehman of Arcata, an emeritus professor at Humboldt, and, as I understand it, a donor.

A little over a month later, I received an email from a Title IX administrator at Cal Poly Humboldt, where I am currently an undergraduate student.

The administrator wrote, “The purpose of this letter is to follow up with you on a report I received recently (elsewhere in the letter he says reports, plural) that suggests you might have experienced something that falls under Title IX. Please know that the University takes these matters seriously . . . I am eager to receive additional information about what you have experienced and explain options available to you under CSU policy including . . . the option to file a formal complaint (emphasis mine).”

I met with the Title IX administrator in a conference room in Siemens Hall. He told me I was there because “we’ve noticed” my zines. He said that I was not in trouble in any way and that I was viewed as a victim in this matter. He said that because my father has emeritus professor status at Humboldt, the university could investigate him under Title IX, and if he was found to be in violation of policy, possible sanctions could include loss of emeritus status and being barred from campus. The administrator then asked me about my dad’s habit of popping in around campus after his retirement, which led me to believe the administrator had already done some preliminary asking around.

The Cal Poly Humboldt Title IX administrator asked me multiple times if I wanted to proceed with a formal accountability process. Each time, I stated clearly, unambiguously, and directly, that yes, I did (and do) want an investigation of my father, Peter Lehman. The administrator then made statements that convinced me that he would begin a formal Title IX investigation into my father. He seemed, to me, gung-ho to get started. He said he would be in touch. I left the meeting believing that a formal investigation had been initiated.

I then published an update to my zine, reporting that the university had begun a Title IX investigation into my father. A little while later, the Humboldt Title IX administrator emailed me, using some all caps and the word “disappointed.” He stated in his email that there was no Title IX investigation of my father because— get this— to have started the formal accountability process at our meeting, I would have had to fill out a form he did not tell me about.

A few hours later, I received two emails from a Dean of Students, summoning me to a disciplinary conference this Monday morning, and informing me that I have been “charged” with student conduct “violation(s)” and may face expulsion, because I published the update to my zine and distributed it on campus.

The dean instructed me to silence my voice, writing, “You are to desist in distributing, circulating or posting your zines on campus. Failure to do so will result in potential infractions of the Student Code of Conduct.”

Because I treasure access to education, I have complied with the dean’s censorship directive. However, I must state that I believe it is a violation of the Constitutional rights to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and equal protection under the law.

Cal Poly Humboldt could do better to avoid the appearance of stonewalling an inquiry and silencing and retaliating against a whistleblower.

Jacob Michael Lehman