UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi Says University ‘Needs Her’ As Faculty Call For Her Resignation

The pepper spray incidence at the University of California-Davis has led students and faculty to ban together in demanding the resignation of school Chancellor Linda Katehi and now we have learned that she is refusing to leave her post.

Speaking to Good Morning America on Monday the Chancellor said of the schools current environment:

“I really feel confident at this point the university needs me.”

Katehi goes on to add:

“There are so many critical issues to be addressed and we really need to start the healing process and move forward.”

In the wake of the pepper spray incident which immediately went viral on YouTube the schools campus police chief has been put on administrative leave as were the two officers who were directly involved in the attack against protesters.

In a victory for protesters Katehi acknowledged that the protesters were not acting with any aggression prior to the pepper spray incident. The Chancellor did however appear at least in part to agree with her campus police in noting that the primary concern was that:

“It was a difficult situation for the campus to really strive to make sure the students are safe,” she said. “The biggest, most critical issue is the safety of the students who are using the campus, the facilities, who really want to learn in this environment.”

Police during the pepper spray incident said they couldn’t “get out” of the protest because the sidewalk was blocked however seconds before the incident occurred the officer who pepper sprayed the students easily stepped over a curled up student, a moment that was caught on tape from six different angles.

In a chilling event following the incident a large group of protesters waited outside of a UC Davis building for Katehi to head home at night, as she navigated her way through the throngs of students as they sat in silence to protest the pepper spray assault:

Do you think Linda Katehi needs to resign from her post or be ousted by the school’s governing board if she refuses to leave her post?