Get Your Ball Gown On

This late arrival in the virtual mailbox today came from the college president. In case you didn't read it, we post it below in its entirety with all its capitalization intact.

SUBJECT LINE: PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

Colleagues,

There have been a few requests to open the PAC for the purposes of airing the Presidential Inauguration. There is no doubt that this Inauguration is historic and expected to draw broad National attention and interest. However, establishing a formal college wide program for this purpose is not possible from a number of vantage points. The most important point is that Tuesday will continue to be a day where students are in most need of our services. I have consulted with the Executive Administrative Team, the Deans and the Academic Senate President regarding this matter. The consensus is to not host a college wide Inauguration viewing. We can do the following:

We have been told that “College Network” will be airing the Inauguration on the cafeteria televisions.

We will attempt to bring up a CNN web feed on the two flat screens in the SSC lobby.

Student clubs are encouraged to host Inauguration events.

Administrators and Classified Staff wishing to view portions of the Inauguration Program will be able to do so only at the discretion of your supervisor and when zero impact on college business is verified.

Very Respectfully,
Glenn R. Roquemore, Ph.D.
President
Irvine Valley College

Ahem.

Not surprising but still. Rebel Girl recalls all those other events of a civic nature that we and our students (and, she believes, staff and administrators) were encouraged to attend--to commemorate say, Veteran's Day or September 11th. These events are held in public areas of the college during class time. Very often faculty dismiss or cut short classes in order to participate and are greeted with smiles. Please join the IVC community, the flyers often say. Join us.

Rebel Girl remembers a sunny day when we were all told to stay home. On Wednesday April 27, 1994, the entire college district shut down for an Official Day of Mourning honoring a great American, newly dead and to be buried on that day. Surely you remember. We were the only college district in the country to close (it took a vote from the board of trustees) and deny students our services on that day. Who were we honoring?

Richard M. Nixon.

Over a year later, on October 3, 1995, Rebel Girl noticed two big televisons pushed out in front of the Student Center. What's up, she wondered. Some students and staff gathered around the sets. As as she got closer, she saw what was up. It was the O.J. Simpson trial, televised live. The jury was about to deliver their verdict. It was something Rebel Girl didn't want to see, no matter what happened. There was something creepy about the whole scene.

She never could figure whose idea it was to put the big TVs out there. What they were hoping for. Why they thought that that verdict in that trial was so important for the students to view. She wonders what those same people might say when, 14 years later, someone requests to recognize the inaugural of the nation's first African-American president in a manner that suggests President Obama is just as important as a disgraced dead president or a disgraced celebrity athelete.

Shame.

Don't even get her started on how the college simply doesn't really "do" King day either. She'll talk your ear off and then you'll only have one ear.


Anyway, Rebel Girl plans to wear her version of an inaugural ball gown on Tuesday. Come find her, wherever she is and we'll party down. She's never needed anyone's permission to celebrate. She suggests you don't either.