Thursday, October 28, 2010

An administrator is fired. Over cake.

     This morning, Irvine Valley College was abuzz with news that the Dean of Mathematics, Sciences and Engineering, Kathleen Schrader, had been fired. This morning, campus cops showed up at her office, told her to gather her things, and then escorted her off campus.
     There’s nothing special about that. Unheralded firings have occurred before at IVC.
     Here’s what’s special. Evidently, the proximate cause of Schrader’s canning was her failure to clamp down on, or her permitting, an outbreak of “unprofessional” jocularity at last Friday’s meeting of the School of Life Sciences, over which Schrader presided. During that meeting, someone mentioned the upcoming opening of the new chemistry labs. As is so often the case in this district, the event would feature a cake.
     The cake, faculty were told, was to be provided by Kiana Tabibzadeh, a chemistry instructor.
     Kiana is held in low esteem by some faculty at the college, in part owing to her reputation for unapologetically exploiting her, um, influence. Evidently, in other ways, too, she does not leave the best of impressions as a colleague and educator.
     Kiana Tabibzadeh, of course, is President Glenn Roquemore’s wife.
     On Friday, someone said: "Don't wanna eat a Kiana cake." That sort of thing. Har har. There were maybe eight people in the room.
     Dean Schrader did not encourage the impromptu jocularity. Possibly, she joined in the laughter. She eventually said something to discourage it.
     In any case, it was a fleeting episode about cake—one that briefly tapped into a widely-shared scorn of an arrogant and, well, notorious colleague.
     No big deal.
     Oddly, that meeting was tape recorded by the school secretary, a woman known to be VPI Craig Justice’s eyes and ears in Schrader’s office. At some point after the meeting, the secretary brought the recording to President Roquemore (or VPI Justice). Then, this morning, Roquemore fired Schrader.
     Schrader is well-liked by at least some of her faculty—the Bio people love her because she’s smart and direct, a former nurse who is used to working among people who need and expect the unvarnished truth. Certainly some of her colleagues know and love her. She is admired for her honesty. She's a good person, I'm told.
     But Dean Schrader is not among administration’s favorites. Her direct superior, Vice President of Instruction Craig Justice, a fellow who demands obeisance from underlings, told her that her honest and direct style, which she exhibits at administrative meetings, was not appreciated.
     Schraeder knew that her contract would not be renewed, but it had not run out yet. No doubt, she counted on being able to finish out her time at IVC.

* * * * *
Glenn and Kiana
     Today, as word of Schrader’s sacking spread, I encountered many amused or horrified faculty and staff. Most were upset at Justice and, especially, Roquemore. They reminded me of the latter fellow’s history of suspect conduct re the delicate circumstance that his wife works at the college over which he presides.
     The most commonly repeated story concerns Kiana’s hiring a dozen or so years ago. Glenn was on the hiring committee. Some on the hiring committee were unimpressed by Kiana. Notoriously, Glenn championed her cause. She was hired.
     He was also dating her at the time. Or so I’ve been assured numerous times by persons claiming to be in the know.
     Today, I briefly spoke with a former IVC Affirmative Action officer. He told me that he had brought this episode up with then-Chancellor Lombardi, who said he’d deal with it. But, of course, nothing was done.
     I recall an incident seven or eight years ago in which it was learned that Kiana was engineering her selection as “Teacher of the Year.” (I was an officer in the Senate at the time.) She had instructed her students to submit the required glowing letters. We couldn’t believe it. That time, the scheme was undone, owing to forceful objections from the Academic Senate.
     Ever since Raghu Mathur’s ascendancy to administration in 1997, the very worst among us have been protected, repeatedly and consistently. Kiana’s abuses are perhaps small compared to some. For instance, some notorious senior instructors routinely behave unprofessionally toward female students. I don’t know many seasoned instructors who have not heard the complaints from students. Oddly, these instructors--some of whom remain noisily unrepentant--persist in their misconduct with impunity.

* * * * *
     Administrators who have attempted to end the abuses have met with, well, resistance or worse from above. Pushing back against these administrative reformers is a de facto IVC policy. Mathur initiated it; Glenn has continued it.

     An administrator told me this story: sometimes, evidently, Kiana will hole up in her office during her office hours and refuse to see students who are waiting to speak with her.
     One such time, her dean knocked on Kiana's door herself. There was no answer.
     Later in the day, the VPI (pre-Justice) visited that dean, explaining to her that, according to Kiana's husband (i.e., Roquemore), the dean's door-knocking had caused Kiana a “near nervous breakdown”!
     Evidently, efforts to have Kiana actually hold office hours were verboten, owing to Kiana's delicate nerves.
     I’m reminded of the World of Sh*t that former VPI Terry Burgess got into when, during the beginning of Mathur’s presidency (c. 1997-8), he attempted to put an end to Math instructors’ “large lecture” scam. One instructor in particular was notorious for teaching classes with massive enrollments, which yielded for him correspondingly massive compensation. Math Boy would wait until immediately after the census date (the date at which student heads are counted for accounting—and compensation—purposes) to give a test. The test and his grading then pretty much cleared the room of students. He’d spend the rest of the semester teaching a small class of students, but he received spectacular compensation.
     The same instructor would teach accelerated courses that met in 2 ½ hour sessions. Math Boy would lecture for an hour, ask students for comments, and when they produced none, he’d dismiss the class early. Each time. (Mathur, as an instructor, was notorious for similar practices.)
     Some of these abuses continue to this day.
     More recently, Susan Cooper became the dean of this benighted zone of IVC instructors. She soon discovered the then-traditional abuses, including a series of manifestly hinky scheduling practices enforced by their beneficiary, Kiana Tabibzadeh. Cooper was determined to put a stop to that nonsense, but, to the degree that she pressed the matter, to that degree she experienced ferocious push-back from Glenn, who made her life miserable. In the end, she found it necessary to leave the college.
     Not long ago, I had lunch with a former IVC administrator. He or she informed me that Kiana’s father has been working at IVC for years (admittedly, in some minor role as a test proctor or something similar)--this despite Mr. Fuentes' occasional noisy (albeit hypocritical) accusations of nepotism at the colleges.
     Some of us have complained about these abuses for many years. I recall arranging to meet with newly-elected trustee Don Wagner in late 1998. I had lunch with him at a restaurant across the street from the college. Among other things, I described some of the abuses mentioned above.
     Well, I guess he didn’t believe me. Absolutely nothing was done about them.

* * * * *
     At 4:00 today, I was still on campus, and so I headed over to the grand opening of the new Chemistry complex way over on the south-east end of campus.
     It was the usual thing: guest politicians, gratuitous presentations of uniformed soldiers, inane or pointless speeches, the Pledge of Allegiance, 35 folding chairs, and Kiana.
     Also: cake. It was OK, I guess. It was tan, with a blue fringe of icing. On its large rectagular top was an icing-photo of the new complex.
     I pointed at the photo. “Can you eat this?” I asked. Dotty Sherling was there. “Yes,” she said.
     I left.

36 comments:

gj said...

Let them eat pie.

Anonymous said...

When is Glenn going to retrieve his ----- from the jar on Kiana's desk and stop letting her run the show? I have looked through the window of the anatomy lab (wouldn't want to actually go in there) and spotted what looked like a couple of spines hanging around. Perhaps the biologists would like to loan one to Glenn.

Anonymous said...

What is it with the chemistry department at IVC?

Anonymous said...

A "mouthy" woman can't be tolerated by our male leaders. That's what I heard. the guys can mouth off all they want, but not the gals.

About the male instructor whose open and public abuse of female students is tolerated by the same male leadership???

- well, don't get me started. Through the years I have students crying and/or pissed off in my office - there's nothing to be done about it though. everyone knows, makes excuses and protects him. And so he keeps it up.

Anonymous said...

Glenn's losing it. Think he's gone before Mathur comes back after replacing Williams, or will they save the pleasure of that vote for Mathur? Hell, we might have just found something that Mathur and Wagner can agree on. Glenn's gotta go.

Anonymous said...

She wasn't obsequious, got it. For you that remain remember one thing, "No comments on bad hair days." I'm thinking you'll have a canning due!

Anonymous said...

That really takes the cake.

Anonymous said...

You guys have it all wrong.

Didn't you read the comprehensive memo Glenn immediately sent out that clarified all this in order to avoid rumors and unnecessary mid-semester anxiety?

you guys should really read your email instead of getting your panties in a bunch.

Anonymous said...

Oh those funny Bio people.

Anonymous said...

* Did the Friday meeting--and jocularity--occur as described in this post?
* Did a secretary record the School meeting and then provide that recording to administration? * Did Glenn's reaction to listening to that recording inspire his untimely action to have her removed from campus (and on the day in which the Chem complex was opened)? (Note: the post acknowledged that it had long ago been decided that her contract would not be renewed.)
* Has Kiana been (and is she) the sort who inappropriately and routinely uses her influence at this college?
* Has her husband essentially permitted this behavior (for years, and despite complaints)?
* Have scandalous improprieties been allowed by this and other administrations, despite efforts by some administrators to address the abuses?

--These and other questions strike me as valid. And clearly the most reasonable answers (given the evidence) of at least most, if not all, of these questions is disconcerting.

Anonymous said...

What memo? I didn't see any explanatory memo from Glenn.

Anonymous said...

There was no memo. There never is. That's the point. Our leader does not know how to lead. Things just happen and the remain unexplained.

Anonymous said...

Glenn and Craig get grief from the board, on this blog, and around the campus over stabbing a dean candidate in the back. Then, suddenly, a week later, they fire a dean and create a dean job opening? Do they think we're idiots? Nothing to see here. Move along...

Anonymous said...

yeah, amazing who gets fired and who gets hired and who keeps get getting along no matter what F*$!ing sh&8T come out of their mouths.

Anonymous said...

Does the administration regularly record school meetings? Just curious.

(I didn't get any informational memo from Glen.)

Anonymous said...

I pointed at the photo. "Can you eat this?" Brilliant bit of surreal poetic imagery to go with the typically excellent prose stylings of your brand, Chunk, of investigative journalism.

Anonymous said...

Remember all the bad, dangerous, loony corrupt behavior they tolerated from Howard Gensler and that male dean in PE?

It's not a double standard - it's a triple double standard.

Anonymous said...

The administration records ALL meetings everywhere one way or another.

Anonymous said...

BvT--good job getting the rumors down in black and white and recounting some history that a lot of folks don't know or may have forgotten. That said, there is much more to the story than cake jocularity, a pissed husband, and an escort off campus (and I'm not talking about the political intrigue referred to in 11:59's remarks). If the full set of facts of this episode ever become fully public, the ensuing deconstruction will yield some useful lessons for this institution once the surprise wears off.

Anonymous said...

11:22, are you referring to (perhaps among other things) the alleged "violence" that occurred yesterday morning? I ain't buyin' it. People have been accused of "violence" in this district before. And I ain't buyin' it.

Anonymous said...

IVC's chemistry and physics department is very famous.

Anonymous said...

11:36--I am referring to facts, not rumors or allegations. Buy whatever you like of the rumors and allegations, but I would hope that once "the full set of FACTS" is available we learn something useful from them, most importantly, that the situation is more complex than it appears. Not only do we need to interrogate the three main characters' judgment and behavior, we need to examine our own tendency to continually think inside the box.

Anonymous said...

People - just read the email memo that Glenn sent out - it explains everything. He's doing his best to quell rumors and restore our sense of confidence. That's his job.

He's even announced the interim dean so there are no worries at this critical time for all the schools involved.

Geez, you'd think he would fire someone without having a plan in place?

Anonymous said...

Never, NEVER insult a woman's cake.

(But must say, pretty impressive cake baking skills from Kiana. I don't know how to bake one of those photo toppers...not that I want to eat a BLUE cake though...)

Anonymous said...

9:25--There has been no general e-mail sent out to quell the campus-wide rumors and restore his campus-wide reputation. Perhaps something was sent out only to the affected schools? If so, it shows a lack of understanding of the ripple effect of events.
--8:37

Anonymous said...

Are you sure there's been no email?

Anonymous said...

I'm sure that I have not received an e-mail.
--8:37

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't Glenn send out an email though? I mean sudden disappearances of staff are a bit alarming no matter how you may feel about them (Wendy and Kathy).

And if only "people in the know" know - well, that leaves the rest of us out of the loop.

captain Irvine said...

You have to have some connection with people to communicate with them and reassure them. Glenn leads like a piece of furniture. He's less useful though.

Anonymous said...

Never fear minions, even as we chatter, the succession goes forward. There is always a plan, an agenda. Nothing happens without reason and purpose.

Roy Bauer said...

Sounds like somebody cracked open a fortune cookie.

Anonymous said...

I think it is time to call the OC Register Watch Dog and report how our tax dollars are being wasted and misappropriated by inept administrators who foster nepotism and cronyism.

Anonymous said...

AR - 4000.9
Conflict of Interest Code
B. Employment and Supervision of Relatives
Folks should peruse this.

Anonymous said...

It all seems so quaint now. Look what they got away with.

Anonymous said...

Let them eat cake! How DID they get away with this? #Me Too

Anonymous said...

And what about the disappearance of Cathleen Greiner?

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...