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| Yes, a chopper, courtesy the Sheriff's Dept. I guess Glenn's pal Mike can still pull strings—er, wings. |
150 spaces of parking lot 5 will be reserved for today's 9-11 hoopla.
Administration sent us this graphic. "See, there." Lot 5 is in front of the PAC, I think.
Why is this event scheduled for prime time? Just who is in charge around here?
Good luck with parking, everybody. And, no, we're not being invaded from the sky—I guess. The source didn't explain why the chopper is landing here. Maybe it's the return of IVC "Hometown Hero" Mike Carona.
Headline: "Roquemore's 'Pen Pal' to make a special surprise helicopter appearance for 9-11 Fest at IVC!"
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| "And now, via helicopter, straight from Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood, Colorado, IVC Hometown Hero Mike Carona!" With that, the 150 guests, still bitter from the parking snafu, stood up to cheer. Yes, there were balloons, but they were black. Former SOCCCD trustee Tom Fuentes, who remains dead, also made a brief appearance. "Dear Heavenly Father," he said.  |
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| Students took great interest in the helicopter. Certain employees, however, were told in advance to stay away from the thing. Some students, seeing the various emergency vehicles, were concerned that some sort of accident or incident had occurred. As usual, there was a fair amount of confusion. |
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| Those 150 parking spaces? Well, by 11:45, few had been taken for the 9-11 event. Did anyone attend the ceremony? Was it poorly attended? Who showed? |
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| A very lonely place, parking lot 5. Meanwhile, students and faculty (et al.) scrambled for parking. Is anyone in charge at IVC? |
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| From IVC's Facebook page |
31 comments:
Helicopter? I thought the flier said an ambulance. They would tell us if there was a helicopter landing on campus. Especially on this day. I think your cource got it wrong.
Maybe Carona will start throwin' around the n-word again. Swell guy.
There is no helicopter coming to campus. That is just a blog rumer like Darryl Cox getting fired. They would certainly notify the campus community if a helicopter was landing on campus.
The helicopter has landed - inbetween BSTIC and the PAC with lots of police and sheriffs.
Overheard: students saying: "Why is that here? I hope there's not a bomb."
Glen didn't want to anounce it to the campus because he didn't want people to show up and mob it.
As of 11:40 - the parking lot reserved for the special event is pretty much empty. Just FYI.
Meanwhile stduents are circling the lots in that now familir high noon hot frustration. Not a pretty site.
They stopped enforcing the parking lot restriction early (about ten minutes before noon) because so few people had shown up. Students are now filling up the spots.
I heard Darryl is on "Administrative Leave. "
I understand some staff were told that they could not go and see the helicopter. That's some 9/11 spirit there.
The helicopter just left - just around 1:00. It seemed to take quite a long time to lift off and get out.
1:14 A helicopter landing on a college campus on 9/11 isn't "spirit" nor is it safe to begin with. IVC honored 9/11 with trained dogs, an ambulance, a fire engine, a fully equipped hummer and oh, a helicopter. Really. I remember a time when we honored tragic days with fitting tributes not carnival side shows.
I think they could have done a better crowd estimate. Any organizer will tell you that if you don't know how many people are coming, no one is really coming. Also this gets at something else - is the event for the campus community or for others outside of campus? Great confusion among my students about the display of vehicles and the whop-whop-whop of the helicopter. They thought it was an accident.
They could have attracted more people -from the campus and the larger community - if it had been a different kind of event. The kind of event one would expect on a college campus.
Next year they should go all out and bring in a circus for 9/11 day. That would fill the parking spots indeed.
I was not suggesting a circus but something different...it seems that each year is the same and there is much more to Sept. eleventh than what IVC does every year. Is there a cmte. that faculty can serve on to create next year's event?
Perhaps the Senate could appoint a couple of people to such a committee...by the way, the college email server appears to be down.
I am so confused. If they wanted people (on the campus) to turn out, why NOT tell them about the helicopter? Or at least warn them. 150 spaces? Who did they expect to come to the college? Who did outreach? The parking lot reserved for this had a handful of cars. This seems to be yet another top-down event with cliched photo-op meant to make all the principals look patriotic so they can use the photos for their own purposes. The creation of a kind of pleasing illusion. Thanks for the pics of the empty parking lot to balance out the triumphalism. I saw it at a bit before noon - empty as the photos show.
It is a challenge to criticize these events without seeming callous but i can't help but imagine we could do it better. Yes, bring it to the Senate. If we have to have annual memorials like this, let's try and be part of the process. And for god's sake if you are going to stage what looks like an accident scene on campus (ESPECIALLY on a day when something tragic occurred), please have the common sense and courtesy to let the people to work there and study there know. Jeez. Come on. Respect us a little more. Are is it really all about you?
Our college needs to focus on students & students should be involved in the types of events we are coordinating and of course with faculty, administration and classified input. We seem to be spending a great deal of time on "balloon events" for plaques, photo ops, hanging with the right people on red carpets and its getting to be too much. We seem to be meeting the personal needs of some but not the educational needs of many. Maybe a series of workshops next year about the implications of 9/11 and what we have learned as a nation and the role of young people in their next thirty years and how we participate globally. Between classes we also need to look like a college and act like a college and make it something students are proud of outside of their classes. This is our role. Put the helicopters away and end the circus....send away the clowns.
"We seem to be meeting the personal needs of some but not the educational needs of many."
Well said!
But the students liked seeing the helicopter land and take off. Look at them.
As usual this became another photo op for our Pres and friends. This had nothing to do with 9/11 or it's true meaning. Just like the Vet Center grand opening and the upcoming Gala. It's all about politics and Glenn showing what he can make his people do and what a great Patriot he is. This has all become sooooo self serving and very ugly. Anybody with a conscience and morals would fell guilty and embarrassed for wasting peoples time, taxpayers money, all for a photo op. Nevermind diverting attention from the true meaning.
As far as Mr. Cox, of course they ran him out, he told them what they didn't want to hear or know.
excuse typo "feel"
I'll bet they will bring in another "friend of a friend" from the outside. I don't know if anyone is counting, but in the last year or so, we have hired one VP, two Directors and four Deans (total of 7) all from outside the college and the District. So much for the lip service about appreciating the people that make IVC a great campus. I understand the numbers are similar for the classified staff replacements that have been hired.
yes, but one of those hires was friends with another fairly new hire so that is how that work, right?
I heard they sent an email at 8:30 yesterday about the helicopter but only to a few people. Some of those people forwarded it and some of them didn't. Some people got the email and many did not. They didn't announce it earlier because they didn't know until yesterday morning that it was happening for sure.
We can do better than this. Where's the vision?
Anyone know how much all this cost?
Reserving 150 spots - for WHO? Who does community outreach? The problem here is there is this kind echo chamber of ready agreement and complete disconnect that surrounds the leadership of the college. No one can risk telling them the truth so they don't. Not even after the fact. There photos and reports will show a success - so that is what happened. Thanks for the photos of the empty lots. I could see them too. everyone could. no one said anything. They never will. Sad. Maddening.
Terrible parking conditions today , especially for students. The advence notice doesn't really help ebacsue, afetr all, there are only so many spots available.
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