Lane Community College’s Board of Education voted to censure one of its own Wednesday, after an independent investigation substantiated allegations that board member Zachary Mulholland had engaged in bullying and discriminatory behavior toward LCC’s president, as well as other women at the college.
During a tense meeting that lasted nearly four hours, members of LCC’s Board pledged to do more to prevent racism and sexism.
Mulholland also apologized to college president Stephanie Bulger directly, saying he took responsibility for his behavior. He also apologized to staff and students who had been impacted, and acknowledged that his words aren’t enough.
“I am committed to doing better, and I realize that what's happened can only be fixed through positive actions,” Mulholland said. ”And I’m committed to creating those, and taking those positive steps to help this board and help the president work for the benefit of all of our students.”
Last week, LCC Board Member Julie Weismann wrote a column that appeared in Lookout Eugene-Springfield, calling on Mulholland to resign. During Wednesday’s meeting, she said his apology did not go far enough to remedy the harm caused to Bulger and other women at the college.
She also said the entire board needed to improve its culture.
“The actions that have brought us to this point are not abstract,” Weismann said. “They have real and tangible consequences; they erode trust, create fear, (and) normalize behavior that should never be tolerated. For our students, especially female students and students of color, this environment can feel exclusionary and unsafe.”
Several other board members including Steve Mital, Kevin Alltucker and Austin Fölnagy also apologized to Bulger and the LCC community at large, saying they had contributed to conversations that sidelined Bulger when they should have been listening to her expertise, or speaking up on her behalf.
Board member Jerry Rust, who was not on the board at the time the complaints occurred, said he supported the censure and hoped it would allow the board and president to move forward.
“I want to get onto the path to healing, and I want Zach to achieve some form of redemption, which I believe is possible,” Rust said.
Every board member except Mulholland, who recused himself, voted in favor of the censure.
Several community members, including the Eugene-Springfield NAACP President, called on Mulholland to resign. Mulholland, as well as the rest of the board, said they would take training on bias and harassment.
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