Cal Poly student to be expelled after arrest over pro-Palestine vandalism, group says
The Cal Poly student who was arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Administration Building on campus faces expulsion but, according to a campus activist group, was only standing outside the building with a sign.
On June 4, five people entered the university’s Financial Aid and Student Accounts Office in the Administration Building and spray-painted graffiti on walls, windows, furniture, computers and floors. Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier told The Tribune at the time that the graffiti said “Free Palestine,” “Free Gaza,” “Cal Poly Divest” and “Let Gaza Live.”
The university confirmed that one of the two individuals arrested, 22-year-old Theodore Lee, was a Cal Poly student. His LinkedIn profile says that he expected to graduate from Cal Poly in 2025.
Cal Poly’s Social Justice Coalition posted on Instagram on Wednesday, claiming that the student now was facing expulsion for “simply being present with a sign outside of the Administration Building.” The coalition did not name Lee directly, but Lee was the only student arrested in connection to the vandalism.
The university did not confirm this claim.
“Privacy concerns prevent the university from discussing or acknowledging any specific student conduct matters, so we are not able to speak to whether an individual might face a student conduct investigation or sanctions,” Cal Poly executive communications specialist Keegan Koberl wrote in an email.
Both Lee and 30-year-old Alejandro Bupara, who attended Cal Poly in 2019 and is not a current student, were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism over $400, felony criminal conspiracy, misdemeanor wearing a mask to evade or conceal their identities in the commission of a public offense, and an additional unlisted charge, according to the San Luis Obispo County Jail’s booking log.
Neither have been formally charged by the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office, but they have both been arrested and charged in connection with previous pro-Palestine protests on campus.
None of the other three suspects have been located.
The Social Justice Coalition did not respond to The Tribune’s request for comment.
Group criticizes Cal Poly president’s letter to students after vandalism
The coalition also criticized Armstrong’s letter to students after the vandalism, in which he said, “Anyone who views this kind of shortsighted, disgusting and illegal activity as acceptable has no place at Cal Poly and will be rooted out.”
“The threat to ‘root out’ those who even ‘view’ such activity as acceptable explicitly and directly violates the university’s core value of free inquiry,” the coalition said.
Koberl said Armstrong’s letter was “clear in conveying the sentiment that unlawful activity will not be tolerated” and declined to share further details at this time.
Still, the coalition continues to urge Cal Poly to drop all disciplinary actions against the student arrested on June 4.
“These actions set a dangerous precedent for repression and criminalization of free speech and academic freedom at Cal Poly that we cannot ignore,” the coalition wrote on Instagram.
The coalition also criticized the university’s failure to publicly address ongoing harassment by a man allegedly seen on campus “wearing blackface and a shirt showing a hateful, anti-Black slur.”
When asked by The Tribune about the alleged ongoing anti-Black harassment, the university did not give a specific answer.
“Speaking broadly, the university is a state institution and a public campus and must uphold the First Amendment rights of campus community members and visitors,” Koberl wrote in an email.
He said the university encourages students who feel harassed, discriminated against or unsafe to contact the Cal Poly Police Department at 805-756-2281 or police@calpoly.edu.
