DtB's Year in Review, Part 3: Process Schmocess—and "Mighty Oaks from little flacks grow"

IVC Prez Glenn Roquemore pretty much does as he pleases, process be damned. A case in point: 

¡I am the process!

     MAY 5: DtB readers know that Irvine Valley College has a very mixed record with regard to its invited commencement speakers. Some have been good. Some have been embarrassing in one way or another. (Plagiarism anyone?)

     The chief difficulty here is familiar: the piss-poor leadership of IVC Prez-for-life Glenn Roquemore, that remarkably non- (or anti-) academic fellow (he hangs out a lot at the Chamber of Commerce and gives speeches over at the knuckle-dragging Pacifica Institute), who generally finds ways to get who he wants at commencement, despite student or faculty preferences—and the demands of process!—to the contrary.

     This year is no exception. The college has a process according to which a committee, with wide representation, arrives at a list of carefully winnowed committee-approved candidates. The committee’s suggestions are sent up to the Prez, who makes the final selection. 

     For years, the Reb, among others, has suggested inviting the inimitable Gustavo Arellano (aka "The Mexican" of "Ask a Mexican!"), editor of the OC Weekly, to speechify. No matter the strength or weakness of the alternatives, Roquemore has always nixed the Mexican. Upon repeated Roquemorian rejections at IVC, Gustavo has given commencement addresses at UCLA, among other fine institutions of higher learning.

     This year, Gustavo made it to the IVC committee’s winnowed list of faves. 

     But no. At a recent meeting, the President’s rep on the committee—chair Diane Oaks—essentially declared that the committee may not suggest Mr. Arellano. And so his name was taken off the list. The list was forwarded, sans Mexican.

     So tell me. What’s the point of having a process in which a committee, with wide representation, chooses the candidates and the Prez makes the final selection, if the Prez also determines who can be on the committee’s list?

     This issue will be mentioned (it is too late to agendize it) at this week’s meeting of the IVC Academic Senate.

     Stay tuned.

TWO DAY LATER:

Erwin Chemerinsky

    MAY 7:  “What’s the point of having a process at all?”
     “Why doesn’t he just tell the committee who they can’t recommend before the process starts?”
     “The idea that this action by the committee chair followed the process is dubious at best.”
     Such were the comments* made at today’s meeting of the IVC Academic Senate when folks were informed of Diane Oaks’ curious pronouncement last week that the “commencement speaker” committee, which she (as Prez Roquemore’s rep) chairs, may not include writer and columnist Gustavo Arellano among its recommendations for the 2016 IVC commencement speaker.
     According to the process, the college President is entitled to choose among the recommendations forwarded by the committee, which has campus-wide representation. Nothing in the official language describing the process refers to the chair's authority to censor (or edit) the committee's list on the President's behalf.
     Meanwhile, a half hour into today’s senate meeting, President Glenn Roquemore sent the campus community the following email:

     It is my honor to announce the 2016 Irvine Valley College Commencement Speaker, Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the School of Law, University of California, Irvine. 

     Nice diversion, Glenn.
     “Process” sure don’t count for much here at IVC, what with President-for-life Glenn Roquemore running things his way. But at least we’ve lined up an interesting choice for commencement speaker (for 2016—next year).
     Chemerinsky was atop the list of recommendations forwarded by the committee—the list that did not include Arellano, despite committee members' desire to put him there.
     You'll recall that, when Chemerinsky's hire as Dean of UCI's new law school was announced in 2007, local right-wing pols complained bitterly to UCI's then-Chancellor Michael Drake about the left-leaning legal scholar. That led to an embarrassing flip-flop, followed, ultimately, by yet another flip-flop. (In the end, Chemerinsky was again hired.) It was a low point in Drake's tenure.
     At the time, rumors (at least rumors I heard) had it that then-SOCCCD trustee and Neanderthal Tom Fuentes, for many years the chair of the local GOP, was among the noisy complainers about the selection of the decidedly non-knuckle-dragging Chemerinsky.
     Maybe we can get the C-man to talk about that for commencement?!

*Loose paraphrases of actual remarks, imprecisely remembered

SEE ALSO:

• East LA College Chooses their Commencement Speaker: It's Gustavo!
• Roquemore's curious email
• "Too Political"
• News about Gustavo Arellano, who, again, won't be commencement speaker
• Commencement speaker choices: the controversial and the unimaginative

MORE OAKS:

Marketing Director Diane Oaks

The IVC guide to insulting the IVC community 

     JUNE 2: This afternoon, Daniel Gross, the Director of Composition (among other duties) at UCI emailed TAs, lecturers, et al. about an opportunity, a job. “Greetings,” he said. If you “are interested in this job, please get in touch directly with Diane Oaks at Irvine Valley College….”
     Diane Oaks, of course, is the Director of PR and whatnot here at Irvine Valley College.
     What’s the job? Gross explains by providing Diane’s memo to him:

     I am looking to hire a UCI faculty member to edit our IVC style guidelines.
     We have created an IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE style guide similar to the UCI style guidelines:

• http://communications.uci.edu/campus-resources/styleguide/
• http://communications.uci.edu/campus-resources/graphic-standards/index.php

Daniel Gross

     We are hoping [you] might recommend a UCI faculty member who would help us EDIT or [sic] IVC STYLE GUIDELINES = we are interested in paying your faculty member a stipend for this project.
     Thanks so much! 

     Diane

     Golly.
     Why on earth didn’t she just contact the English Department here at IVC? Perhaps they are not up to the task, in her estimation.
     Good grief. [And what about her own staff?]