Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 3/11/04 Section: Campus News

Video still courtesy of Justin Holmerud / Update News [Click to enlarge]

Before the glamorous arrival of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at Morris Dailey Auditorium Wednesday night to receive Cinequest's Maverick award, a conflict escalated to a boiling point between San Jose State University's Update News and the Cinequest public relations director.

Justin Holmerud, a senior broadcast journalism major and staff member of Update News, a student-produced television news program, said his press pass was ripped from around his neck by Jens Michael Hussey, director of public relations for Cinequest.

Holmerud was filming while Hussey and Bob Rucker, associate professor of the school of journalism and mass communications, were having a heated discussion outside a backdoor of the auditorium.

Holmerud said he has filed assault charges, but no arrest was made, and requests that Hussey be removed from campus went unmet.

Hussey, who is the brother of the Cinequest film festival co-founder Halfdan Hussey, gave his version of the story.

"Grace (Provenzano, associate professor of the school of journalism and mass communications) called me yesterday, screaming and yelling about credentials. Then today they couldn't tie in with the Channel 11 feed.

"We offered them a tape after the event. Then he (Bob Rucker) starts hollering, and I took the reporter's credential from him (Holmerud). This is a private event and the credentials say he must surrender his credentials (if asked to), so I took it from him," Hussey said.

Holmerud was not participating in the discussion.

Rucker said he was concerned about the safety of his student.

"I just feel very concerned that somebody can touch somebody like that on this campus," Rucker said.

Holmerud said he was shocked.

"I didn't expect that to happen," he said. "He grabbed it on my neck and yanked it."

In Update News video footage of the event, Hussey said, "This is property of Cinequest - and you are not welcome."

Rucker protested.

"That would be considered a punitive action on your part, and an act of aggression against the student," he said.

In response, Hussey rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, please."

Provenzano said Hussey had "grabbed" Holmerud's chest.

"He ripped it (the press pass) so hard that Justin's other student ID fell," she said. "(Hussey) turned to the SJPD and said 'Don't let any of these people in,' at which time Justin decided to file assault charges."

Tony Tran, a senior broadcast major, said he had watched the tape.

"Hussey was being very aggressive, giving us a ton of attitude," he said.

Don Fernandez, a KPIX TV news photographer and SJSU alumnus, said the students should have been able to record the event, especially since it was being held at their school.

"If they said 'no' and you were trying to argue the point, they still shouldn't have yanked your pass," he said.

Provenzano said Holmerud did nothing to provoke Hussey.

"He apparently was in the line of fire of this guy's anger and he was accosted," Provenzano said. "That says volumes about the unprofessionalism of the Cinequest public relations people.

Cinequest public relations officer Allison Williams said an order from the governor's office laid out strict guidelines for how the press was to be managed.

"Cinequest isn't trying to block students from covering the event," she said.

She said the tight controls were necessary because Schwarzenegger is "not your ordinary governor."

"Sounds like they were dictated to by the governor," Rucker said. "Whose event was it? I thought there was a new day in California. Where is the respect for the campus community in all this?

"No courtesy was extended to our campus student media informing us about what was going on in advance," he said. "CBS Channel 5, the Mercury, the Chronicle, they got notice weeks ago.

"I think it sends a terrible message about a wonderful organization (Cinequest)," Rucker said.

"My No. 1 concern is protecting students on this campus," he said. "Parents and new students always ask the question, 'How safe is this place?' "

Daily picture editor JaShong King and Daily staff writer Dan King contributed to this report.

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