Perks for jerks

PERKS FOR JERKS.
At Monday’s meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees, Trustee Nancy Padberg requested a report on trustee travel expenses (2007-08). For years now, she has been trying to cast a spotlight on some questionable expenses, such as trustees—and the Chancellor—attending conferences in Orlando when the same enlightenment is dispensed at conferences nearby.

Republican John Williams seems to be her chief target. As I recall, at one point, Williams defended these junkets by appealing to the trustee code of ethics, according to which trustees ought to attend conferences—you know, to keep informed about "student learning objectives" and new and improved "hypervacuous educationist palaverities." [OK. I'm officially claiming "palaverities."]

His reasoning seemed to be thus:

1. Trustees have a duty to attend conferences.
2. By junketing to Orlando, John attends a conference.
3. Thus, by junketing to Orlando, John (merely) does his duty as a trustee.

This reasoning is valid only if the first premise means or implies something like: "trustees have a duty to attend conferences irrespective of considerations of waste or usefulness." Naturally, if that is what premise 1 is saying, then premise 1 is false and his reasoning is unsound. (Arguably, Williams was arguing for a stronger point: that he would be failing in his duty (aka doing wrong) by not sunning his ass in Orlando. The reasoning to that conclusion, of course, would be more fallacious still.)

John, who is also the County of Orange Public Administrator/Guardian, is not the brightest bulb on the tree. ("Stop living in an Ivory Castle!" he once roared.) It's a good thing his county job only concerns corpses, cuz he can't do much harm to them, I suppose.

In today’s “OC Watchdog” (Jet Set Club: Your Congressmembers hit the road), we learn that our local Congresspeople, too, can be big travel spenders. In their case, however, the dubious travel is often international.

The writer consulted a “nifty function” on the Center for Responsive Politics website and determined that Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and his staff “have racked up more than $33,684 in trips since 2005.” They’ve been to “Albania, Bangkok, China…my favorite is watching a satellite launch in Miami.”

Florida again. Cheesy politicians seem drawn to Florida. I don't get it.

Next comes Republican Ed Royce, who represents Fullerton: $18,501. He likes it down in Cuba, South Africa, and Holland.

POSH POL GABFEST.
As you know, John McCain and Barack Obama will appear at the Saddleback mega-church on Saturday, August 16 (part of its “Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion”). The event will be televised live.

According to the Reg (McCain, Obama event ticket info available Aug. 1), tickets will be available on the 1st of August. Check it out. And check out the digs. I always tell students, "The really big money is in religion."

Maybe the all-time best movie scene about career advice:



REMEDIATION DOESN’T WORK?
A new and seemingly-impressive study on the efficacy of remedial education (e.g., in Math, Reading) has cast assumptions of efficacy into doubt. According to Inside Higher Ed (Questioning the Value of Remedial Education), a pair of scholars—Juan Carlos Calcagno of the Community College Research Center, at Teachers College of Columbia University, and Bridget Long of the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University—have analyzed 100,000 community college students in Florida and they’ve found only “some positive impact.”

In looking at the impact of remedial education, the study found that — among those on the edge of needing remediation — being assigned to remedial math and reading courses has the effect on average of increasing the number of credits completed and the odds that students will return for a second year. But while those are important factors, the report finds no evidence that remedial education increases the completion of college-level credits or of degree completion.

In light of the cost of remediation, the authors think we should reconsider it.

THE MEREST OF RUMORS.
I hear that Raghu Mathur is doing everything in his power to be invited onto "Dancing with the Stars." Just a rumor. Reminds me of another illiterate hoofer wannabe:



See also Crop circles puzzle folks in Fosston