President Paul Zingg has taken a medical leave of absence for the remainder of the spring semester. As Zingg recovers from his March 15 bypass surgery, former Humboldt State president Rollin Richmond is serving as acting president. In an email to the university, Richmond wrote: “I’ve very recently spoken to Paul, and he is doing well in his recovery.”
Several students were asked their opinions on Zingg’s leave of absence and here are their responses.
“I feel like he should’ve waited until summer to have the surgery,” said Adrianna Castellanos, a junior sociology major. “With all the things going on at Chico State, it’s weird to have someone new step in and expect them to know what’s going on and how our community works. Because he (Richmond) doesn’t.”
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First-year transfer student and economics major Logan Stewart was unaware of who Zingg is and said, “I’m only a half-time student, and I’m too buried in books to know about that.”
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“I don’t think it matters that we even have a replacement president because none of us really know what the president does or the impact he makes,” said Kaley Sullivan, a junior criminal justice major. “To have somebody else there is just kind of pointless.”
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Isabelle Charles, a junior international relations major, said Zingg’s absence won’t be affecting her because “Paul Zingg doesn’t do anything.”
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First-year criminal justice major Alex Garcia said, “I think he should stay gone until he gets better.”
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“I didn’t really acknowledge it (Zingg’s absence) at all because he doesn’t really stand out in my opinion,” said Taylor Magpuri, a junior kinesiology major. “He doesn’t do anything that I know of, and his work doesn’t affect me.”
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“I don’t know what his medical condition is, but I think that health should come first for everyone,” said Alysa Kammermeyer, a junior public affairs major.
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“I didn’t even know that he was on a medical leave,” said Caitlin Felix, a sophomore business administration major. “I think if he needs to, it’s fine, just as long as he gets the work done.”
Jenice Tupolo can be reached at [email protected] or @JayTupolo on Twitter.
