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Cuesta College trustee refuses to step down

November 13, 2020

Pete Sysmak

After listening to dozens of community members ask for his resignation while claiming he is racist and homophobic, Cuesta College Board President Peter Sysak on Thursday refused to resign.

Elected in 2014 to the Cuesta College board, Sysak is a Republican who has shared a number of controversial memes on social media. In response to an onslaught of Black Lives Matter protests, Sysmak wrote that we do not have a “police problem, we have a disrespectful criminal thug problem.”

BLM leader Tianna Arata, who is charged with 13 misdemeanors regarding alleged rioting, said during public comment that it is “utterly disgusting” that Sysmak is permitted to remain on the board.

In response to allegations he is a racist, homophobic, Sysmek said, “I will say for the record that I’m a supporter of All Lives Matter; for Black, Latino, Asian, LGBTQ, people of color, the unborn. I’m against discrimination, hate crimes, racist groups. And I’m against defunding the police department and blue lives do matter.”

While the majority of public commenters asked Sysak to resign, he said he would not be bullied.

“These written and verbal attacks have been an assault on my character and integrity,” Sysak said. “I will not be bullied by these attacks.”

In the end, the board voted unanimously to create an internal advisory committee of two members, Mary Strobridge and Patrick Mullen, to investigate the social media posts.

The committee will present their findings at a Dec. 9 meeting.


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Like Amateur Night in Dixie. A college in the middle of a town of idiots. Like watching “Break Away” about 4 local young men near a Ivy League College. So…..1980’s.


-3

Has anyone noticed how peaceful everything has been since the propaganda fraud biased media declared Biden POTUS? Watch what happens if the vote counts change in favor of Trump. The same bat wielding, flag burning, name calling, police hating, rock throwing, rioting, looting, gimme my s#@t, reparation demanding, America hating cry babies, are demanding this man resign for standing up for his rights. Exactly the rights these people claim to be fighting for. Maybe years of investigation, tons of public money so you realize you have a nothing burger and still insist your delusion is reality will help you. For an atmosphere that should be academic this is embarrassingly dumb. Stand your ground Mr. Sysak.


34

I feel sorry for you and hope you can find peace. Such anger and hate in your words. The delusion you speak of really applies to you.


-40

Actually, it’s you that needs our sympathy. I hope at some point in your life that you’ll realize that it’s really not OK to attack people in the “sophisticated”, passive/aggressive manner in which you did above.


I don’t know if you’re not aware, or if you simply don’t care, but you and yours aren’t fooling anyone. ;)


15

So I’m going to jump in here. I’m a Cuesta College student. I was among those calling for his resignation, and I plan on continuing to call for it. Mr. Sysak has posted islamophobic content, homophobic content, and content in support of the Proud Boys a KNOWN white supremacist group. He has repeatedly called our Student Trustee, Jesus, Jose during meetings. I’ve asked him several times during Board of Trustee meetings to disavow white supremacist groups and he still has not done it. Everyone who spoke during public comment at the last two meetings called for his resignation, at this last special meeting the entire board save Sysak, called for his resignation. At this point it’s obvious he does not care about the concerns of the community. I believe he’s reasoning for staying on is simple and can be boiled down to 2 points. 1: He does not want to give up his position of power. 2: He wants to “own” the “cry-baby libs”. While I’m all for owning cry-baby libs, I do not believe Pete Sysak can properly represent me on the Board. I do not believe Pete Sysak can handle the issues we’re currently facing. Enrollment data shows that excused withdrawals are increasing among minority groups during the pandemic. If you withdraw from college, every semester that goes by, you are less and less likely to return. I don’t trust a man that has supported white supremacist groups with my education or the education of my peers and quite frankly I hope you don’t either.


(Also side note for CCN, it’s Sysak, not Sysmek. Thank you for showing once again your top-notch journalism and review process!)


-87

Your reasoning points 1 & 2 are speculation without evidence. Basically, you are showing you are intolerant of anyone else’s view that differs from your own. Rather than debating him on the context surrounding his statements, instead you want to exile him with Cancel Culture and thwart his 1st Amendment rights. You better hope this is not going to bite you and your mob in the backside because he will have grounds to file a defamation lawsuit against you if you reveal yourself. Are you counting on his lawsuit against you to be fruitless because he can’t get blood from a turnip and his judgment award instead will be paid by the Cuesta College tax payers?


26

Proud boys is not a white supremacist group, they are an anti leftist group. Their leader is an afrocuban man. This is another example of the leftwing media and SPLC lies.


23

Young students, you at this time in life have no marketable skills, you are either here on your parents dollar to get an education or on subsistence, you at this time in life have not done anything to contribute to society, complaining as you are is not contributing,you have not had a job to contribute to the coffers of this state and yourself, and making a name for your self like that last student that stopped traffic on the Hwy is not a marketable skill.

Your complaints are duly noted, now crack open the books and study, that is what you are here for not to disrupt the working class with your rants, a few disgruntled people think they can rule what goes on by complaining about some political correctness, this country was not built on the PC a lot of people are complaining about now. Also for information I do not support white supremacist groups either.


24

How exactly does this man affect your literal education? Does he teach your classes, attend classes with you? You choose a major, attend the requisite classes; fulfill your GE requirements. Done. I have a BA and a post-grad degree and I never knew who the Board members were, or even the Deans of the schools I attended, nor did I care; they didn’t affect me nor my education in the subject matter I chose.


26

Good for you to be brave enough to post here. Don’t take crap from these buttheads. Stand your ground and good luck!


-11

Hey GB, where can I see all these posts you’re talking about?


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