In the face of passionate opposition, the American River College Student Council on Tuesday passed a controversial resolution calling for a ban on gay marriage.
By an 8-3 vote with three abstentions, the council endorsed Proposition 8, the Limit on Marriage Constitutional Amendment that would overturn the state Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex unions if passed Nov. 4.
The resolution is believed to be the first of its kind at a California college.
"It's fairly unusual for a student government to get involved in such a politicized issue that's not directly involved in education," said Linda Michalowski, Vice Chancellor for Student Services for the 110 California community colleges. "I am not aware of any other student governments that have done that."
Students who support gay marriage said they've already collected 450 signatures – enough to force a recall election of the eight council members who voted for the resolution.
If the signatures are validated, a special election would have to be held within 10 days, said Councilman Tim Richey, who led the opposition. "We are against discrimination and hatred, and we want them out of office."
American River College is the state's largest community college, with 37,500 students currently enrolled and 55,000 students annually.
Barely 300 students voted in the last student council elections. The council includes five members from the former Soviet Union, all of whom voted to endorse Proposition 8.
Councilman Vladimir Musorivschi, 25, of Moldova said the resolution spoke for ARC's large Russian-speaking population, "mostly all of whom are Christian."
Nearly 4,000 students – 70 percent of ARC's 6,684 ESL (English as a second language) students – are of Slavic descent, said ARC spokesman Stephen Peithman. Many are religious refugees from the former U.S.S.R.
"This is not a political issue; this is our issue," Musorivschi said. "It was hard, but it was a really important step. I feel a responsibility to protect our traditional family values – we should think about our future generations."
Musorivschi said ARC's gay and lesbian students "influence us here right on campus – they do propaganda for homosexuality in front of the cafeteria."
Councilman Viktor Choban, a Romanian immigrant from Ukraine, said the vote had nothing to do with race or ethnicity.
Choban, 25, said he voted his conscience. "This resolution has everything to do with education because it affects all the public schools and colleges," Choban said. "If Proposition 8 fails, schools will absolutely be required to teach that gay marriage is equal to normal marriage, thereby confusing students and children about the most basic roles of men and women in society."
Choban was cursed and shouted down by some of the 200 students in the audience when he told his fellow council members, "don't be intimidated. The homosexuals are masters of presenting themselves as a civil rights issue. It's not a civil rights issue; it's personal choice."
"They're the aggressors. They won't tolerate my opinions," Choban said.
But Richey said homosexual students are often harassed.
"They attack anyone who's not straight," he said of students who actively oppose homosexuality. "You're told you're going to hell."
Students opposing the resolution chanted "2,4,6,8 we are here to stop the hate; 2,4,6,8 we are here to stop Prop. 8!" One straight student carried a sign that read, "Lesbians are My Posse!"
Elizabeth Welsh, 19, a lesbian who addressed the council, said the resolution "creates a bad environment for students to learn."
"Don't make me scared to come to school to learn to be a nurse," added Manny Joslyn, 18. "If you don't know me, don't judge me."
The resolution was written by newly elected council Vice President Blaze Jeppesen, 17. It claimed "to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., who … said 'It's God's plan that every child shall have a good father and good mother.' "
Akilah Parks, ARC's Black Student Union president, strongly opposed the King reference. "They're using his words to discriminate against gays, and we don't know if King would approve or disapprove of same sex marriage," she said. "Coretta Scott King, before she died, said King's words shouldn't be used that way."
Bridget Engler, 20, commented, "I'd like to remind the council that church and state is supposed to be separate."
The school's rich diversity was on display at the two-hour council meeting. Joy Cordova, a student of Filipino, Yaqui and Mexican descent who's not gay, declared, "My heart hurts. How dare you tell someone you can't love another human being!"
Daniel Jensen, a Mormon student, spoke for many who backed the resolution when he remarked, "I have the right to stand up for what I believe in. Nobody has the right to call me a bigot and call me a hater."
Inna Gritsak, a 19-year-old journalism major, took on the state Supreme Court: "Prop. 8 is about preserving the union between men and women and allows citizens of California to say no to judicial tyranny."
Dean of Counseling and Student Services Keltie Jones, ARC's student council advisor, called Tuesday's vote and protest "the most exciting thing that's happened on this campus in years.
"I actually admired their restraint," Jones said. "They worked together to calm themselves down. The students expressing disaffection are learning you have to participate in the elective process if you want to have a say in what the government says."
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