Ithaca College students voted 'no confidence' in their president and pledged to have him removed

Ithaca College students conducting a

(screengrab via Al Jazeera)
Ithaca College students conducting a "die-in" on campus in November.

Nearly 2,700 students at Ithaca College — or 72% of those who voted — cast a vote of "no confidence" in President Tom Rochon, The Ithacan reported.

The results of the vote were announced on Monday, and 3,756 of the 6,907 students emailed participated. Twenty-seven percent of voters expressed confidence in Rochon, and 1% submitted no answer.

“If 70% of the people that you are supposed to lead don’t believe in you, it’s time to go, and it’s time to go fast,” Dominick Recckio, Student Government Association president, told The Ithacan.

He also pledged to work tirelessly to remove Rochon from office.

“You can bet your $58,865 dollars that I am going to do everything that I possibly can to remove President Rochon from his office as president of Ithaca College as soon as possible,” he said.

The vote came three weeks after Ithaca College students protested racial injustice on campus and called for Rochon to step down.

Students conducted a "die-in" in November, where they lay down throughout the campus, simulating being dead as a form of protest.

The student protesters say public safety officers at the school racially profiled students. They're also angry that a black female alumna was called a “savage” by fellow panelists at a college event, and that a fraternity had a party with a "Preps and Crooks" theme, according to The Ithacan.

Faculty members are also holding a vote of confidence later this month with results to be announced on December 14.

A spokesperson for the Ithaca College provided a statement to The Ithacan regarding the vote.

“The Board of Trustees has begun a process of talking with members of the Ithaca College community about their thoughts and concerns, and President Rochon respects and supports that process," it read. "In the meantime, he remains focused on doing everything he can to support efforts to create a more welcoming and inclusive community for everyone.”

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