ONE OF THE MORE controversial buildings at Irvine Valley College is "BSTIC," the "Business Sciences Technology and Innovation Center," which was completed about two years ago. Think of "business," and then think of a tick. That's BSTIC.
Mr. tick
Curiously, some of the programs BSTIC was built for went into serious decline just before or during BSTIC's opening. (I won't even get into the lab tracking issue and its impact!) Consequently, BSTIC is a bit like the "DoDo Bird Center." Meanwhile, Schools that are larger and more productive than the DoDo Schools remain housed in shitty digs—or nowhere in particular, scattered among the various buildings and centers and grassy knolls at IVC.
BSTIC is a weird looking or attractive building, depending on where you're standing. It's got a pointy "bow" end (see above). It's got lots of fake brick on another end (it seems to have several ends). Don't know what it looks like on top. Flat, probably.
Some of the interior spaces are pretty cool, I guess. Fancy schmancy, high tech, whizz-bangery. People have mostly grown accustomed to the endless echoes in those vast, empty rooms and halls. (See above.)
OK, we'll get back to that. Now, some physics:
You wouldn't believe the physical processes that can mess up or enhance a building: you've got convection effects and moisture effects and wind effects, etc.
Illustrated above is the "Venturi effect," which involves wind (or just air) suddenly being funneled through a narrow space, causing the air to speed up and the pressure to go down. When that happens on a side of a building, it can cause unwanted wind or suction, etc.
It's a big issue for tall apartment buildings that are close together by the beach. Sometimes, a guy will poke his head out of his window and the wind can be so fierce that the guy's head gets torn off his body and sent bouncing down the goddam street!
The Venturi effect can be nasty.
Ain't physics wonderful? You can get severe blowage and you can get severe suckage. You gotta know about these phenomena before you spend millions of dollars on a building to house your dying programs.
Let's take suckage. If you get too much suckage, you'll find things stuck to the wall that aren't supposed to be there.
OK, LET'S GET SEMI-SERIOUS. Now, suppose you've got a nice, big building—like BSTIC—with some kind of heating unit up in the attic or on the roof. The unit burns natural gas, but it also gives off substantial afterfume spewage (that's the technical term, in my mind), which normally escapes to the outside through roof vents and such.
That's OK, cuz almost never do students hang out on the roof sucking on these vents. They do other things up there.
Now, what if you build your fancy new building (like BSTIC) and then something unexpected happens? For instance, on the top floor of BSTIC, you've got lots of Fine Arts types, plus a special room for forensic speechifiers. That, or maybe something else, can create extraordinary volumes of vituperative hot gas that naturally floats up through the vents into the HVAC. Now, that's not good. The system wasn't designed for massive volumes of gratuitous hot air, no sir.
And suppose that, somehow, there arises some kind of vent restriction up where all that afterfume spewage is supposed to belch forth, harmlessly. Could happen. Or maybe it's something else, dunno. [OK, I'm speculating.] Well, now, you've got a perfect storm of treacherous atmospheric effluviulescence! That hot air, mixed with afterfume spewage, has gotta go somewhere!
And so it does.
Could be you'll get all that miasmic funk going straight back into the building, causing unpleasant stinkage and worse. (See above.)
It can get so dicey in the building that you've got to shut off the HVAC! If it's summer, that means it gets hot and stinky and toxic inside. If it's winter, it gets dank and frigid and noxious, like the southern realms of an Eskimo's shithouse.
Well, it's winter. In fact, it's the "holiday season." And shit happens.
What to do?
Since it's IVC, there's only one thing to do: move the boiler, and when that doesn't fix the problem, simplyadvise all building denizens to bring sweaters.
I noticed that, on Monday, the Lariat posted an editorial: What should the new Library be named?
Gosh, I’m surprised that college officials are even contemplating changing the library’s name, what with Tom Fuentes still among the living! (Fuentes knew and loved cold war right-winger James B. Utt, after whom the library was originally named.)
The Lariat clearly seems to think that a name-change opportunity exists.
It notes a serious problem with the existing name: “Currently the name is the James B. Utt library which has been given the nickname the ‘Butt Library.’”
Ouch.
The Lariat seems to embrace criteria for naming the library after a person: “A person should be memorialized with his or her name on a building only if they have contributed a lot to the campus, both in his or her terms of time and monetary patronage.” Both? Whatever.
The Lariat has a sense of humor:
One of the more popular ideas is to give the name a sense of learning and dedication.
The Saddleback College Library of the Pursuit of Higher Dedication to the Continual Journey of Knowledge [SCLPHDCJK for short], is certainly not a practical name but the essence is to give it a cerebral quality that should be found at a college.
Yes, a cerebral quality should indeed be found at a college.
That’s funny, especially at Saddleback.
Naturally, I wrote them my suggestions:
…How about the “Bedtime for Bonzo” Library—in honor of Saint Ronald, who was on hand for the campus’s opening? “Bonzo” Library is more pithy. Also “Bedtime” Library (which gets a plus for fidelity to fact).
Or just “Library.” That would be cool, pithy-wise.
You can’t call it the “Gaucho” Library because, as you should know, the “Gaucho” moniker/mascot is controversial and, indeed, there’s some sort of committee working on its replacement.
How about “Gabacho” Library? From “Gaucho” to “Gebacho” is cool, I think, in a meta kind of way. The original library’s design was changed when right-wing trustees got weirded out by the student anti-war protests occurring in Santa Barbara at the time. That’s why it had no windows: they wanted it to be a fortress against students!
So how about “Bastion” Library? Or “Paranoid” Library? Or maybe the “Fear of Students” Library?
For the sake of timeliness, I’d go with the “Soon-to-be-phased-out” Library or the “Increasingly Anachronistic” Library.
Or you could go in the other direction. Call it “Books” Library. That would be fun, I think. There’s a nice right to that.
One more: the “Non-ALA affiliated” Library. Or just the “Benighted” Library.
Be sure to send the Lariat—and college decision-makers—your own thoughtful suggestions. It couldn’t possibly hurt.
As DtB readers know, Saddleback College instructor Amy Ahearn was recently found after having "disappeared" for many weeks. (She likely has Huntington's.) One of her sisters created a Facebook page to help communicate with those helping in the search: here.
I visited that page this morning and found the following (from Dec. 1):
Recently, gleaming "Convenience Centers" have appeared in the restrooms, affixed to walls, throughout [IVC] campus.
Here is the one in the men's facility in A-200.
It's worth noting that the female version of the "Convenience Center" lacks birth control (condoms) and cologne.
Why?
Quipped one IVC wag, it's because men are stinky and sexually active.
Women are offered instead lip gloss and breath fresheners along with the usual array of feminine hygiene products.
Interested in starting your own Protocol Personal Product Convenience Center franchise? Visit their website by clicking here.
from their website:
Since 1987, more than 30,000 Protocol Personal Products Convenience Centers have been installed in a wide variety of public places. Let a turnkey Protocol program turn a profit for you! Help your employees stay productive! Protocol machines offer employees immediate access to personal products. This allows them to return quickly to their duties. If your company employs healthcare professionals, now they can spend time more productively on other projects. Having employees purchase over-the-counter medications may relieve you of various legal implications.
6:06 p.m. – The meeting starts! Nancy Padberg's invocation begins, "Dear heavenly father, we honor this blessed season tonight in recognition of the birth of Jesus Christ." She throws something in there, too, about Hanukkah. Marcia Milchiker reads out actions taken in closed session: (1) a full-time student was expelled.
Yearly organizational meeting (upshot: they roll over the existing leadership team):
• TJ Prendergast nominates incumbent Nancy Padberg for board Prez. Unanimous (with Tom Fuentes and Bill Jay absent; Jay was absent for the last two meetings, I believe. Fuentes has appeared only once since last March).
• Marcia nominates incumbent TJ Prendergast for VP. Unanimous.
• Frank Meldau nominates incumbent Marcia M for clerk. Unanimous.
• Etc. Things proceed agreeably. No "no" votes on anything. [Dave Lang did not mess with the ducks, so carefully placed in a row.]
Special meeting of the Board of Directors, etc.
. . .
[ATEP LAND EXCHANGE]
6.1, 6.2, 6.3 advanced: public hearing, change of properties with County of Orange, at ATEP. Andy Bernstein, our counsel, speaks, presents "land exchange agreement." It concerns two ten-acre parcels. The County land is actually owned by the Navy. According to this plan, the Navy would give the ten acre parcel to the City of Tustin; and Tustin would give it to the district. Then the district would bury it with a bone.
Various steps must be completed. One has occurred. We have a period of time to complete other conditions.This exchange would benefit both the district and the County, says Andy. (It appears that the current district 10 acres is adjacent to the Rancho Santiago CCD parcel of 15 acres. Maybe we just don't wanna be near those guys. Could be.) Dave Lang mentions that members of the public, too, can ask questions. Jeremy Something-or-other now discusses details of the exchange. Blah, blah, blah about environmental this and that. "Impacts" for the two parcels are the same!
TRUSTEE QUESTIONS?: None. They're obviously really on top of it.
Nancy opens the "public hearing." No one wants to speak. (Well, the public didn't show.) She closes the public hearing.
They move on to 6.2, a "resolution" concerning this land exchange. Trustees vote. Unanimous.
6.3, another resolution re land exchange. Unanimous.
They advance 6.4 (district annual audit report)
A suit walks up, presents. Says: counted those beans, and it's all good. The audit followed the usual standards. No restrictions placed on us; we could get anything we asked for. We're giving an unqualified opinion. We're external auditors: examining analysis provided by management.
With regard to medical: no unfunded liability. Good.
We found some items that should be corrected and management agreed. Not material to financial statement. Hunky dory. LAB ISSUE. State compliance finding (special areas examined based on state requirements): [Note: a "finding" appears to be a finding of fault or noncompliance.]
Only one. TBA hours. Where a student has taken a lab, attached to a course. The existing tracking system didn't meet state requirements, in our opinion. Management has reviewed that, agreed to that finding.
Yammers about earlier findings and corrections.
Any questions? No.
Motion to accept (for review?) Unanimous.
Foundation audit: Sounds good. No identified weaknesses in two foundation audits.
Lang motions to accept: unanimous.
RESOLUTION: Saddleback College Student Winners, College Broadcasters, Inc., National Student Production Awards. (October) — One member of the team has a blazing pink Mohawk. The others are relatively subdued. (Some leather.)
Marcia offers a long preface to the resolution (Nancy is quietly peeved). Then she reads it. In Orlando, F'L, blah, blah, blah.... "From Bullets to Bubbles." Disabled veterans, scuba diving. Jazz radio program.
Trustees do a roll call vote. —It's the usual: these kids are getting a prize for getting a prize. Later, they'll get a prize for getting that last prize for getting a prize. Repeat.
Mohawk Girl comes up to speak. She's a good speaker. Excellent earrings. Has to run to her radio show, she says. She's actually landed a real job owing to all this! "You can tell that I'm the DJ," she says.
Public comments: none
Board Reports:
Frank Meldau: no report, but wishes everybody happy holidays. (I hear a single cricket chirp.) Marcia Milchiker: draws attention to holiday programs at the colleges. She Marcia-izes awhile about all of the "wonderfulness" she has experienced at the colleges. What would that woman do without the word "wonderful"? She's like Lawrence Welk. TJ Prendergast: he says he went to a dance event at IVC. Especially liked the "dancing turtles." Thanks for rating my "mo," he says. Nancy Padberg: wishes everyone a wonderful holiday season. Dave Lang: wanted to "announce" those public schools that did so well on test scores (see the papers). Wished everyone happy holidays.
Student trustee Jordan Larson: got accepted to CSU Fullerton. Took a bow. Happy holidays.
Chancellor's report [Gary Poertner]: mentions upcoming presentation of proposed programs, etc., for ATEP. Etc.
Says he has a plaque for Nancy Padberg—honoring her service as President. He reads the plaque. "I suspect you'll be getting another one of these," he says. Laughter.
Nancy: "hey, the last one I got had a gavel!"
"These are difficult financial times...," says Gary. Laughter.
Board requests for reports: Prendergast asks, can we plant a tree to replace all the paper we use for these dang meetings? Nancy notes that he'll have to ask for a report about the cost, which will entail grindin' up that very tree. Laughter.
PROPOSALS FOR ATEP:
[Upshot: IVC will focus on emerging technologies; Saddleback will focus on health care.]
1. Craig Justice (IVC VPI) comes up to present proposals for ATEP [for IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE]. Nancy stares at him for a moment and then says something like, "Who are you?"
Craig introduces himself. He discusses "emerging technologies and a "world class workforce." That's IVC's focus for ATEP.
He throws out the usual buzz words re ATEP. Pretty old stuff, old promises and plans. It's like he ate one of those ten-year-old pamphlets.
Mentions ATEP's proximity to other areas in the County. A significant advantage to be so central. "We don't make any decisions without data at Irvine Valley College," he announces, without irony. (Some tittering. Just in my head, I guess.) He's joined by Lisa Davis Allen (IVC Ac. Sen. Prez) and Dr. Werle.
LDA: happy to be part of this. Mentions "multimedia green technology" and something-or-other.
Talks about using "anchors." Yammers about digital media and 3D animation. "A good anchor as we spread to ATEP," she says. These people like their buzzwords, man. What's the matter with 'em?
Good numbers in OC for projected openings in multimedia arts jobs/needs.
Recording technology and entertainment businesses. Simulation and gaming design. These areas are hot.
Justice
Partnerships: mentioned Boeing, Raytheon, Blizzard. Pipe dreams?
Werle: 2nd anchor area: Alternative energy systems." Will "burgeon" in the future.
As the economy gets stronger, green technology will explode in terms of jobs. Solar. Zero waste management. Green is profitable. Toyota, Edison, US DoL looking for energy efficiency, partnership opportunities. Synergies. (That word should be banned.)
Applied technology is another "hub area." Biomedical, etc. Product development.
Justice: re facilities: 30K square feet facility (to be built).
We were invited to stare at these words: Flexibility. Innovation. Exhibition. Not sure why. [Kill me now.]
Gives a "virtual tour" of the "space." Welcoming area. Administration, reception, conference room. Discusses future state-of-the-art media labs with computers. Multimedia labs: students working with instructors on computers. (They shoulda put a cam on some kid's head—or maybe on an ATEP rat—for a day and then showed it at X10 speed. Show some imagination, man!)
A 30K square foot building will have 16-17K square foot classroom space, says Craig. We'll be able to schedule efficiently. Projected yield: 650-700 FTES. A large auditorium, 75 seats. We've got a room like that at BSTIC, very flexible, etc.
We anticipate 4-6 state of art computer labs. Discusses outdoor solar lab.
Mentions government agencies that have an interest in partnering with us. (Dept. of Synergy, etc.)
And so IVC is poised and ready to "deliver the goods," says Craig, proudly. We want to be that workforce training hub. Our Academic Senate has endorsed it with a "position paper." Happy about that. That closes our presentation.
QUESTIONS: None.
2.SADDLEBACK'S presentation: she [the woman didn't identify herself] refers to a handout that trustees will get later, when they can go through it slowly. IVC has focused on emerging technologies. We've chosen to focus on an old area:health care. We'd like to share vision for a center for innovation blah, blah, blah.
Uses example of Capt. Sullenberger landing that plane in the drink—he had only done that before on a simulator. [Ooooh.]
Vision: to establish a regional simulated healthcare center. She shows a picture with all of the elements pointing to the middle. So Cal is in need of this facility. Mentions: medical records, wellness center, training center, emergency dept. Patient care. Labs. Patient services.
Blah, blah, blah.... This gal is really into the dynamics of pausing and getting hushed, and then building up to something dramatic. You know, it's a kind of rhetoric, a style. I think she would have done as well discussing peanuts and gravel. I guess that's good. I hated it. She was really selling this thing, relying greatly on Saddleback nursing's established shiny reputation and morgue of old pics. (It's the old, "We're Saddleback nursing. Nuff said. So genuflect and step out of the way, fool!")
Turns it over to Tammy Rice: she says they'll focus on three areas of training: allied health students, health care professionals, community participants. (Huh?) Blah, blah, blah. I guess she's discussing "revenue and funding opportunities."
QUESTIONS?: Prendergast: any plan re epidemics, that sort of thing? Yes, through EMS. Diane Pestolesi now jumps up to discuss the "simulation idea." DP cheerleads the heck out of this thing. Now, she gravely discusses medical errors and resulting tens of thousands of deaths per year. "This center addresses that," she says. Blah, blah, blah. "We can contribute to positive outcomes in our community," she says, passing the baton to yet another gal, but shorter.
That gal briefly discusses the simulated environment. Lots of industry partners excited about this. She's done. Larry [Grihalva?] now comes up: he seems very excited. Reminds me of Chris Farley. I was afraid he'd launch himself at me, destroying the chairs and tables, and me. I guess he really cares. I have no idea what he's talking about, but I'm damned sure he's excited about it. (He's discussing EMS, paramedics, etc.)
He's got a joke: What do you call it when you're caught in a hurricane and tornado at the same time? It's a wind-wind situation.
He's very excited. He's led away to his chair.
This stuff will be up for approval next time. Gosh, it's so good that faculty were consulted.
There's a five minute break.
Watch IVC and Saddleback reports: proposed use of ATEP
7:59: now to consent calendar
Lang pulls 5.1, 5.5, 5.6. Nancy pulls 5.12. (5.14-5.18 must be included.) That's it. The rest is approved. Unanimous.
5.1 Lang corrects some points on meeting minutes. He's pickin' nits again.
5.5 Lang: says he's in support of those IT projects we're pulling. Blah, blah, blah.... Lang says something, Padberg repeats it, but she's somehow annoyed. I don't care. Nancy is plainly annoyed to have to stop and think about motions and seconds and blah, blah, blah. I know how she feels. Get out the rubber stamp!
What would this district be like without peevitude? Unrecognizable, is what.
Burnett now launches into something, chattering like he does. It's like he gets paid by the word (per second). He's into style, too. It all sounds very reassuring, whatever it is, even if he's actually talking about beans and lint and, who knows. Nancy nods. All is well.
Fitzsimmons says something with her usual pithy competence. TJ says something too, but it wasn't funny. I stopped listening, started just sensingstyle. I think the trustees are happy now.
Congrats Brandye!
Glenn speaks. "Blah, blah, blah," he says. "I have only a superficial understanding of this, or anything else, but all is well," he seems to say (I mean the sound of his voice, like a babbling brook, said that; not his actual words).
I'm growing weary. Prendergast points at somebody. LDA now speaks. She says soccer fields are dangerous. Huh? I have no idea what they're talking about. This discussion is a metaphor for lives of quiet desperation in fucking OC.
Lang now murmurs. "Policy and regulations" he says. I do wish he'd shut up. I bet this item is about linoleum or nits. He's peevish about something. Wow! He actually says "pet peeve!" Nancy peeves back.
OK, this is about basic aid and the board's old rule that BA money should go to one-time expenses for "unforeseen maintenance issues." I guess there's been some fudging about that. Too bad Fuentes isn't here to grumble and guffaw and make disturbingly ugly faces to lend to this topic the correct staunchular gravity. He's the master.
Suddenly, everybody seems lost. Meldau says something, then Gary does. Gary looks like he's gonna clear everything up, i.e., shut everybody up. Says the state forces terminology on us but that's just BS. Something like that. The semantics of "deferred maintenance." Fitzsimmons jumps in.
They vote: Lang votes no, but it is approved.
Strike out the automatic trigger: that's how they change it. --I don't care what that means. (Something about the trustees retaining their right to approve something or other. They're makin' a power play.)
5.12 — Trustee requests for conference moola. Nancy says she's interested, and so is Marcia. They vote on the item: unanimous yessireebob.
5.14 — New software. Lang says let's approve all of these IT things. Unanimous.
Next: general action items:
Administrator/manager
6.6 Something about "reorganization" and administrative salary schedules. Blah, blah, blah. David Bugay yammers for a while. I'm sure it's terribly important. Something about salary schedules (for administrators and classified managers).
Nancy: how come our consultant isn't here? It comes out that there hasn't been a change in the salary structure since 2007. ( I guess these people aren't getting raises.) Lang asks for the ultimate fiscal impact. They turn to Fitzsimmons. Doesn't feel comfortable providing draft info. Nancy asks for the "ballpark." Fitz: $20K per month.
Lang: what's the urgency?
Poertner: this has been planned for a long time. Blah, blah, blah. He's trying to get the trustees off this thing.
Prendergast: just because other districts are doing this, that's why we should? I guess I don't know the context. Nancy asks for College Prezes to weigh in.
Roquemore refers to a confidential matter that has delayed "it." Mentions two positions.
—Looks like I just can't pay attention to this stuff any more. I oughta go home and watch House.
Burnett weighs in. He too seems to say, come on, we've waited long enough. Let's move forward. I stopped listening to words. I'm going by the babble of each brook. He must've babbled effectively.
—Well, no. Lang says we're putting the cart before the horse. Don't know what these changes are going to be. We've already waited a year and half, so let's get these answers.
Poertner: we do know what these positions will cost. 8K per months per position, says Fitz. Fitz's babble is euphonious. Lang is actually nodding to her music. "Blah, blah, blah." Very pleasant. Hell, I'd vote for it, whatever it is.
Prendergast mentions the consternation that recent faculty salary increases produced among trustees. Gosh, he says, we'll want to move slowly with these $25 k raises! Nancy yammers. Bugay looks pained. I guess they're waiting for a study to get done. Turns out if they approve this thing it will only affect these four people.
Any motion to approve? Prendergast makes the motion. Any second? After long seconds, Marcia seconds. They vote: Meldau and Lang vote no. They needed four votes. Thus isn't approved.
8:38 – OK, I'm goin' home, goddamit.
A Salute to the U.S. Armed Forces at the World Affairs Council Holiday Gala Celebration With The Honorable Mark Kimmitt Special Recognition to Tom Fuentes With the Golden Orange Award
"Leadership lapses"
ANAHEIM, CA …The World Affairs Council of Orange Countywill be hosting its Annual Holiday Gala Celebration on December 15, 2011 at the Disneyland Hotel in the Grand Ballroom where we will be honoring our U.S. Military. This year's theme is "A Salute to the U.S. Armed Forces" and a Marine color guard along with guests will be present. The audience will enjoy an informative speech from soldier/statesman The Honorable Mark Kimmitt, who will deliver the keynote address. … Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt was the Chief Military Spokesman for Coalition Forces in Iraq and former Assistant Secretary of State for Political - Military Affairs in the Middle East during the Bush Administration….
Golden Orange
World Affairs Council Chairman Serge Tomassian and the Gala Committee expect over 250 guests to attend. Special guests include the Orange County Congressional Delegation who will be giving an "update from Washington" presentation, with Sir Eldon Griffiths serving as moderator. Attendees will include many of OC's political, community and business leaders. This year the Council is honored to specially recognize OC's Tom Fuentes, a long-time trustee and respected leader of the Council and an icon of the OC Community. He will be the recipient of the prestigious Golden Orange Award for his life long commitment to the Council, world affairs and making Orange County a truly Global Community.
Griffiths is an old pal of Fuentes’. As I recall, the two participated in some curious business investments together.
Kimmitt's record is less than perfect. According to the Wikipedia article about Kimmitt, back during the Bush Administration, when Kimmitt was nominated for Assistant Secretary of State, his approval was delayed owing to complaints about the fellow, which led to an IG investigation. The IG concluded that Kimmitt’s “leadership style” was sub-standard and morale-busting; it “discouraged subordinates from free and open communication with him.” On the other hand, it said that he had improved his overall performance. The congressional committee also received a letter from the IG that revealed "a substantiated allegation that Mr. Kimmitt...failed to properly safeguard information, in violation of Army regulations…." It did not elaborate.
SEE ALSO: But His Dad Was a Good Guy (Washington Post, 4/30/08)
A kind of "Filmmakers' Village" was once envisioned for the SOCCCD's ATEP campus; after over a dozen years and many millions of dollars spent, SOCCCD still doesn't know what ATEP will be
As you know, in our district, the usual suspects are once again hard at work “envisioning” what ATEP—sixty-eight acres of the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station—will be. We've certainly heard that before. Lots of times.
Did you see the OC Reg article yesterday about the film complex that will be built at Chapman U (for the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts)? Looks impressive.
The Chapman "village" sounds a bit like the complex once envisioned for ATEP. Perhaps you'll recall that, for a while (c. 2006), district leaders were working on a plan to bring a film/TV/soundstage/studio complex to the Tustin property. That came to grief by mid-2008 but seemed to be revived soon thereafter (with different Money Men). But the economy soon tanked; then the revived Media Complex plan came to grief also. Sheesh.
I've pieced together some of our (and others') coverage of ATEP and the old "film complex" (Camelot) proposal since 2000. It's pretty revealing, I think. Not in a good way.
• The Fall “Opening Session” Dissent 50, August 21, 2000
Ced [Chancellor Cedric Sampson] closed by promising, as he had done a year ago, that we will soon “convert” the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. The political machinations of the Feds and other school districts have delayed conversion, he noted peevishly....
• "Cox channel 3 to air trustee forum" The Lariat, October 5, 2000
Power, money and education came under discussion Tuesday night as candidates for the South Orange County Community College District, (SOCCCD) board of trustees gave views of their intentions for Saddleback and Irvine Valley College.
. . .
[Incumbent Tom Fuentes] said he opposed the El Toro airport and that, since the acquisition of the Tustin Air Base had to do with the “peace dividend” under president Ronald Reagan and that we have benefited under conservative leadership, a conservative leader should be involved in the process of developing the base.
“We could call it the Ronald Reagan Campus,” Fuentes said.
• From Dissent 54, October 23, 2000
The District Mailer
. . .
Have you seen the $50,000 district mailer, that proud monument to puffery, sophistry, incompetence, and illiteracy?
. . .
Page 4. Here, next to a silly photograph of El Ced [Chancellor Cedric Sampson] and a Marine, we find a description of the “Advanced Technology and Education Park of South Orange County.”….
Alas, the writing is less than lucid:
“ATEP will provide multiple career study opportunities. Special certification through graduate study will be offered to launch new ventures through a business incubator.”
“The ATEP will provide in residence and distance education train-the-trainer component for the foreign, non-physician health providers affiliated with this project.” [Huh?]
... Chancellor [Mathur] explained the “Camelot” proposal. The Camelot Group proposes a film/TV/soundstage/studio complex with a radio and, possibly, a TV station. CSU Fullerton has a film (production?) program, and they, too, are very interested in using any studio/soundstage facilities we might have.
THE BIG ATEP MEETING
Eventually, I made my way to Saddleback College for the special SOCCCD board of trustees meeting concerning the “Advanced Technology and Education Park” (ATEP) in beauteous Tustin, along lovely Ant Hill Boulevard. Tonight was the night for presentations of the “partnership” proposals submitted for use of our 68 acres, which are located just three or four blimp-lengths from one of those big Marine helicopter hangers.
. . .
After some folderol, Chancellor RAGHU P. MATHUR introduced the ATEP business. He explained about the 13 proposals that had been submitted. For tonight, he said, only three of the groups who had submitted proposals would be making presentations. CSU Fullerton would present two of them, some outfit called the SEIS Group would present a third, and then Camelot Entertainment Group would present the fourth.
. . .
The idea seemed to be that these four are the top of the heap.
According to whom? Mathur made a point of explaining the process whereby the use of ATEP was being determined. According to Mathur, the “governance groups”—faculty, et al.—are a part of the decision-making process! (Don't think so.) The 13 proposals, he said, were duly assessed by the Chancellor’s Executive Committee—a group that included no reps from the governance groups. The Committee, he insisted, “not only invited input” from the governance groups, but “their input is expected!”
Well, that’s bullshit. We stared at him.
. . . Then came CAMELOT Entertainment, the 800 pound gorilla of the evening. Camelot hopes to spend $800 million on a studio complex with sound stages and back lots.
. . .
...Camelot...man, they were slick. Plus they were determined to WIN THIS THING.
. . .
The last proposal was called “Young Americans.” They’re patriotic and cheerful or something, and they used to be on Ed Sullivan….
CAMELOT, DO A LOT?
As you know, the star of Thursday’s ATEP board meeting were the Camelot Group, a crew of business suits that showed up with a whiz-bang presentation complete with Star Wars music and slick visuals.
A friend writes
Thanks for the info on the ATEP proposals the other night. Camelot's website…sure doesn't have much—and you'd think that a film group…should have their website completed. Still can't find a single title of anything they've ever produced—though their proposal and their website is really eager to tell you all about "investments" and "portfolios" and "incentives.”
The friend quotes from Camelot’s webpage:
By combining the production efficiencies of the early studios with the creative advantages leveraged by today's independents, Camelot Films seeks to consistently combine financial success with artistic success.
My friend is unimpressed:
Efficiencies of the early 1900s?????...So...where's the education?
Yeah, what about that? No word yet on what the board made of Camelot and their presentation. Trustees did ask some good questions though. For instance, What happens if you guys miss a payment? And: will Camelot be producing pornography?....
Item 4.1 is “Approval of Exclusive Rights to Negotiate Agreement (ERNA) with Camelot Entertainment.” Maybe you know what this means. I don’t. Does it mean that the district is zeroing in on the Camelot deal?
Camelot, of course, is the investor group who proposed a super-duper studio complex to take up much of our ATEP acreage in Tustin. Some people worry that we’ll get fleeced by these guys. Could be. Mathur seems to have taken over the ATEP project. He imagines, I think, that he can envision a success at ATEP so spectacular that his mug will eventually get blasted onto Mount Rushmore.
There was another horrible lull, and so I stood up and asked about ATEP. Park Ranger Bob explained that construction is moving forward at the Tustin facility and they’ll be offering about 35 classes in the fall. There’s a big marketing campaign, too, and the “partnerships” are moving along. The Camelot people are working with the district on agreements and such. That Bob sure can be pithy….
After a brief break, Park Ranger Bob Kopecky and his crew made a presentation regarding the recent opening of ATEP in Tustin. Bob showed lovely pictures of the new facilities. He showed charts and graphs. He explained about the ongoing conversations with potential partners Camelot and the “Young Americans,” who, he said, are “spreading the American spirit around the world through song and dance.”….
Plus I keep hearing that the city of Tustin is none too keen on Mathur’s BIG PLANS for ATEP—you know, Camelot and Young Republican Hoofers for Christ (or whatever they're called). The word is that the Tustin folks have been giving us the slow stink eye and, if they’re sufficiently unhappy with us, they’ll pull the plug….
Everybody’s been pretty tight-lipped about the ATEP meeting, but there are numerous indications that it was way stormy and/or unhappy (if facial expressions & grumpitude are any indication). Could it be that things are not going well re Mathur’s grand plan to place his mug on Mt. Goomore via the "Camelot" deal? I keep hearing that there exist big tensions among the three concerned parties: (1) the City of Tustin, (2) the Camelot people, and (3) the District.
If the city is unhappy enough, they'll pull the plug on any BIG ATEP DEAL.
(NOTE: In my report for the September board meeting (see), I wrote
David Hunt (of gkkworks) presented the “short-range plan” for ATEP.... Our continued use of those 68 acres depends on the city’s confidence that we are making progress in its development. The “long-range plan” is the as-yet-undefined partnership now being negotiated with such entities as Camelot. The “short-range plan” is what we’ll be doing with the property in the interim, which, I gather, will be a period of years. ¶ The short plan’s chief element appears to be demolition of buildings, the projected cost of which is about $7 million. The projected cost of the entire plan, not including some as-yet-to-be-determined elements (e.g., maintenance), is $9,231,610. ¶ Hunt opined that this plan should be enough to satisfy the City of Tustin.
At the time, I wondered: where's all this money gonna come from?)
We’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything definite.
The discussion of the 50% Law fiasco is scheduled for the end of the meeting. That could be interesting. It is no secret that Mathur’s failure to understand that law whilst spending BIG on ATEP has put us between a rock and a hard place. Meanwhile, there are indications that negotiations between SOCCCD, Camelot, and the City of Tustin are going badly. It is conceivable that the plug will be pulled on the Deluxe Edition of ATEP. (If that happens, it will be because Mathur is incompetent, not because ATEP was a bad idea.) But who knows….
Decisions were made about ATEP, but no effort was made to explain them to the public. Curiously, trustees Milchiker and Fuentes voted "no" on item 6.5: "reimbursement agreement: Camelot Development Tustin" ($786,100).
One of these days—within a few months, I think—faculty will suddenly be “informed” that they must start developing an impressive range of programs and courses, as per the SECRET PLAN that will at long last be revealed. Naturally, everything will happen in a big rush, like the recent attempt to hire 38 new faculty (caused by the Chancellor's failure to attend to the 50% Law). Judging by the latter effort, the ATEP whatchamacallit curricular/programatic initiative will be a rush-job, a fiasco.
No doubt, someone will be inspired to intone, "This is no way to develop programs and curricula."
—True, faculty are not entirely sans clue. We do know that “Camelot Entertainment” is in the entertainment industry: lights, cameras, action....
Speaking of ATEP (i.e., the Advanced Technology and Education Park, in Tustin), I keep hearing that things are FUBAR with the ATEP confabs. Is Camelot a buttnugget? If so, plan B will look nothing like plan A, and SOCCCD will look like SHIT once again P.D.Q. (The Young Americans want to put up their tents and park their clown cars at ATEP. Is that part of plan B?)
As you know, some of our trustees (and trustee Tom Fuentes in particular, who has philosophical misgivings) are unhappy with Big ATEP. When, a few months ago, things got rocky Big-ATEPwise, the board was barely able to scrape up a green light for continued efforts.
During group reports, IVC Prez Glenn Roquemore thanked the various participants of the IVC Accred Focus Group. Of the report they have drafted, he said, “I think it hits the mark.” Glenn also reported that ATEP enrollments have been very high (about 600 this summer). He indicated that Chapman U, CSU Fullerton, and even UCI are “excited” about working with us at ATEP. (I got confirmation tonight that “Camelot” is out of the picture. One source told me that other groups [with big money, I assume], though, “have been standing in line” to get involved.)
ATEP FUBAR. Yesterday, at IVC's Academic Senate meeting, President Glenn Roquemore updated faculty on developments at the district's ATEP facility in Tustin. The Camelot group is long gone, we were told, but two new groups seek to take their place, and a decision about that will be made soon.
Glenn was very upbeat, but I've been reading documents and letters regarding negotiations between the district and the City of Tustin, and it seems clear that, come April, the city will declare that SOCCCD's progress and planning regarding ATEP is unacceptable to them. Expect litigation. Lots of it....
ATEP 2.0 was once supposed to be a center for “Homeland Security” training. Then, I think, it was supposed to be a center for the study of gizmology (well no) and Young Republican Hoofers 'n' Crooners (yes, sorta). Anyway, in recent years, efforts have been made to work with Money Men (and Money Women I guess, though I never seem to spot any of those) to create a film and TV pre- and post-production complex and underwater basket-weaving appreciation module.
For a while, the “Camelot” people seemed likely to put this thing together, but they turned out to be Money Men sans Money. Nowadays, there are two bigtime developers in the running (they seem to be avec money), and they’re still talking about that Film and TV studio, which, I'm told, is desperately needed in OC. One wonders why these Money People need us, cuz leasing property has got to be cheap in OC by now—I mean, what with the country hitting the skids and all.
In the meantime, the City of Tustin is essentially a crew of hayseeds who keep falling off of a turnip wagon—and those people are pissed because, way back in the 60s or 70s, they were slated to get their very own community college right there where the Tustin Marketplace now stands, but then that wily old Irvine Company arranged one of its slick deals to avoid paying taxes by giving away that orange grove upon which IVC now sits.
…Contemporaneous with Dixie’s Accredular adventures, the SOCCCD board of trustees had about reached their limit with regard to ATEP, a project that, despite many years of district effort and expense, never seemed to really get off the ground. After all of these years of struggle, the trustees just felt worn down. They were about to pull the plug.
Meanwhile, trustee Fuentes, who has never liked the idea of ATEP (his libertarian ideals produce occasional spasms of bilious spewage; he projectile vomited last summer), had reached the conclusion that ATEP was a “black hole,” a money pit. He said so publicly, noisily. He demanded action…. [END]
Finally....
Fuentes did not prevail. Somehow, the pro-ATEP (i.e., pro-BigATEP) contingent on the board won the day.
As I recall, the decision to embrace ATEP occurred some time during the summer of 2010. That was about when Raghu Mathur was run out of Dodge--during Dixie B's brief tenure as temp Chancellor. Wagner and Williams were still on the board, but they were short-timers.
Recently, Fuentes--seemingly with his last breath--alluded to a fateful wrong direction taken by the district that places us on a precipice, etc. Perhaps he was referring to the Big-ATEP decision. Not sure.
--Ironically, a fair number of faculty critics of the board and of Fuentes in particular--including me--have come to agree that ATEP is a money pit, that we should cut our losses to the extent possible. But it looks like the board has made its decision, and that's that.
I do hope that we don't lose sight of the central faculty issue concerning the ATEP saga: that, despite faculty's authority over program development (etc.), from the beginning, the board and Chancellor have developed ATEP unilaterally. The big decision I mean, not the details.
I certainly understand that faculty could not pilot that ship. But the pilot should have allowed faculty to sit nearby, advising. That never happened.
As Chancellor Gary Poertner so helpfully reminded us today, there's a "Board Meeting and Audience Sleep Study" Monday night (the 5th; 6:00 p.m.) and the agenda is availablehere(click on "current agenda").
That means that some of you need to bring your CPAPs. The rest of you need to get some NoDoz.
It's December, and so it's time for the board's yearly "organizational meeting":
Nancy Padberg has served as board President during the past year. Maybe she wants another year? Dunno. Who would want such a job?
These days, the board seems in no mood to pursue crazy, "red meat," right-wing initiatives, and that's great. On the other hand, last meeting, Tom "red meat" Fuentes showed up to suggest, with his penultimate breaths—to "those wonderful people out there in the dark"—that he's still on the job—but (he added) things have taken a turn for the worse in recent months, district-wise and precipice-wise, and so the SOCCCD is headed for a fall to the bottom of Shit Canyon.
Maybe Fuentes sees himself as Puff the Right-Wing Dragon, slippin' sadly into his cave, oh. (Not sure who "Little Jackie Paper" is supposed to be. Sanity, maybe.)
I think Tom was sending evil vibes Gary's way when he said all that. When the noisy Mr. Wagner left (a year ago!) and Fuentes became a mere board pen pal (since March), a shift occurred, but I'm not sure exactly how to characterize it, not in any particular way. Maybe it's just the board decision to pursue ATEP, that infinite black hole? Not sure. Or maybe it's the board's failure to cancel the Humanities and to turn the colleges into trade schools and leased pumpkin paper patches.
So, on the board, things are lots better than they used to be, owing to the absence of coherent right-wing leadership. But I'm not saying this board is particularly "with clue." For instance, I don't suppose any of 'em have heard our endless fricking caterwauling about IVC VPI Craig Justice.
"Who's that?" they'll say.
Good Lord. They show up once a month, in a daze, recognizing the flags and velvet of the Ronnie Reagan room but oblivious to all else. Then they make those $half-billion-per-year decisions.
Hello?
Moving on: the board's "discussion item" concerns ATEP:
Here's a peculiar general action item that also concerns ATEP:
I suppose there'll be presentations regarding items 7.1 and 7.2: the SLO fiasco. Good Lord.
IRVINE – Authorities have closed down a portion of UC Irvine due to safety concerns about a now-canceled appearance of Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who made news last year for burning the Koran.
. . .
Aldrich Hall was evacuated and will remain closed for the rest of the day, [UC Irvine spokesman Tom] Vasich said.
. . .
Jones was scheduled to speak at the campus at 11:30 a.m.
. . .
UCI issued this safety update on its website:
"Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who made news by burning the Quran last March, announced he would be speaking in the area of the flag poles at 11:30 on Thursday, Dec. 1. Intelligence received by UCIPD indicated suspicious activity that raised concern about the safety of the event. As a precaution the area has been closed and no events will take place in this area. Other campus activity is continuing as normal."
Jones, a 2012 Independent presidential candidate, had been scheduled to appear for a Stand Up America! Rally.
The Gainesville, Florida-pastor caused international controversy in March when he burned a Koran, which critics say contributed to a deadly attack on a U.N. compound in Afghanistan. The rally was intended to "stand up" to what supporters say is a security threat posed by radical Islam.
A counterprotest organized on Facebook listed more than 100 people as "attending."
Jones' presidential platform includes the deportation of people in this country illegally, the withdrawal of all foreign-based American troops, the reduction of corporate taxes and the reduction of government and business bureaucracy.
Last year, Jones published a book titled, "Islam is the Devil" [sic]….
