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UHS teacher dismissed

Jonathan McCoy Malcolm, a music instructor at University High School on the Fresno State campus, was dismissed this evening. Malcolm was arrested Wednesday and charged with distributing or displaying lewd material to a minor and annoying or molesting children under 18.

The University High board convened an emergency meeting Friday at 5 p.m. to determine a plan of action. The board dismissed Malcolm from his position.

Parents had been notified of the incident by email Thursday.

Read The Collegian’s news story:
UHS teacher arrested

Basketball guard Dwight O’Neil arrested

Bulldogs’ senior guard Dwight O’Neil was arrested Thursday night around 11:15 p.m. on a warrant for driving with a suspended license. O’Neil was booked early Thursday morning and is currently in custody at the Fresno County Jail.

While the charge is only a misdemeanor, it still carries a $1,140 fine.

O’Neil missed the Bulldogs’ last game against Houston Baptist on Wednesday to deal with a family issue unrelated to the arrest. The Bulldogs have played without the senior in two of their last three games and have won both without O’Neil.

The Bulldogs play again Saturday night at Save Mart Center against the Utah State Aggies (20-1, 8- WAC). Check The Collegian on Monday for additional information.

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UHS teacher arrested

High school expresses ‘disappointment’ and ‘sadness’ as performing arts instructor charged with lewd acts

University High School (UHS) teacher Jonathan McCoy Malcolm has been arrested, as announced by University Police Department’s Lt. Lupe Canales-Shrum.

Malcolm, 31, was booked on three charges, including two counts of distribution or exhibition of lewd material to a minor and one count of annoying or molesting children under the age of 18. Details of Malcolm’s arrest are being withheld as the investigation remains open, but Canales-Shrum confirmed that a search warrant was issued to assist with the investigation.

Canales-Shrum also said that as the investigation continues, more charges might be brought against Malcolm.

According to Dr. James Bushman, head of school at UHS, school officials were contacted Tuesday, Jan. 27 and informed of a possible relationship between Malcolm and at least one UHS student. School administrators notified University Police Department that day, and a cooperative investigation with the Fresno Police Department resulted in Malcolm’s arrest shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon on the Fresno State campus.

“While we’re so sad at what’s happened, we’re very pleased that [University Police] did a good investigation and have gotten to the bottom of this,” Bushman said.

Malcolm has since posted bail and been released from custody by the Fresno County jail.

“I’ve got to tell you, it’s impossible for us to express the magnitude of our disappointment, sadness and anger that this event has happened,” Bushman said. “We are devastated that this has occurred on our campus.”

School board to determine actions

Malcolm’s status within UHS is officially undetermined to this point, although in a letter, e-mailed to UHS parents Thursday, Bushman acknowledged that Malcolm is currently on administrative leave until the school’s board of officials decides on a course of action. The board is scheduled to meet this evening at 5 p.m.

“I would think everything is clearly on the table,” Bushman said when asked if terminating Malcolm was a possible course of action.

The school’s board of officials consists of eight members, including four Fresno community members and four Fresno State faculty members.

Former Fresno city councilman Henry Perea, Sr., is represented on the board as a community member, while Fresno State representatives on the board include Dr. Vida Samiian (Dean of College of Arts & Humanities), Dr. Michael Caldwell (Department of Music), Dr. Larry Cusick (Department of Mathematics) and Dr. Paul Beare (Dean of Kremen School of Education and Human Development).

Damage control

Starting today, UHS will make available additional counseling for students who may seek such assistance. Other actions to be taken by the school include sending an additional e-mail home to parents and teacher-student discussions within the confines of the classroom.

“We’re going to be asking parents to please remind their children not to spread rumors,” Bushman said.

“Rumors are, as you know with text messaging, a bad thing for everyone. And we all know it’s better if kids keep their ideas to themselves,” he said.

“We really want to work hard to make sure that all of us are keeping measured responses as we move forward, because no matter how you look at it, it’s a bad thing.”

Malcolm has been a teacher at UHS since Aug. 28, 2005, serving as an instrumental music instructor. His duties as an instructor include teaching music theory classes and the conducting of several musical ensemble groups, including an orchestra and jazz band.

University moves deadline for transfer student apps

Not enough state funding has caused Fresno State to move up another application deadline — this time for transfer students.

University officials announced Jan. 29 that the deadline for upper-division transfer applicants and lower-division nursing and engineering applicants who wish to attend Fresno State next fall have until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, to get their applications in.

That deadline has been moved up by six weeks from the original April 1 deadline.

“Due to the state’s fiscal crisis, Fresno State has limited space for new students for the fall semester,” said Bernie Vinovrski, associate vice president for enrollment.

“Managing enrollment is critically important these days because Fresno State will not receive enough state funding to accommodate all students who are qualified to attend,” he said.

More applications, less room

Vinovrski explained that Fresno State’s enrollment for next fall cannot be greater than the goal for this past fall. He said that Fresno State was above its target in the fall and has continued to be above target this spring.

This means there are more continuing students for next fall and less room for new ones.

Fresno State has already received a considerable amount of more applications this year than at this time last year, Vinovrski said.

“If we fail to close applications now, we run the risk of being way over on enrollment and with the budget cuts we can’t afford to be in that position,” he said.

University attempts to inform transfers of new deadline

Applicants are considered upper-division transfers if they have completed at least 60 units with a minimum 2.0 grade point average and have also met all lower-division general education requirements.

Kevin Perkins, a junior business major, said he is glad that this is not affecting him.

“It is unfair to those students who expected to have time and now have to rush,” Perkins said.

The deadline changes have been sent out to all the main institutions that Fresno State draws applications from, including local community colleges and satellite centers.

Vinovrski said they are encouraging those campuses to post signs and inform faculty so the message can be passed to students.

He said that with the new deadline, he expects about 300 to 400 additional applications to come in within the next couple of weeks.

Freshman applications closed, graduate applications still open

Earlier this month, the university moved up the freshman application deadline from Feb. 1 to Jan. 9.

Fresno State took similar measures to inform local high school counselors to put the word out to their students.

Graduate applicants and returning students who have previously attended Fresno State still have until the original April 1 deadline to submit their applications.

“It is highly unlikely that the graduate and returning student application deadline will be moved up,” Vinovrski said.

Vinovrski: Quality over quantity

The reason Fresno State is taking these actions is that it will be penalized if it goes over its enrollment, Vinovrski said.

He also said, “We do not want to over-enroll, because our current students will suffer.”

He explained that the number of students who are funded through the state is ideal for education.
“If we go over that number, it erodes quality and we don’t want to do that.”

What are the new deadlines?

• The deadline for transfer students is Feb. 15, six weeks prior to the original April 1 deadline. Upper division transfers are those who have completed at least 60 units with a minimum 2.0 grade point average and have also met all lower-division general education requirements.

• Qualifying freshman applicants whose applications were submitted prior to Nov. 30 priority deadline will be accommodated first. Freshman applicants submitted between Dec. 1 and Jan. 9 will be placed on a wait list.

• Graduate applicants and returning students who have previously attended Fresno State still have until April 1 to submit their applications.

Classroom experiment results in small explosion

A small explosion shut down McLane Hall, located in the north end of the California State University, Fresno campus, just behind the Kennel Bookstore.

Classes and offices were evacuated for about 40 minutes around noon Thursday after a classroom experiment resulted in a small explosive chemical reaction. The explosion was contained within a venting hood.

No one was injured.

The reaction triggered fire alarms although there were no flames.

Students, faculty and staff responded to the alarms by following the building evacuation plan and waiting in designated areas away from the building while Fresno Fire Department personnel investigated.

The safety and alert systems worked as designed, one investigator said as evacuation was lifted and the classroom and office building were re-occupied.

Some students didn’t realize the possible severity of the situation.

“I think this is some sort of fire drill,” a nearby student remarked.

McLane Hall houses many of the labs used for Fresno State chemistry courses.

It is not known at this time in which course or in which classroom the experiment that initiated the small explosion took place.

Fresno State News contributed to this report.

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