Full-time CSUMB faculty and administrative heads recently delivered a "no-confidence" vote to university President Peter Smith. When asked whether they had "confidence in the president''s abilities to provide the leadership necessary to build the type of multicultural university that we are committed to creating," 78 respondents said "no," 28 said "yes," and nine abstained.

Personnel decisions affecting certain Latino employees have spawned several recent protests on the campus, and Smith''s ability to deal with multicultural issues has been called into question. What do CSUMB students think of their leader and what needs to change?

Jack Leidecker

Resides: Marina
Age: 21

How do you feel about President Smith and the job he is doing? What, if anything, are you unhappy about?
The problem is that he''s lost touch with the students and faculty, and local establishments. We no longer get free bus passes from the Monterey-Salinas Transit. We are no longer connected with U.C. Santa Cruz. And I''m concerned about accreditation. The multicultural issue ties into larger problems. It''s the founding principle of our school, and it''s a joke.

If he''s reading this article, what advice would you have for President Smith?
He needs to interact more. I don''t want him out because we need some stability at the school to gain some credit. And once you get rid of a leader, the next might be worse. In terms of diversity, I don''t like the idea of putting minorities in a position just because they are part of a minority, if they are not qualified.

Taherera Smith

Resides: CSUMB dorm
Age: 19

How do you feel about President Smith and the job he is doing? What, if anything, are you unhappy about?
I wasn''t surprised, but I disagree with the no confidence vote because he admitted that he messed up and is trying to turn things around. There has been an increase in student action and I know he is making little steps toward a larger goal.

What would you like to see the school improve?
We''re starting to focus on local people and bring in low-income students, and the teachers all use multicultural curriculum. Some students complain that multiculturalism has been "shoved down their throats." Yes, we are all Americans, but cultures still need to be represented.

Freeda Burnstad

Resides: Monterey
Age: 21

How do you feel about President Smith and the job he is doing? What, if anything, are you unhappy about?
I''m not surprised about the vote, but it makes me nervous. What will we do without a president? It''s a valid vote of no confidence and the school cannot function properly without having confidence in its president. But hiring a new president is a complicated process here.

If he''s reading this article, what advice would you have for President Smith?
Had the president made drastic moves earlier, he could have made it work. Unfortunately it''s too late. The healthiest thing now is for him to go, even though he''s done an admirable job considering the situation he was put in.

Send a Letter to the Editor | Post a Public Forum