Governator squawkage, full of sound and fury, signifying anything?

Potential Boon for California Higher Ed (Inside Higher Ed)

…In a State of the State speech that elevated education, and higher education in particular, above some competing state priorities, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed amending the state's Constitution to ensure that the state's two major public university systems receive no less than 10 percent of the state's operating funds each year. The additional funds would come by cutting spiraling state spending on prisons, the governor said.
…
The plan faces enormous hurdles, though, in that it would require at least two-thirds of state voters to back a ballot measure and because Schwarzenegger proposes deriving the funds by privatizing the state's prison system, an idea that California's powerful union of prison guards, among others, will vigorously oppose. And the governor is a lame duck, so hardly at the peak of his political powers.
…
"Wisdom and common sense remind us that tipping the scales back in favor of fully funding education means that fewer Californians will land in a prison cell and we will reduce costs associated with larger prison populations,” said Jack Scott, chancellor of the California Community Colleges. In an interview, Scott said that while the governor's proposal would not promise any increase directly for community colleges, he hoped that as the initiative took shape, some of the additional funds for Cal State and UC might be set aside to ensure additional enrollment slots at those institutions for students transferring from two-year institutions.

"That would certainly be fair, and would certainly increase community college support for the proposal. I would expect a receptive ear from both of those leaders," he said of [Mark G. Yudof, president of the University of California] and [Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the Cal State system]….

Yesterday, in a letter to his Chief Executive Officers, Scott wrote:

I was very encouraged that in his speech the Governor pledged to make no further cuts to education in his proposed 2010-11 budget. I will report on the latest details of this proposed budget for the community colleges once he releases it on Friday. Of course, the Governor’s budget is only the first round in a protracted budget process, but certainly, his proposed budget is important as a starting point.

In addition, the Governor showed great leadership by making it very clear that California is headed in the wrong direction in spending more money on prisons than on higher education. He is therefore proposing an initiative that would, over a three-year period, reduce prison spending to 7% of state general fund expenditures and increase higher education funding to at least 10% of state general fund expenditures. Much of the impact of this initiative would help the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). But I have begun conversations to make sure that the initiative would guarantee that a significant portion of that additional funding would be used to increase slots for community college transfers to CSU and UC.

Low in the Fuentesphere (where it's always low)

Anaheim, 1886, for no particular reason. Store owned by a Mr. Wallop.

As you know, ever since the notoriously vindictive Tom Fuentes, architect of OC's formidable hardball political "machine," joined the SOCCCD Board of Trustees in 2000, the district has been, more or less, an annex of, and a venue for, the OC GOP.

CONSIDER:

• Former OC Sheriff (now felon) Mike Carona—for years, the Star of the Fuentesphere (and advisee of “Republican mafia” henchman Mike Schroeder, another doozy)—used to hang around IVC to pray and cry and pose and collect prizes. (Nowadays, not so much.)

• DA Tony “"ethically challenged" Rackauckas (another Mike Schroeder advisee—and whose spokesperson is Mike's wife) has occasionally visited the district to swear in trustees and such.

• When Dot "residence challenged" Fortune resigned from the BoT, somehow, Eric Norby, the brother (and chief of staff) of right-wing city councilman, now OC Supervisor, Chris Norby suddenly popped up as her replacement. (That gambit backfired, tsk tsk.)

• Not long after Fuentes’ arrival on the BoT, slow-witted SOCCCD trustee John Williams, a former bailiff, managed to get elected as OC Public Administrator—which is about as "down ballot" as Dog Catcher, but more lucrative. Don’t know how that happened, but it’s a good bet that John's colleague Tom made some calls and pulled some strings to get 'im a leg up on the competition (Williams was utterly unqualified, of course, but voters didn't notice). Soon thereafter, Williams, promising big cost savings, managed to transform his PA gig into a combined PA/Public Guardian super-gig, with a big fat salary and car bennies. Recently, of course, the OC Grand Jury issued a scathing report, accusing Williams of mismanagement, cronyism, and basically costing the taxpayer a buttload of money for shitty work.

• When Williams took on the Public Administrator/Public Guardian office, he hired SOCCCD colleague Nancy Padberg as his chief of staff. Gosh! Doesn't that create a conflict of interest? (See "2 Trustees' Job Status Is an Issue: One who sits on an Orange County college district board is the elected boss of another", LA Times, March 9, 2004.) Later, Williams summarily fired her, which caused some serious bad blood between the two and providing the SOCCCD BoT meetings with reliable episodes of high comedy. —Hmmm. Maybe it's not such a good idea to have boss and employee serving on the same board. (OK, this one might not belong here. On the other hand…..)

• Sleazy (explained below) OC Treasurer, Chriss Street, keeps showing up for SOCCCD BoT meetings, which are televised, giving unnecessary reports about property taxes. Man, that Fuentes whistles, and Chriss is Johnny-on-the-spot.

Well, judging by the past, with this crowd, it’s always just a matter of time before they get caught in some scandal or crime.

So, with that in mind, here's what popped up in today's OC Register:

Judge: Treasurer must face trial before election

A bankruptcy judge refused Wednesday to delay the $7 million civil fraud trial of Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Chriss Street. ¶ The decision means Street will face allegations that he looted a bankruptcy trust while he is running for re-election. The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 3, four months before the June 8 election.

Street was court-appointed trustee of the Fruehauf truck trailer company from October 1998 until creditors forced him out in August 2005. His successor, Los Angeles money manager Dan Harrow, sued Street for fraud in February 2007, weeks after Street took office as treasurer.

Street's attorney, Phillip Greer [sound familiar?], pleaded with Judge Richard Neiter to delay the trial until late June. … Neiter wasn't buying. The allegations already are public, he said.

[See also D.A. joins list of Street investigators (OC Register, 9/5/09)]

That guy Phil Greer, Street's lawyer, really gets around. He represented John Williams (John Williams has friends) in recent discussions at the OC Board of Supervisors concerning how best to respond to the OC Grand Jury's dismal assessment of Williams' performance as PA/PG. That day, his pal Chris Norby provided the key vote that saved Williams’ ass. The vote made no sense.

Of course, Greer represents Norby as well. He represents several of the BoS's members.

I’ve been told that, recently, Raghu Mathur required the services of an attorney. Guess who took on the job?

For ES:



Lisa says that it's all right
When she meets me home at night
Lisa says that she has her fun
And she'll do it with just about anyone.

Lisa says, Lisa says, Lisa says, Lisa says

Lisa says that she's on the run
Looking for a special one
Lisa says that every time she makes it straight
She knows her heart will break

Lisa says, Lisa says, Lisa says, Lisa says

Looking for a party, some action
Going to make it feel okay
But what do you find
When the [?] come undone
Look at it run

Lisa says, Lisa says, Lisa says, Lisa says
Lisa says, Lisa says, Lisa says, Lisa says

The Chancellor's opening session: not bad

I attended the Chancellor’s “opening session” this morning. Silly me. I thought it started at 9:00 a.m., but no, it started at 8:45, so I was late. [See also Tracy's update.]

Had they invoked the Lord? Hmmm. I looked over at Karla W, a few rows back, and she seemed serene.

That clinched it. Must’ve been a moment of silence or less.

As I entered the hall, Chancellor Raghu Mathur was blathering like he does, though he seemed somberer than usual, like he had an extra marble in his yap and a pebble in his loafer. He went through the usual factoids and charts. He emphasized the relative fiscal health of the district, owing to its “remaining within its means,” which, he joked, is a “radical idea.” Something like that.

I suspect that most of us are indeed glad that the board has been conservative (an approach eschewed by Republican Presidents, it seems) in its approach to finances in the last decade or so. Remember that board majority of 1996? Williams was in charge of that crew for a while. Nearly ran us into the ground. (See "State Warns It Might Take Over S. County College District Finances," LA Times, December 28, 1997.)

I studied Williams’ face during Mathur’s crowing and his alluding to the bad old days of fiscal, albeit Republican, spendthriftery.

I noted John's blissful visage.

“Lights are on, nobody home.”

(BTW: in attendance were Trustees Wagner, Milchiker, Padberg, Williams, and Fuentes. Didn't see Jay or Lang. Jay might've been sleeping somewhere. Wagner left early. The two Presidents were there, plus the ATEP Provost. The audience was medium-sized.)

Mathur launched into a list of the ten greatest districtular accomplishments of the last decade. Its items were unsurprising: more students, more FTES, less debt, accreditation(!), fewer pesky bees and Nazis, etc. Mathur seemed eager to persuade us that these accomplishments are significant, a reason to be proud.

When he got to ATEP, he was even more insistent. The audience seemed dubious. I looked over at Tom Fuentes, off to the left, in the dark. Poker face, with lower lip droopage, Nixonian jowls.

At one point, Mathur made a point of spotlighting the “two provosts” of ATEP—Bob Kopecky, who was canned (by a desperate, finger-pointing Mathur), and Randy Peebles, who, these days, looks like he could follow in Bob’s cansteps. Those two huddled together as if sharing a trench in the French countryside. Everyone clapped. They smiled. Mathur smiled. I smiled. —Different smiles.

I pitty the poor fool who has that ATEP Provost gig under Mathur. Anything goes south, and the Provester gets canned, i.e., they tie cans to his feet and send 'im out to no-man's land to face the Hun and his MP18.

At one point, whilst discussing ATEP, Mathur alluded to the difficulty the district (mostly Gary P) has had dealing with “a city,” which remained nameless. That drew a laugh. Mathur went with it. Hope no Tustinians were in the room.

Mathur once again declared that the Tustin project could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to the district, a shining city upon a hill. "Keep the dream alive," he seemed to say. He seemed to really mean it—if, that is, he were to say it, which he didn't.

There’d been a rumor that, today, Mathur would announce some sort of personal migration to beyond our district, but, like all good rumors about Mathur, this one proved to be false. (Yeah, but what's with the somberness?)

The “keynote” speaker, Mr. Christopher Harrington (Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.) was next. He wasn’t half bad. Seemed like a bright guy, albeit a “chamber of commerce” sort. Staunch. Subtly imperious. Republican.

He discussed changes likely to occur in the world economy in the next forty or fifty years—China will be the great power, India will be tied with the U.S. in GDP, Mexico will not be far behind, etc. (Bob K brought up the subject of Mexico during Q&A. Bob's always on top of such things.) Harrington briefly outlined the history of centers of economic power: from Europe to the American Northeast, to the American Southwest, to China—and then (some time in the future) to the south: Mexico and South America, and even Africa.

California, of course, is in a relatively good position to participate in the rise of Asian commerce and power that we witness today.

Harrington seemed to argue a thesis: that colleges should help get people up to speed on the ethical issues involved in today's business environment, e.g., finding the right balance between a corporation’s pursuit of profit and its social obligation regarding the environment. He described Toshiba's efforts to move toward greater efficiency and a smaller carbon footprint, etc. He said that the old Milton Friedman (greed is good) model of the “responsibilities” of a corporation is under attack: no, it is not enough to pay taxes, create jobs, make a profit. Social responsibility has to enter the picture, too. But how do we think about that? There must be a dialogue.

That sounded pretty good, especially coming from a Republican. He really did seem to want academia to step up to the plate to provide the kind of understanding and dialogue necessary to prevent the kind of disastrously narrow thinking that brought us Enron, the recent mortgage fiasco, etc. (On the other hand, it seemed to me that he was also saying: you guys aren't stepping up to the plate. So get with the effing program!)

All in all, Harrington's presentation was successful and well received, I think.

Fuentes, our MC, got up to do his thing. He seemed on his game. It seemed to me, though, that he left the distinct impression that that was it. I started to get up.

But wait!

Next came our own David Bugay, VC of Human Resources. He was charming, entertaining. He managed to provide the highpoint of the session, I believe. He spoke of the very point of our institution and our jobs—the good that we can do for students. And he noted the gap between instructors being “good” and being “great.” Great instructors, he said, are a total pain in the ass (he did everything short of using those words). But they’re worth it, he said. Teaching well is the thing. He had some anecdotes.

“Goodness is the enemy of greatness,” he proclaimed (quoting someone). He spoke of burnout and other syndromes of decline and crummitude.

He then spoke of his own adventures as an (initially) “wayward” student, starting at a community college thirty years ago. There he was, not knowing his butt from a hole in the ground. He described two teachers who really turned him around, about reading, writing, and the purchase of ties.

His anecdotes were nicely compelling and entertaining, and so that was that, I thought. Good for you, Davey-Do. Who'd of thunk?

But no! Suddenly, he invited these two geezers—one was maybe in his late sixties, the other was in his seventies—to come on out. And so they did, to big applause. They immediately found their places in a faux living room with couch, chair, lamp, and coffee table. Bugay sat in the stuffed chair and pretend-smoked a large Sherlock Holmesian pipe, à la a dignified and petrified host of a TV series on the dead-'n'-somber classics. Funny. His nervousness really worked for him. I guess he's a nice guy.

These two old dudes were quite good. I don’t know how Bugay pulled it off, but his and their spontaneous-but-scripted dialogue went off perfectly. Each geezer told his stories and described his values and whatnot. It was a home run.

What about burnout?

"Well, you can do this; you can do that; but, hey, sometimes there's nothing you can do."

Big laugh.

At one point, Bugay insisted that “motivational speakers don’t work.” But I do think that he did a decent job motivating us to be mindful of this phenomenon—that the things we teach and do for our students can have a lasting impact that can change lives for the better.

OK, clearly I’ve gone too far here. I'm being much to positive. Corny, even.

Ummm....

Oh yeah. As I was leaving, Tom Fuentes made a big point of reaching out his hand to me and saying “Happy New Year, Roy.” OK. So I grabbed his hand, shook it, and said the same.

I think Gary P was standing next to him in some sort of fuzzy-but-sharp jacket. (He’s a bit of a dandy. Ever look at his shoes?) I shook his hand too. He was friendly, as always.

Then I stroked the fuzz, and said, “nice, dude.” I booked. Whew!

(My back was killing me, so I blew off the Faculty Association lunch and gabfest. Did anyone go to that? Anything worth reporting?)

COMMENTS:

Anonymous said...
The FA Luncheon opened with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a full-throated rendition of God Bless America. Then we all square-danced and ate some Apple Betty.
4:34 PM, January 06, 2010

B. von Traven said...
Apple Betty? Am I the only person on earth who has no idea what "Apple Betty" refers to? --I googled the phrase, fully expecting it to refer to a popular porn star. But it's just some goddam pie.
4:56 PM,

DoeSeeDoe said...
I could have sworn it was a Sour Berry Slump.
8:19 PM,

Anonymous said...
Gary P has to work at being sharp; he's color-blind. And yes, he is a nice guy. Likes jazz too.
9:20 PM,

alannah said...
You forgot to mention Bugay's fondness for Jerry Garcia ties. A very big plus in my opinion, at least until somebody tells Tom Fuentes who Jerry Garcia is.
9:22 PM,

B. von Traven said...
Re Jerry Garcia ties: I alluded to that, referring to what Bugay learned from his cc mentors (see).

I played along with the Jerry Garcia tie thing. But, in truth, wasn't Jerry just a hippie with good guitar technique? Never heard a Grateful Dead song that remotely interested me. And that whole fuzzy-headed drug scene leaves me cold.

If you're gonna listen to a Bay Area band (of that era), I say: consider Moby Grape. Or CCR! Both bands infinitely more accomplished, in my opinion. Moby Grape is a gold mine of listenability, if you've not heard them. Check it out.

OK, now I've violated my New Year's resolution: not to make enemies. I take it all back. Loved what Jerry did on "Teach Your Children," BTW. (I can do without the rest of his noodling, however. D'oh! did it again!)
9:34 PM,

Anonymous said...
I can't find "my" song on the Dissent Jukebox anymore - did you change anything?
ES
10:55 PM,

B. von Traven said...
I do change it once in a while. Which song was "yours"? I'll put it back, if I can. In truth, the list of favorites is much bigger than can be placed on the playlist, alas.
10:59 PM,

Anonymous said...
"Lisa Says". Came out the year I was born, and I've always loved the Velvet Underground. 
ES
11:06 PM,

B. von Traven said...
If I removed "Lisa Says," it was by mistake. Love that song. One of my faves among faves.
11:09 PM,

Anonymous said...
And of course, Lisa is one of the best names ever...
ES
11:11 PM

B. von Traven said...
It turns out that "Lisa Says" ceased being available, hence the "removal." Nothing I can do about that. 
So I added the YouTube "Lisa Says" in the post above, with Lyrics. 
Heartbreaking. Always gets to me.
11:44 PM,

Anonymous said...
Where would we be without YouTube...
ES
11:57 PM,

Anonymous said...
We listen to music, that we listened to, when we listened to music.
11:02 AM, January 07, 2010

Anonymous said...
Always liked the Underground but hated Lou Reed.
1:25 PM,

Anonymous said...
How could anyone hate Lou Reed?
2:58 PM,

Anonymous said...
I'm not sure how you can like the Underground but hate Lou Reed. The sound of the Underground pretty much is Lou Reed. Do you mean you hate him more on a personal level, or his looks, or...? 
ES
9:13 PM,

B. von Traven said...
Lou has had so many styles over the years. I definitely like some of them more than others. I especially liked the band sound for his New York album. Terrific. With the VU, the sound changed considerably as well. In the early days, the guy with the viola was very important to their sound--the drone. When he left, the drone left. When Mo Tucker left (I think she was pregnant), the band ceased being the VU, despite some great songs. Her simple drumming was an essential element. Much like the White Stripes.
12:34 AM, January 08, 2010

Anonymous said...
Good post, Chunk. I like it when you're positive - it's good for your soul. Have a great semester. Cheers!
5:56 AM

More threatening letters sent to UCI women

4 UCI women get threatening letters (OC Register)

The number of UC Irvine employees receiving envelopes containing a mysterious white powder and the words 'Black Death' rose to four late today, leading the university to wonder why it is being targeted and why all the letters were sent to women. ¶ All four letters came from Idaho, and the powder the envelopes contained has been examined and determined to be harmless, said Tom Vasich, a university spokesman. UCI will hand out plastic bags on Wednesday so that employees and students can quickly seal any suspicious looking mail they get.
…
The latest victim was Benedicte Shipley, an assistant dean in the School of Biological Sciences. She received a letter with the mysterious powder at 4:30 p.m., leading fire, hazmat, public health and law enforcement officials to return to campus….
…
On Monday, sociologist Cynthia Feliciano and chemical engineer Nancy Da Silva, received the first two menacing letters.
…
The first incident began about 11:30 a.m. on Monday when Feliciano opened a standard-sized envelope and discovered a small amount of an unidentified white substance…. That set off a chain reaction in which parts of two major buildings were evacuated, the structure's air and heating systems were turned off, health and safety workers were called in, the FBI began an investigation, and students and staff were told not to open mail that seemed unusual in nature.
…
The university says it does not know why either professor was targeted on the first day of the winter quarter. And it's unclear whether the UCI incident was related to the distribution of similar envelopes to lawmakers in Alabama. Experts determined that the powder in the Alabama letters was harmless.
…
Feliciano, who is married to UCI criminologist Geoff Ward, said on her Facebook page Monday afternoon that she ""is quarantined after opening an envelope containing some white powder and the word's 'Black Death.' Not a great start to the quarter.' " ¶ It's also unclear whether this is a prank related to the Feb. 26th release of the movie, "Black Death." The Internet Movie Database sums up the movie's plot by saying, "Set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is tasked with learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village."….

UPDATE: UCI gets 5th letter with mystery powder, OC Reg, 1/6/10

Utt the Nut, Jesus, and rock 'n roll

A quick update on my earlier post on James B. Utt, the man Saddleback College’s library is named for.

From an old LA Times article (The Right Place, Jerry Hicks, December 27, 1999):

James B. Utt, who helped Orange County gain a national reputation as a hotbed of archconservatism[:] "Utt the Nut," his enemies called him. He was elected to Congress in 1952 and handily won reelection until his death in 1970. Each year Utt introduced a bill to eliminate the federal income tax. He also tried to pass a constitutional amendment which would recognize Jesus Christ as America's authority figure. He opposed all civil rights legislation, but gained national fame, however, when he argued that rock 'n roll was a communist plot.

This crazy web of homophobic wackitude

Our district has a couple of threads hangin' on that web, which is pretty tangled.

Today, a friend alerted me to an article in the New York Times about those crazy homophobic Ugandans: Americans’ Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push.

The upshot: Ugandan politicians pursued their notorious "execute homosexuals" bill almost immediately upon attending a conference featuring three dubious American homosexuality “experts”:

Last March, three American evangelical Christians, whose teachings about “curing” homosexuals have been widely discredited in the United States, arrived here in Uganda’s capital to give a series of talks.
…
For three days, according to participants and audio recordings, thousands of Ugandans, including police officers, teachers and national politicians, listened raptly to the Americans, who were presented as experts on homosexuality. The visitors discussed how to make gay people straight, how gay men often sodomized teenage boys and how “the gay movement is an evil institution” whose goal is “to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity.”

Now the three Americans are finding themselves on the defensive, saying they had no intention of helping stoke the kind of anger that could lead to what came next: a bill to impose a death sentence for homosexual behavior.

One of these American anti-gays was Scott Lively. According to the Times, Lively (and the other two) have sought to distance themselves from the draconian legislation, but

the Ugandan organizers of the conference admit helping draft the bill, and Mr. Lively has acknowledged meeting with Ugandan lawmakers to discuss it. He even wrote on his blog in March that someone had likened their campaign to “a nuclear bomb against the gay agenda in Uganda.” Later, when confronted with criticism, Mr. Lively said he was very disappointed that the legislation was so harsh.

Disappointed? Yeah, I'm positively miffed.

But wait a minute. Haven't we heard about this Scott Lively fella before?

Yes we have. Back in November (That Raghu Sure can Pick ‘em, 11/20/09), I noted that the lawyer SOCCCD Chancellor Raghu Mathur hired to defend the district against the "prayer" lawsuit, David Llewellyn, is up to his eyeballs in this kind of crap about curing those evil-doing gays. For instance, he founded the Western Center for Law and Religious Freedom [WCLRF], a public interest law firm that seems to focus on the "homosexual" problem—you know, how gays seek to "recruit" innocent Christian children and all.

Back in November, I noted a connection between WCLRF and notorious homophobe—and friend of SOCCCD trustee Tom Fuentes—Howard Ahmanson, Jr.  According to Wikipedia, Howard Ahmanson gave more than $60,000 to WCLRF.

Ahmanson was very close to R.J. Rushdoony, the "Christian Reconstructionist." (You might wanna look that up.) That influence was evident when Ahmanson told the OC Register (in 1984) that "My goal is the total integration of biblical law into our lives." Reportedly, Howie has backed off of that position a bit in recent years. It didn't play well for some reason.

Rushdoony, of course, thought that homosexuals should be executed. But Howie's not that wacky. According to Wikipedia,

[Ahmanson] is reported to have "never supported his mentor's calls for the death penalty for homosexuals"; rather, as the Orange County Register reported in 2004, "he stops just short of condemning the idea", saying that he "no longer consider[s] [it] essential" to stone people who are deemed to have committed certain immoral acts. Ahmanson also told the Register, "It would still be a little hard to say that if one stumbled on a country that was doing that, that it is inherently immoral, to stone people for these things. But I don't think it's at all a necessity."

Yeah, killing gays isn't necessary. So, like, Howard's become a liberal or something.

Of course, Ahmanson has been a player in the huge rift over homosexuality in the Episcopal Church. Naturally, Ahmanson has been on the side that has strong connections to those crazed Ugandans (see Arellano's correspondence with A).

But let's get back to Mr. Lively.

Evidently, the "Western Center"—founded by SOCCCD's Llewellyn—is now known as the Pro-Family Law Center of Abiding Truth Ministries. I Googled that and got the website for the Pro-Family Resource Center of Abiding Truth Ministries, which presents writings by Scott Lively, the “President of Abiding Truth Ministries and lead attorney for ATM's Pro-Family Law Center.” (That was Llewellyn's old job, I believe.)

The Pro-Family Law Center (see) seems obsessed with the EVIL that is homosexuality. PFLC sells such books as:

The Pink Swastika (by Scott Lively and Kevin Abrams)
The Pink Swastika is a thoroughly researched, eminently readable, demolition of the "gay" myth, symbolized by the pink triangle, that the Nazis were anti-homosexual.

Right, those Nazis always get such a bad rap. Bill Berkowitz (in Buzzflash) called this book, by Lively, a “Holocaust revisionist anti-gay book.” (According to Berkowitz, Scott Lively declared “war against the Southern Poverty Law Center for refusing to remove his Abiding Truth Ministries (http://www.abidingtruth.com) from its list of hate groups.”)

Clearly, this Scott Lively fella is seriously bad news. Of course, it's possible that, under Llewellyn's leadership, the organization was less daffy.

Yeah.

As I reported in November, there can be no doubt regarding Mr. Llewellyn's feelings about homosexuality. I came upon a reference to a video, entitled "The Gay Agenda," which is narrated (in part) by Llewellyn. Here's the video blurb:

…[It] is an authoritative and comprehensive explanation of the homosexual movement, and homosexual activity. The narrators on the tape are David Llewellyn, President, Western Center for Law and Religious Freedom; Stanley Monteith, M.D., author of "AIDS, The Unnecessary Epidemic;" Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D., a well known specialist in homosexuality, and author of "Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality," and many other publications; John Smid, an ex-homosexual, and Director of Love in Action, an organization which helps homosexuals who want to change to a decent way of life; and John Paulk, an ex-homosexual, and Administrator of Love in Action. Dr. Montieth gave the statistical references on homosexual acts….

These people are total nutjobs. Llewellyn is a nutjob. Lively is a nutjob.

As you know, recently, even Saddleback Church's stellar Rick Warren has been tarnished by this whole Uganda thing. According to the New York Times:

Uganda has ... become a magnet for American evangelical groups. Some of the best known Christian personalities have recently passed through here, often bringing with them anti-homosexuality messages, including the Rev. Rick Warren, who visited in 2008 and has compared homosexuality to pedophilia. (Mr. Warren recently condemned the anti-homosexuality bill, seeking to correct what he called “lies and errors and false reports” that he played a role in it.)

Did you know that, recently, the Ahmansons gave Warren a huge chunk of change? Yeah. They had a ceremony and a blow-out and a speaker series at that ridiculous star-spangled mega-church; the Ahmansons got a prize.

Lines drawn in the sand, invisible

"As you know, the Premier loves surprises."

Two weeks ago, adjunct Babson College rhetoric and history instructor Kara Miller wrote a piece for the Boston Globe (My lazy American students) that suggested that American students are, well, lazy. That’s caused a stir, at least in Boston. Inside Higher Ed caught wind of it and wrote about it, and we reprinted some of that.

Today, Inside Higher Ed (Are American Students Lazy?) updates us on the controversy:

…[Kara Miller’s] comparison of American students (who continually disappoint) and foreign students (who don't) has set off quite a discussion in Boston….

"My 'C,' 'D,' and 'F' students this semester are almost exclusively American, while my students from India, China, and Latin America have – despite language barriers – generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants," Miller wrote. She noted that many of her foreign students have difficulty with English, but make up for that with hard work. Her American students, meanwhile, appear challenged by work.

"Too many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks (certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check e-mail, decline to take notes, and appear tired and disengaged," she wrote. Given that many American students arrive at college without basic skills, she wrote, "we've got a knowledge gap, spurred by a work-ethic gap."

The response was immediate and intense. Hundreds of people posted comments.

Many ... professors appear to think Miller has a point. "I know this author will be criticized for this article, but based on my decades of college teaching experience she is exactly right," wrote one. "What she leaves out is that we are dealing with a generation of students that have been left behind by No Child Left Behind, supervised by 'Helicopter Parents.' Students now feel entitled to high grades despite little work and want their hands held on every assignment, while they are unable to think for themselves."

Another professor wrote in: "I used to be a university faculty with a joint appointment in engineering and management schools – the biggest difference I noticed with domestic and international students was the ability to handle criticism. Domestic students tended to be very defensive when pointing out what can be improved."

That professor wasn't alone in finding Miller to be correct outside of her fields. Another comment said: "I've been an adjunct teaching engineering for 10 years, and I see the same trends. Even in engineering classes, many of the U.S. students expect to be given A's for inhaling and exhaling, and look at you like you have four heads if you suggest that perhaps coming to class, doing homework, and studying might improve their grade."

Some who had experience teaching international students noted that students who cross oceans to study in the United States are highly motivated, and so are not necessarily a fair comparison for the average American.

Several comments suggested that while Miller was correct in noticing differences between American and non-American students, she might not be giving enough credit to the creativity of Americans. A graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote that when he teaches undergrad sections, he's also annoyed by the texting.

But following rules rigidly has a down side, the comment said: "My lab has a large number of foreign postdocs, who've been brought up in an environment where they've learned to be obedient and diligent. They end up lacking in leadership and creativity, and this shows up in their ability to be effective scientists. The American/Western postdocs tend to be more independent and creative in their approaches to problems, something that I attribute to the American emphasis on creativity rather than knowledge. Maybe we need a mix of cultures to truly produce the most effective students."

Plenty of less than thoughtful comments mocked either Miller's students or Miller, suggesting she must not be a good teacher. And others defended the right of American students to act as they wish. "Sounds like a typical egghead liberal professor who think there's a correlation between the classroom and the real world," wrote one. "Sorry, teach, but our American kids know that college is for boozing, drugs and hooking up. They'll start working hard when it matters – the day they get their first job."….

Many of my students seem unable to accept course rules that, in some cases, cause them to receive failing grades. I tell them at the start (and I remind them continually): to pass this course, you must receive a minimal score (it’s an abysmally low standard) on weekly writing assignments.

I explain that this requirement is a regrettable but necessary mechanism to encourage students to keep up with the course. I lay my cards out on the table for all to see: "Don't wanna do this, but here's why I do it."

“And I hope you can understand that I cannot lay down these rules and then not enforce them.” I explain. I discuss deterrence theory, show a clip of Dr. Strangelove. (See above.) All is made clear.

They smile and accept this. I remain wary. Toward the end of the semester, I notice that many students are in danger of failing the requirement. I remind them again. (Evidently, you cannot remind them enough times.) I send emails. Some respond to this. They scramble to do better. Often, they do.

But many do not. They get Fs. Then they email me: “How can this be?” I explain (yet again). They respond: “What can I do?” I suggest that, well, they can learn from their mistake. They write back: “No, you need to tell me what I can do to get a good grade!”

Eventually, I have to say, “Your have earned an F. That’s the situation. It isn’t changing. Grow up.”

I’ve always had to deal with this crap. All instructors do. But, over time, the problem has increased. When I teach, I'm always thinking about it. ("What more can I do to make students do what they need to be doing?", "If I say more, will I be hectoring them?")

Frankly, I’ve got a similar problem with my niece and nephew (ages 7 and 5), which they seem to share with their entire generation and several gens before them. They’re great kids, but dealing with their misbehavior can be frustrating. I say "no," but its force is strangely ephemeral. I keep wanting to say, “Has no one taught these kids the meaning of ‘No’?”

I draw clear lines in the sand. These kids don't see them, or they see them as something other than lines--that is, as barriers, limits, demarcations of zones they must not enter. Halt. Stop. No.

It is as though they have never encountered anything like it before: a "no" that involves actual No-ness.

How can that be?

Comments:

Anonymous‬ said...
yes, American students ARE lazy and demand special treatment.

 Then they grow up and become lazy American administrative types who don't want to follow the rules and demand special treatment.
11:48 AM, January 04, 2010

‪Anonymous‬ said...
What clip from DR. Strangelove do you show?

 My students routinely ignore the rules posted in the syllabus and reinforced in class (come to class! unplug yourself! do your work! be on time!) – then they wonder why they fail. 

I don't wonder at all.

 Right now I have a handful who have written to inform me that they won't be attending the first week of class because they are still on vacation. "I hope I don't miss anything." "Please send me all asssignments, syllabus and notes." "Please don't drop me."

These requests are for classes that are full with waiting lists.
11:53 AM

‪B. von Traven said...
I have posted the relevant section of "Dr. Strangelove," a film that seems greater to me with each decade that passes. If you're impatient, you might jump ahead to about 2 minutes into this particular clip, when [the Ruskie, and then] Dr. S begin to explain the theory of deterrence–and of deterrence via a "doomsday machine" in particular. This is the sort of thing that philosophers love to discuss: that the best outcome (for all concerned, from a "moral" point of view) might be attainable only by setting a trigger that only an insane and immoral person could pull–hence the need for the machine. (See Gregory Kavka's work on this paradoxes of deterrence.) The "joke" here, of course, is that the entire mechanism is undone by the desire to offer the Premier a "birthday surprise."
12:23 PM

Anonymous‬ said...
Many of my students, often on the first day of class, express the hope that I can make an "exception" for them. 

Their work schedules have changed and they can't stay until the class is over but must leave 30 minutes early each day. 

Their team has scheduled practices so that they miss every other class session during a two month period — will that be a problem? 

They can't buy the textbooks until next month, can they borrow mine? 

Can they print out their work on my office computer? Better yet, can they just send me their work so I can print it out and bring it to class with me? 

Their family has scheduled a week-long vacation in Hawaii in April, so....They always go to Hawaii.

 They are really terrible in the particular subject I teach and they hope that I understand that they need to pass the class in order to get into the university next semster.
12:34 PM

Chancellor's opening session: expect announcements and boosterism

SOUNDS LIKE MATHUR BLATHER. My back is out but I still hope to make it to the Chancellor’s Opening Session on Wednesday. Gosh, anything could happen!

The special speaker for Wednesday morning’s event is Chris Harrington, a VP at Toshiba America Information Systems. According to the inservice schedule BLURB, he plans to talk about the importance of innovation and education “in creation of intangible wealth through governance, accountability and corporate social responsibility as we prepare the workforce of tomorrow.”

OK, that gets an F. Harrington must've taken one of Mathur's rhetoric courses at Argosy Clown College.

MR. GOP. I Googled Mr. Harrington’s name and I immediately came upon something called “Fundrace 2008” at the Huffington Post. I gather that “Fundrace” monitored campaign contributions during that election.

Mr. Harrington is down as having donated $33,500 to the Republican National Committee. Gosh. I think that means he’s a Republican. Like Mathur. (And Fuentes. And Wagner. And Williams. And Lang. And Padberg. And Milchiker. And Jay.)

Mathur and Harrington are pals because they each chair a committee (among eleven committees) of the Orange County Business Council (OCBC), which is a kind of county "Chamber of Commerce." Harrington chairs the “Workforce Development Committee” and Mathur chairs the “Community College Working Group.” So they probably also sit on the “chairs committee” together.

But what (you ask) is the OCBC? Well, it’s

the leading voice of business on important issues locally, regionally and nationally. The organization works to enhance Orange County’s economic development and prosperity to preserve a high quality of life.
… The Orange County Business Council serves pro-business interests so that the region's vibrant economy will continue to expand, bringing the benefits of prosperity to every corner of the county.

Naturally, they’ve got a “mission statement,” according to which the OCBC “represents and promotes the business community….”

That sounds mighty Republican.

MOVERS & SHAKERS. I scanned the website and found the usual suspects: the Irvine Company, Safeway/Vons, Disneyland Resort, the OC Realtors Association, and the big law firms such as Rutan and Tucker (the district used them in my First Amendment lawsuit; boy were they steamed when they lost) and Manatt Phelps and Phillips.

Manatt Phelps and Phillips—you remember them. They hired up-and-coming Republican star Jeffrey Nielsen, mentee of such bulwarks of GOP rectitude as Tom Fuentes and Michael Schroeder—and current head of the OC GOP, Scott Baugh, who got ‘im that job!

Jeff’s a pedophile. Just got out of prison.

He’s really into the Lord. Like his mentor Tom.

Which reminds me: will there be a prayer Wednesday morning?

Why don’t you show up and find out!

Weird Uncle Steve, living in obscurity

I’m glad that Steve Frogue has kept a low profile since he resigned from the SOCCCD board nine years ago. I always saw his rise and fall as an instance of the Peter Principle. His guff was OK for as long as he was talking to his pals down at the lodge. But he was definitely not ready for the Spotlight—er, the spotlight.

I just Googled his name and it popped up in a church newsletter, where we are told of his “micro-grooming” of Lake Forest—i.e., his routine of picking up trash (see). Evidently, when the city refused to take responsibility for some of it, he bagged the trash and threw it into City Hall. Something like that.

But he didn’t blame it on the ADL or the Academic Senate; and he didn’t hold a press conference or a pancake prayer breakfast.

He popped up this morning in a little OC Register story about an IVC Emeritus creative writing course in Lake Forest (Writers: Living life all over again).

There’s a photo. Yep, that's our Steve. But he’s not quoted.

Good for you, Steve.

"Bottom up" cuts at Southwestern College: a tale w/ accordion

A week ago, our friends at Southwestern College posted a brief video that describes their ongoing troubles with a dictatorial Superintendent and a clueless board. (See Trouble at Southwestern College.)

Union Prez Phil Lopez (aka 100 Miles Down the Road) describes the proposed college budget cuts that led to student protests; and he describes the Keystone episode and subsequent bizarre administrative action that got the college into the funny papers not long ago.

It's nicely done.

Plus there's accordion music. Funny.

A weird windowless library, alleged marauding flag-swiping Hippies, the protean name, and other district mysteries—Solved!

I think you'll like these historical factoids:

1. The "Sea Mountain Valley Community College District"?

Our district was founded on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1967. At the time, the notion of a multi-college district wasn’t on anybody’s mind, I suppose. Everybody was focused on building “the college.”

"Puttin' a college here, even a shitty one, would raise property values!"

"Yeah, that's good, as long as it doesn't cost us anything."

The original five-person board comprised Alyn M. Brannon and Hans W. Vogel of Tustin; Louis J. Zitnick of Laguna Beach; Patrick J. Backus of Dana Point; and Michael T. Collins of Laguna Niguel. Vogel remained on the board until about 1975 and often served as its president (SOCCCD website).

I get the sense that Vogel was a dominant figure in these early years. (Anybody know?) Evidently, it was through his connections that Governor Ronald Reagan (now: "Saint" Ronald) showed up for the Saddleback College dedication (at a site near what came to be Mission Hospital).

During planning, “the district was referred to as the South Coast Junior College District” (see district website), but at a March 1967 meeting, “the board named the new district Saddleback Junior College District.”

In 1970, it was renamed again, this time the “Saddleback Community College District.”

Then came the infamous “board majority” of 1996, a crew that was as hubristic as it was benighted. Naturally, they decided to change the name again. In February of 1997, they asked the public for help. Trustee John Williams favored the name “South Orange County Community College District,” but

Other names being considered [were] South Valley Community College District, South Coast Community College District, Sea Mountain Valley Community College District and Old Groves Community College District. (LA Times)

Sea Mountain Valley? Old Groves?

2. We don't need no stinkin' “Gauchos”

It appears that the original board was responsible for Saddleback College’s unfortunate mascot, the “Gaucho.” (What do South American cowboys have to do with the OC?)

According to the district website, “Saddleback College was officially named by action of the board on February 26, 1968. In June of that year, the board approved the Gaucho as mascot and school colors as cardinal and gold.”

But since (according to the website) the first students didn’t arrive until September, it follows (more or less) that students didn’t choose the “Gaucho.”

I bet it was these trustees.

3. Dress Codes, war protesters, phantom Hippies

We have among us an old-timer who can remember the early days of the district. John Williams. In a 2008 Lariat article (Through the decades), we learn that

Williams moved to Mission Viejo in 1969 when his brother David, a receiver for the St. Louis Cardinals, purchased a home and needed a caretaker while he was on the road. He registered for classes at Saddleback, competing in both football and track. … "During the construction of the lower campus, we watched as the portable buildings were brought in on trailers. In the fall of 1969, the sidewalks had not been poured and when it would rain, they would lay down planks to walk on."

Williams implies that he went to college to avoid the draft: "If you didn't go to college, you could get drafted," he is quoted is saying.

According to the article, there was some “political activism” in the early years, plus some classic OC fatheaded patriotism:

"Every day at 8 a.m. the campus had their flag salute," Williams said. "The national anthem played and students had to stop what they were doing."

Williams said the student government tried to organize a war protest, and didn't want the track team to get on the team bus. Another time, a rumor was flying around that some "hippies" were going to come to Saddleback to steal the American flag, so some of the football players stood around and guarded it. The "hippies" never showed.

Williams also noted the college dress code:

"There was a strict dress code in those days, almost as if it were a parochial school," said … Williams…. "It covered everything from how to dress to the length of your hair."

4. A mighty fortress is our Library

I happened upon, of all things, a cool Saddleback College in-service pamphlet (Fall, 2008) that is punctuated with interesting factoids and images from the college circa 1968—no doubt as part of the college’s 40th Anniversary celebration.

On pages 20 and 21, the editor writes:

Several years ago a reporter from The Lariat called. He wanted to know the “real story” of the windows in the library. Or actually, the absence of windows in the library. After all, the building sat on a hill and had an unobstructed 270 degree panoramic view which was hardly observable from inside. I told the reporter that I would try to find information. I did, but he never called back. I saved the information anyway, and now do present it here for your consideration.

The “information” turns out to be a newspaper article about the Utt library published in 1970. The article describes a meeting between the board and the library architects. The architects (and the college president) wanted windows. The board? Not so much.

Library Windows Asked. Saddleback Tells Architects to Review Exterior.

By George Leidal, Daily Pilot, December 15, 1970

Situated in the rolling hills of the Mission Viejo campus with potential for a 270-degree view, the Saddleback College library will be windowless. Trustees Monday night instructed the architects, Ramber and Lowery, of Santa Ana, to revise the exterior plans removing the second and third floor windows. [There are no first floor windows, aside from the entrance doors.]

The library, the first permanent structure planned for the Mission Viejo campus, is estimated at $3.7 million and is expected to go to bid next March.

President Fred H. Bremer, said, “From an aesthetic viewpoint I feel a certain amount of windows are desirable, even in a library. Otherwise the building would have a prison like appearance.”

Board President Hans W. Vogel of Santa Ana argued against windows in the library on two grounds, maintenance and insurance costs for possible breakage.

“A library is a learning center with a function to perform,” Vogel said, “and that function is best performed if there are no distractions. A student should be able to escape completely from reality. A fortress without windows is the ideal environment for library study since when you go to the library you are trying to reach the depths of your own mind.”

Vogel further argued that savings of maintenance and insurance that might be projected for a windowless library could be applied in fitting the building with more equipment.

Robert Lowery of the architectural firm noted trustees had already approved the interior floor plans for the library, which will initially house classrooms that later will be converted to library space. Noting the aesthetic value of windows “because human beings like to know what’s going on outside even if they only see a patch of sky or clouds,” Lowery suggested library stacks would not require use of outside walls. The plan submitted to trustees included slanted high windows on the second and third floors.

Alyn M. Brannon, trustee from Santa Ana, concurred with the breakage argument against the windows and added, “I’m opposed to high windows, they are hardly ever washed, anyway.”

The slant of the windows, Lowery said, was to discourage breakage by rock throwing.”

Brannon countered, that with the slant “they’ll just collect more dirt.”

Responding to a question by John B. Lund, Laguna Beach trustee, Lowery noted there would be little difference in construction cost of the library with or without windows. Vogel said it was not the construction cost that concerned him, but said “from a security standpoint I would question high windows and would favor solid walls.” [What happened to “maintenance and insurance costs”?]

Security precautions called for by trustees at an earlier meeting, Lowery said, had already been included in the library plan. [Gosh, had something happened in the meantime?]

“We cut out the second floor outdoor reading balconies,” he said, in order to eliminate the chance students will throw books down from them to other students as you suggested.”

The present plan requires students to check out books before going outside to outdoor, second level terraces, Lowery said.

Features of the plan acceptable to trustees were the beige, sandblasted concrete exterior that requires no painting.

“I should note that I have no recommendation about what you could do [if] a student decided to spray paint an inscription on the surface,” Lowery said. “But there will be considerable maintenance savings if it is never painted.”

Vogel said he hoped that such defacing tactics would not occur.

Lower portions of the façade will be done in adobe brick and an imitation quarry tile made of concrete will surface patios.

Vogel noted that he had used new libraries at Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and UCLA and found all were built without windows. “These aren’t old libraries.”

The in-service pamphlet editor reminds us that

a scant 10 months prior to this article, the local branch building of the Bank of America in the community of Isla Vista, Santa Barbara County, was burned to the ground by students on February 25, 1970.

Yeah, that was a big deal at the time. Everybody was talking about it. (Reagan called the protesters "cowardly little bums" and sent in 400 National Guardsmen.)

The editor notes that the title—Library Windows Asked—“doesn’t really make sense.” The article seems more about eliminating windows than asking for them:

It makes one wonder if someone got the title wrong. Should it have read: "Library Windows Axed"?....

Hans Vogel is still alive, living in Tustin—he’s 87 years old. He and his family came to America from Germany in the late 20s. During the war, he evidently distinguished himself, serving as an interrogator of prisoners of war (i.e., Germans) under General Patton.

He describes himself (he has two blogs) a Lieutenant Colonel, Retired.

After the war, he got his degree at USC and became a volleyball coach with that institution. The guy seems to be all about volleyball and war memories.