A group of about 100 Cal State Long Beach film students gathered in Lecture Hall 150 Wednesday afternoon for a forum to discuss the accusations of false credentials created by film and electronic arts (FEA) associate professor Michael Berlin and assistant professor Alan Jacobs.
FEA department Chairman Craig Smith originally banned non-film majors, FEA faculty and all press from the afternoon forum, including the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
However, a class required the use of the lecture hall at 1 p.m., and the discussion of the accusations was moved outside to the Graduation Quad, where students gathered around Smith to share their opinions and comments that press was able to attend.
Smith said the decision to originally bar all those not involved with the department stemmed from his desire to not want students to be too “self-conscious.”
“I wanted the students to express their concerns and respond to them the best I could… I wanted to assure them the university is handling this in a credible way,” Smith said.
Student opinion was divided over the course of action that would be taken against the professors if the accusations were determined to be true, with many students expressing their concerns about the credibility of their future degrees.
Sophomore film production major Miguel Garcia said the investigation goes against the professors’ perceived images.
“These are teachers that I’ve heard nothing but great things about… you want to have the opportunity to have them,” Garcia said. “I was going to take a few of their classes next semester, and it kind of worries me now.”
Some film students also believed the highest action should be taken against the professors if the accusations were proven true, with junior Kyle Menkelkamp saying “they would be an easy let-go” and junior Andrew Pauling saying “they should resign on their own.”
Berlin’s online university biography originally listed him as “a graduate from Columbia University’s master’s program” and also a member of the American Psychological Association.
According to the Press-Telegram, degree verification at Columbia and records of the professor as a “clinical psychologist” within the American Psychological Association proved these biographical claims to be false.
The accusations against Jacobs focus more on the alleged fabrication of teaching experience. In addition, both professors are also being investigated for exaggerating their professional work on film and television projects.
