Update: Sacramento State professor escorted out of lecture hall says he’s on personal leave
Mysteries abound after an associate professor at Sacramento State was physically escorted away as he was reportedly en route to teach a computer science class at the campus last week.
University spokeswoman Anita Fitzhugh confirmed in an emailed statement to The Sacramento Bee that a faculty member was “intercepted on the way to teach a scheduled class” on Wednesday.
Fitzhugh did not identify the faculty member by name, citing confidentiality laws, but her full statement indicated that the incident would require “a solution for continued instruction” for the current semester:
“On Wednesday afternoon, a faculty member was intercepted on the way to teach a scheduled class, which was subsequently canceled. The University is working toward a solution for continued instruction this semester and is committed to the success of our students. This is all that can be shared due to confidentiality laws. I will be able to share with you the plan for continued instruction once available.”
The strange incident was first reported Thursday by the State Hornet, Sacramento State’s student news publication, which identified the associate professor as Weide Chang.
Chang spoke with The Bee briefly Monday morning at the front door of his home near campus. The professor said he did not want to talk about last week’s incident, but confirmed that he is on leave.
“It’s a personal matter, that’s all,” Chang said. “I’ll be back in a few days, or maybe a little longer.”
In identifying Chang, the State Hornet cited an anonymous student who reported seeing Chang escorted out of one of the university’s lecture halls by two men as he was heading to class Wednesday; another student who posted on Reddit that their computer science professor “got escorted away” before class that day; a sign on Chang’s office door Thursday indicating that he is on a leave of absence; and confirmation of Chang’s leave of absence from the dean of Sacramento State’s college of engineering and computer science, Lorenzo Smith.
Asked about the incident and Chang’s status, Smith in an emailed response to The Bee declined to comment, deferring to the university’s communications department.
An administrator for the college sent an email to students Thursday morning alerting them that all sections of a course titled “CSC/CPE 159” were canceled that day, with the State Hornet further reporting that the class section was taught only by Chang.
According to Chang’s profile on the college of engineering and computer science website, he had been teaching four class sections this semester at Sacramento State, all computer science courses. Chang’s curriculum vitae says he has been a professor at Sacramento State since 2002, having completed his master’s degree in computer science there in 1991.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Update: Sacramento State professor escorted out of lecture hall says he’s on personal leave."
