Park Ranger Bob on leave; flags taken down

.....1. TALK ABOUT YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE INSTABILITY! This morning, Chancellor Mathur announced that ATEP Provost Bob Kopecky is "on leave." Irvine Valley College President Glenn Roquemore will take on Bob’s duties on an interim basis.
.....Something tells me that this "leave" is permanent.



.....2. COMPLAINT ABOUT DISPLAY OF VIETNAM FLAG. Last night, the college took down all those little flags of the world that hung from the 2nd floor atrium (is that what it’s called?) of IVC’s Student Services Center. Evidently, someone of Vietnamese descent took offense to the flag of Vietnam.


.....As you know, the current Vietnamese government is the same government that took over the country not long after we “declared victory” and left back in 1973. They're commies!
.....Either the offended person or some organization—I don’t have the details—threatened to bring in “busloads” of protesters unless the little flag was taken down.
.....Evidently, the college opted to defuse the situation by taking down all of the flags.
.....I’ll miss France especially.

.....UPDATE (2/25): as far as anyone knows, the flags were put up by student government more than a decade ago. I'm told that, indeed, an organization with a history of mobilizing large groups of protesters did threaten to bring busloads of very angry people to campus. Pres. Roquemore acted quickly and solicited advice/input, from, among others, government officials and the cabinet of the Academic Senate. For now at least, the flags are down and the specter of protests is removed. I'm not sure whether that action is intended as final. Naturally, some observers object to this kind of action, pointing to a "slippery slope" of acceding to unreasonable demands. Others emphasize that the objecting organization's intent with regard to protest entailed an unusually serious risk of violence.)


.....3. ONE SMALL STEP FOR FLORIDA. Today, Bob Park reports that “In approving new science standards, the state education board in Florida has for the first time ever used the word 'evolution.' That’s a huge step forward. At the last minute, Southern Baptists on the board insisted that 'evolution' be changed to 'the scientific theory of evolution.' That’s even better. Evolution is, after all, 'only a theory,' as is all of science. Florida teachers can now cite state standards as justification for teaching that science, unlike religion, is open to change as better information becomes available.”