Culture of fear

● MEETING. As you know, workers have been complaining about IVC’s Director of Facilities and Maintenance, Wayne Ward, accusing him of various forms of unprofessionalism, including retaliation against underlings who register complaints about him.

I have learned that, last Friday, two F&M workers met with Irvine Valley College’s President, Glenn Roquemore, explaining to him how, in their view, they have experienced exactly that: retaliation from Wayne after they submitted formal complaints regarding his actions. (See "It's a condom," he said and Unsafe conditions?.)

At the meeting, they told me, they insisted that their pursuit of this matter was not itself retaliation. Their action, they said, was only an attempt to defend themselves against Wayne’s unfair and hostile treatment.

The workers tell me that, during this meeting, Glenn seemed to take their complaints seriously and that he assured them that he would not tolerate retaliatory actions.

"Do you think he was sincere?" I asked.

"Yes."

Well, we’ll see.

● THE VAN. Several workers have offered me accounts (and informal written declarations from coworkers) of Wayne’s alleged misconduct. Some of these stories are particularly disturbing, for they concern safety.

One story that I have heard from more than one source concerns a particular college van. According to the story, about a year ago, a worker apprised Wayne that this particular vehicle was unsafe to drive, owing to the poor condition of its tires. Nevertheless, Wayne insisted that the van be issued for use to transport students to some location. According to the story, on the road, the van experienced a severe blowout, resulting in damage to the body of the van—and, presumably, endangerment of the van’s occupants. (“Over 23,000 passenger vehicles are towed, annually, from crashes resulting from tire blowouts or flats. Nearly half of these blowout-induced crashes result in rollovers.” --Public Citizen.)

No one was hurt, I’m told.

I’ve seen photos of the damage to the vehicle, and they are remarkable (can a blowout inflict such damage?).

I've been led to believe that the incident was reported by workers. If so, and if the above account is accurate, one wonders how it can be that Wayne was not severely reprimanded.

● DON'T GET SICK. Some stories, of course, do not concern safety, but other forms of alleged misconduct. For instance, I’m told that IVC's plant engineer (see F&M staff), Mr. B, has been ill. Consequently, he was forced to miss many days of work.

According to this account, during the plant engineer's absence, Wayne posted his job—that is, he solicited for those interested in assuming that position, despite Mr. B's not having been laid off or fired. When Mr. B returned to work, naturally, he was very surprised and upset to learn of this development.

The CSEA (union) was brought in, and Wayne was compelled to unpost the job.

There are many such stories describing Wayne's alleged irregular and seemingly whimsical actions. In some cases, formal complaints have been filed, but, say the workers, these have had no apparent effect on Wayne's standing.

● CHIEF KREZA. Sadly, we have also heard various disturbing stories about IVC Police Chief Owen Kreza, who is away on administrative leave. As you know, a few weeks ago, district officials seized the computers of both the Police Chief and the Deputy Police Chief (the latter is also on administrative leave). As far as I know, the HR people have not revealed the nature of the investigation that is underway concerning those employees. Speculation is rampant.

Reliable witnesses have told me some remarkable stories of Kreza’s alleged conduct over the years and the allegedly offensive and unprofessional culture that has characterized his administration.

The stories concern a range of unprofessional situations and actions, including a pattern of blatant retaliation against underlings who displease the chief.

If these stories are true--in my judgment, the witnesses are reliable and their accounts are plausible--then there is a real problem here at IVC. Call it a culture of fear, a culture of unrestrained unprofessionalism. I doubt that it flows from the President's office, for it does not exist everywhere at IVC. But neither is it isolated to one area (evidently), and so one wonders if it exits because it is tolerated or because the President simply does not know what occurs at his own college.

The employees (and others) with whom I have spoken only seek a professional atmosphere in which to work. And they would be very pleased if the President were to take steps to insure such an atmosphere.

FACULTY. Of course, those of us who worked at IVC during the tenure of President Raghu Mathur--who, of course, hired Kreza and various stunningly unprofessional and incompetent administrators and managers (Poindexter, et al.)--recall a time when the culture extended to administrative dealings with faculty. Today, conditions are far from perfect, but, by and large, faculty--at least full-time faculty--no longer work in an atmosphere of abusive unprofessionalism and fear as they once did. (Tell me if I am wrong.)

For that, we are (certainly, I am) grateful and relieved. We hope and trust that, in the present cases concerning F&M workers and police officers, the President will acknowledge the problem and, at long last, take the necessary steps to deal with it. Nobody's asking for anyone's "head." They are asking for--and demanding--professionalism.

We all want this college to succeed in every way and for its employees to be able to work in an atmosphere of decency and respect.

● ON A LIGHTHEARTED NOTE: Evidently, yesterday (Tuesday) morning, vandals destroyed the glass front on a vending machine at IVC. (Over by A300.) I was shown the aftermath at about 11:00 a.m. There was still some glass on the ground. Don't know anything else beyond that.

Maybe somebody didn't get their change. Maybe they're just Republican. Dunno.


That's glass down at the bottom. Sharp, horrible, slivers. Thousands of 'em.

It's the Republican Party.

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