The Stain of Turin

● A month ago (Custodians vs. Wayne Ward), we reported that the CSEA local had written a letter to district HR officials regarding the case of Facilities and Maintenance worker Ruben M. In that letter, CSEA threatened to pursue a “hostile work environment/retaliation complaint” against IVC F&M Director Wayne Ward. Ward had decided to move Ruben to the swing shift, despite knowing the extreme hardship to Ruben's family that the action would create. In the letter, the CSEA suggested that Ward was taking this action to retaliate against Ruben for his involvement in the filing of an Unusual Occurance report against Ward.

A few weeks ago, Ruben and another F&M worker met with IVC President Roquemore concerning the alleged retaliation. Roquemore, I was told at the time, seemed sympathetic. He will not abide retaliation, he said.

Right. Ruben has now been moved to the swing shift. The union did not prevent it. Roquemore did not prevent it.

I'm told that Wayne now says that Ruben is being moved because he is a good, independent worker, just what is needed for the swing shift.

Ruben is also a very unhappy worker, as are many others in F&M.


● Today, a friend told a story about an attempt to replace a light bulb in one of the offices. An F&M worker was told about the need for the bulb. He said that he would have to get a ladder, and that would involve waiting until later in the afternoon, securing an electric cart, and then bringing the ladder (and, presumably, the bulb) to the office.

"Why not just use your radio to get somebody to bring a ladder and bulb?"

"Can't do that."

"How come?"

I've already forgotten the punchline. I think the F&M worker said that Wayne does not permit sudden variations in a worker's scheduled duties. Or maybe he said that two workers must not work together, cuz they might, um, something. I forget.

The point is that, owing to Wayne's absurd management policies, whatever they are, it now takes a great deal of time and effort to change a goddam light bulb.


● More than a year ago (Padberg visits), Trustee Nancy Padberg visited our college (IVC) and got a chance to tour several buildings, including A200. Inevitably, therefore, she encountered what we in the A200 building laughingly call the "faculty lounge."

It looks like shit. It's got no furniture, really. The floor is linoleum. Unmatching tables and chairs come and go. One finds students on the floor late at night.

Well, not long after that, we (with Nancy's help?) secured a promise from Prez Roquemore that things would change, that we'd finally get some real furniture for our "lounge," that all would be well.

A year later, we're still waiting.

Today, I was talking with someone in that big dumb empty space and they noticed that each of the four chairs around the one dumb table at the center of the "lounge" is (a) ugly and (b) different. (See picture.)

"Yeah," I said. "That really looks like shit."

Next to the ugliest of the four chairs is a big gaping trash container with one of those Hefty bags inside it. Lovely. Three feet from that is a paper shredder that no one uses. It's got a big plastic bag taped to one end of it. It's strictly Soviet Union, circa 1988.

My eyes wandered further to the right, where I noticed that, recently, an abandoned file cabinet that stood there for years had been removed. The removal left an ugly brown stain on the shitty linoleum. (See.)

"That's the Stain of Turin," said my friend.

"Yeah," I said, ignoring him. "But didn't we just get this linoleum? I mean, they made a big deal about how we were getting this 'new floor,' this linoleum, and now it's got this ugly brown stain."

"Yeah, somebody said they can see a rat's head in it."

We squinted at it for a while.


● The so-called "faculty lounge" is so utterly unfaculty-loungy that it is often used by students. Or it suddenly becomes a classroom annex.

Earlier this afternoon, an instructor was attempting to teach something to three or four of his students at the ugly little table in the center of the room. In the meantime, some faculty had gathered at the edge of the lounge zone to shoot the bull. It's like we were insisting on lounging in the lounge even though it doesn't have a shred of lounginess. This happens all the time.

I mean, where else are we going to hang out? We've got no place else to go!

I think the instructor was annoyed, but we stood our ground, cuz you get to talk to your colleagues sometimes between classes. I mean, that's like a human right or something, isn't it?

Soon, Wendy showed up, so, naturally, she commenced scheming her imminent takeover of the district. I said, "Wait! If we're gonna do that, let's get a picture." So here's what I got.


I hear that a Trustee actually told some faculty that Wendy "runs the district" or that she seeks to do so.

What does that even mean? That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

● On my way out, I stopped by A100, where, on the wall along Glenn's office, official announcements are posted. I noticed something there. Here's what I found:


Hope you can read it. It says that the board will meet with the Accreditation Teams tomorrow (Thursday, the 30th) at 2:30 in the Chancellor's Conference Room (3rd floor, HSB) to discuss the PROGRESS REPORTS. It also says:

An opportunity will be provided at the beginning of the meeting for public comments on this matter.

Hot damn!