HARDLY STRICTLY ON PAGE 12 August 27, 2014
Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927
VOLUME LXXIX ISSUE 1
Privacy scandal hits former accounting professor
BREAKING NEWS
XPRESS EDITORS
When Julian Papadopulos heard rumors in December that another student found a hidden camera in the tissue box of an associate professor’s home bathroom, he was “completely mindblown.” “He was probably one of the most popular professors in the accounting department,” said Papadopulos, who graduated with a degree in accounting from SF State in 2012. “If not the most popular.” Months after Papadopulos heard about the allegations, police arrested associate professor Mark Landis on 15 misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly recording students in the restroom during parties he hosted at his Castro home. Landis worked as an associate professor of accounting at SF State from 2006 before a leave of absence in November 2013, and his eventual resignation in July after the allegations were brought to the university’s attention, according to Ellen Griffin, a spokesperson for SF State. “I got drunk with him once. Not at his house, so obviously he didn’t get any videos of me,” said Papadopulos, who added that the students he knew who went to Landis’ parties were not concurrently enrolled in Landis’ courses. The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department (SFSD) released Landis from county jail one day after his arrest, July 24, on $100,000 bail, according to Enrique Luquin, senior deputy at SFSD. On July 29, Thanh Ngo, attorney for Landis, entered a not guilty plea to all 15 charges against the former associate professor. “These are only allegations,” Ngo said outside the courtroom, adding that he was disappointed with how long it took the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to present the case. Alex Bastian, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office who was also outside the courtroom, said that forensic analysis and identifying victims were two components that took the district attorney’s office a long time to process. Assistant District Attorney Laura Carwile submitted a protective order in court to prevent Landis, 38, from contacting victims in the case. Carwile also mentioned the possibility of there being more victims who have not come forward. “You’re a professor kind of abusing the trust of victims,” said Bastian. “And the victims being students, it really puts the case in a different light.” Landis is scheduled to appear before the court Sept. 9 at 9 a.m.
Future of Science Building in deliberation
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PHOTO BY FRANK LADRA / XPRESS
CONSTRUCTION: Students exit the newly reopened Science Building on Aug. 21, after months of closure following health hazards.
MICHAEL BARBA
PRINT MANAGING EDITOR
resident Leslie E. Wong announced Monday that SF State may soon look toward private or public sources to fund the construction of a new, 200,000 square-foot science building on 19th Avenue and Bucking-
ham Way within five to six years. With support from city officials and California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White, Wong plans to establish what he said could be the only scientific research facility in San Francisco, and one where students and
faculty could work alongside industry professionals. “Whether we demolish or not, we haven’t made that decision yet,” said Wong of the current Science Building, which he added has become unsuitable for science classes. CALIFORNIA CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Student says ‘Not in my Neighborhood’ ANNA HECHT A&E EDITOR
When design and industry student Caroline Nguyen heard about a human trafficking raid in her hometown of Westminster, Orange County, she knew she had to take action. Now the SF State sophomore is making a documentary about the dangers of the industry to keep potential victims—from small towns to large countries—safe from harm. Nguyen, a member of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, said it was the organization’s ‘gold award,’ which required her to take on a project that would impact her community, that first piqued her interest in the human trafficking trade.
PHOTO BY SARA GOBETS/ XPRESS
TRAFFICKING: Design and Industry student Caroline Nguyen begins filming her documentary “Not DOCUMENTARY CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 in my Neighborhood” this week with the help of her mentor, filmmaker Cynthia Biret.
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