Will the fix be in—again?

fix, n . . .2. Any arrangement by which laws, rules, or regulations are circumvented...‘his mob got a license (police permission) to hustle (steal) on the cannon (picking pockets) here. The fix is in solid.’ 1953 Big Heat He had come up through the ranks of a society that was founded on the fix. (The OED)

Late in June, Raghu P. Mathur will cease his remarkable tenure as chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District.

That’s exactly five months away.

That would seem to be enough time to search for his replacement.

Naturally, a search and hire should be honest, fair, and competent, maximizing the chances of finding the best possible leader for our district.

Not a Yes man. Someone who can guide the board when he/she needs to.

Further, an honest search could mark a new beginning for the district, now that the odious Mathur, who, along with Trustee John Williams* (himself the subject of embarrassing and disturbing stories of incompetence, cronyism, and other varieties of poor conduct in recent months), is the common thread running through the district’s decline in repute and morale, which started in December of 1996 and which arguably continues to this day.

It’s worth remembering the district’s spotty and sometimes dismal record of Presidential and Chancellor search/hires in the last dozen or so years. Here's part of the story:

• “Trustee calls for outside intervention,” Irvine World News, September 11, 1997
College district 'incapable of responsible self-government'

Decrying the process, "or lack thereof" by which Raghu Mathur was selected as the new president of Irvine Valley College Monday, community college Trustee David Lang of Irvine said Tuesday he is seeking the intervention of statewide community college Chancellor Thomas Nussbaum in the affairs of the South Orange County Community College District….
. . .
Lang said he is asking for outside intervention because the south county college board and the district seem "incapable of responsible self-government."
. . .
Irvine Valley faculty members said Tuesday they fear retaliation–harassment or even dismissal—by the board and Mathur for their lack of support during the selection of a replacement for Dan Larios, who left Irvine Valley College last spring to head Fresno City College in his hometown. ¶ Lang said he can understand their fears. ¶ But in an interview following Monday night's meeting of the college board, Trustee John Williams of Mission Viejo said he fully supports the process that was used by the board and the appointment of Mathur to the position. ¶ He said Mathur was "the top candidate for the job all the way through the hiring process."
. . .
"He was just the best person for the job," Williams said of Mathur.
. . .
Trustee Joan Hueter of Tustin said Wednesday that she is saddened by recent actions of the board. ¶ "I have worked with boards before that could disagree and still get along and move forward. This (board) is just unbelievable," Hueter said….

• “Bizarre beat goes on at college district,” editorial, Irvine World News, September 11, 1997

Four members of the South Orange County Community College Board of Trustees have made a mockery of shared governance and continue on their campaign of political revenge. ¶ …[Raghu] Mathur is now Irvine Valley's president. ¶ What's next? Look for reprisals against a select list of faculty members and administrators at Irvine Valley who have spoken out against the board majority. ¶ Such an exercise in raw political power, of course, would be repressive and wrong. That doesn't seem to bother the board majority, however….

• O.C. Chancellor Selection Called Best Choice, Sham, LA Times, February 2, 2002
Education: New Orange County college chief had earlier received two 'no-confidence' votes from faculty and was the fourth or fifth choice of a selection committee

…The appointment of Raghu P. Mathur, president of Irvine Valley College, by the conservative-controlled board of trustees had been widely expected. Many faculty members on Friday called the selection process a sham. ¶ Mathur, 53, was ranked fourth or fifth among the five candidates the selection committee forwarded to trustees, said Lee Haggerty, who, as president of the teachers union, sat on the panel…. ¶ "He was going to be their man from the beginning," Haggerty said.
. . .
The vote was 5-2, with David Lang and Marcia Milchiker voting against Mathur's appointment.
. . .
Mathur will be paid $170,000 to $180,000 a year, with details of his contract still to be negotiated, Wagner said. ¶ Mathur is expected to take over Monday.
. . .
Controversy has followed Mathur since the board voted 4-3 to appoint him interim president of Irvine Valley in April 1997, promoting him from chairman of the school of physical sciences. ¶ Five months later, a judge ruled that the board had violated the state open-meetings law in making the appointment. ¶ Faculty members said he lacked administrative experience and was too closely aligned with trustees. ¶ In 1998, 75% of faculty at Irvine Valley voted "no confidence" in him, and a year later, the faculty senate called for his removal. ¶ In 1999, 90% of the faculty said they had no confidence in Mathur.

In May of 2004, 93.5% of district faculty (77% participated) voted “no confidence” in Chancellor Mathur:

No-Confidence Vote Will Be 3rd for College Chief, LA Times, May 17, 2004
Huge Vote Against College Chief, LA Times, May 18

…Trustees appointed Mathur chancellor even though a hiring committee did not rank him among the top three candidates, according to Lee Haggerty, then union president, who sat on the panel. ¶ Teachers say Mathur and the elected board have taken away many of their powers to govern college life and added rules to control faculty.

--A year later, the board reconsidered renewing Mathur’s contract:

In the end, Mathur’s contract was renewed, with strong support from Raghu’s new friend, Dave Lang.

A colleague who is close to Lang later explained to me that Lang sought to run for OC Treasurer.

*Marcia Milchiker has been trustee during this period (she first joined the board in 1986), but she has generally opposed Mathur and his controversial actions and policies.

Several large bowels of pasta

Yesterday, the NYT’s “Schott’s Vocab” zeroed in on malapropisms. Having been raised in an immigrant family, I own a brain that is hard-wired with dozens of malapropistic configuroons. I think I even got some of ‘em through the umbiblical “chord,” though, really, that’s a mute point at this stench in time.

First, the malapropism upon which much of my parents’ fame rests:

“He died because of a blood cloth.”

Sometimes, I will look right at them and say, “There is no such thing as a ‘blood cloth.’ You mean a ‘blood clot.’”

Always, they look right back at me with immediate and utter incredulity.

Here are some examples offered by Schott’s readers:

HE'S VERY EGOTESTICLE

• Someone I know is a genius at this. She spoke of a woman who had her hair up in a buffoon; saw my new shoes and said, "My, aren't you the fashion plague"; and recently spoke of a man who is very egotesticle.

• my favorite poem is "allergy in a church graveyard".

• My aunt always said, "I can't have anymore children because I've had my utopian tubes tied.”

• My father, noting the first hint of fall in the air, sighed and said: "Soon it will be time to fart stars in the fireplace.” [This seems to be something of a Spoonerism.]

• A busy woman: "Sometimes I get so stressed out I have to go to my room and decompose for an hour."

YOU DRIVE MY NUTS!

• A co-worker's little son announced that "you drive my nuts!" My daughter once wrote that our cat Butter Boy jumped on Frenzy when she was "least expectant." My grandfather deliberately invented examples like astosbestos for asbestos and nutneg for nutmeg. Another relative admired the singing of Ethel Murmur and the talents of Shirley Dimple. This becomes a way of life. It's dangerous to be exposed to it when young! [God, this sounds like my upbringing. Pretty whackitudinal!]

• i cannot decide which music i like better, R&B or flip flop

• "lead us snots into temptation...."

• My grandmother was famous for her malaprops; when asked if she would like to take a flight in her friend's new airplane, she gasped "Absolutely not, I like it right here on Terra Cotta";

• At a restaurant: Clams on the half shelf and a cup of chino.

• ". . . government takeover and mandation of healthcare . . ." --Sarah Palin

• Here are selected favorites from my wife:
1. This is the tip of the ice cube.
2. Security in schools has been tighter since 7-11.
3. The right foot doesn't know what the left foot is doing.
4. The swine flu has reached the pandemonium stage.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TURTLE

• At work, our team had been working on a project that had been progressing at snail’s pace with no end remotely in sight. One day, we had a breakthrough, and one of my colleagues excitedly announced at our weekly meeting, “There’s light at the end of the turtle.”

• Our church secretary always refers to the annual report to the denomination as the Sadistical Report.

• A friend with a medical condition consulted a doctor at "Cedars Cyanide"

• "I am impressed by the enormity of the universe."

• I've been tracking these at work:
Someone who is frustrated: "I've been pulling my head out over this one!"
Working through a problem: "I'm just talking out loud here."
Suggesting something: "I don't mean to speak out of tongue, but..."
Rehashing: "I feel like I'm beating this with a dead horse."
Feeling a little disoriented: "At this point, we're running by the fly of our pants."
Is in a bad mood: "He's got a craw up his butt."

• "This is a bare-bones specification, let's flush out the details later".

• After a staff party at which pasta was served, we were reminded that several large bowels of pasta were left over in the refrigerator. None of us went near the fridge as a result.

A translation gone wrong, somehow.

HAD HIS KITCHEN FLOOR POLYURINATED

• A few years back my father, who is now nearing one hundred, proudly announced that he had recently had his kitchen floor polyurinated.

• The late Bruce King, governor of New Mexico for many years, was famous for having said of a legislative proposal that it would "open a whole box of Pandoras."

• One of my son's college roommates, an ROTC cadet, dropped out of the program just as the Iraq war was starting. "This is not a good time," he opined, "to be thinking about joining the Army corpse."

• "Be sure and put some of those neutrons on it." –While ordering a salad.

COULDA KNOCKED ME OVER WITH A FENDER

• "You could have knocked me over with a fender."

• "We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this country hostile or hold our allies hostile." –George W. Bush

• Explaining lethal injection: "First, they give 'em a needle to seduce 'em; then they give the legal injection"

• Friend referring to his relationship with his wife, "...like two ships that go bump in the night."

• "Those kids were able to Flea-Bargain their way to a lesser punishment."

P.S.: My ex and I, having had more than our share of exposure to my nutty family, have always enjoyed, and have been inspired by, endless malapropoidal Bauerific incorrectitude. To this day, when I speak with her, she'll note the "flaw in the ointment" or how the night is as "dark as a bat."

And then we'll just laugh like hell.

Crony Boy to terrorize Nepotism Boy; Puritan Gal nixes PG-13 kids; Brown Boy spills beans; Spanky GOPs on the meeting

THE OL' NEPOTISM GAMBIT. I forgot to mention that, at Monday’s board meeting, trustee Tom Fuentes requested a report on “nepotism” in the district. It’s been a few years, he said, since the last report, so it’s time for another one.

A cynical person (it is impossible not to be cynical upon observing Mr. Fuentes for any period) might guess that something else explains the timing of this request. There are two opposing factions in the district (well, these are the two that I know about, and they're pretty obvious): Fuentes/Mathur, et al. v. Wagner/Roquemore/Gabriella, et al. Anyone who watched last month’s board meeting knows that the tension between these factions has, in the last two months, reached its apogee. On that night, Mr. Wagner, the board president, engineered (well, he presided over) a stunning power shift. After it was complete, he remained President of the board; Padberg was vice president, and Milchiker was Clerk. Lang, Williams, and Fuentes were eating Wagner's dust.

Fuentes was furious. Later in the meeting, he flashed some anger, leaving a thick layer of sulphur on the walls.

Glenn Roquemore is Wagner’s boy. And Glenn wants to be the next Chancellor. That’s pretty obvious. Wagner will have to work to get his ducks in a row if he wants to land Glenn's butt in Mathur’s $1100 Buttmaster® chair.

If he wants that. Dunno. Just guessing.

Of course, a decent board would push forward with a Chancellor search that is open, honest, fair, and cautious. With Mathur’s exit, a manifestly honest search for an excellent chancellor would symbolize a sea change, the beginning of a new era for the district and its colleges. The board would look wise and good.

Do you suppose the trustees understand this? Do YOU understand this?

(Sometimes I feel like I'm wasting my time on this blog. Yeah.)

Well, it’s hard to deny that any report on nepotism is going to make Glenn look bad. Glenn's wife is a member of the faculty who doesn't mind throwing her weight around here and there. And so Tom asked for a report. It’s like losing a baseball game and then pouring sugar in the opponents’ gas tanks. It doesn’t do any good. It’s just a mean and ugly thing to do.

Even if the team does deserve that nasty sucrose STP treatment.

PURITAN BROADCASTING COMPANY. I’ve been thinking about the fate of agenda item 6.1—at Monday night’s board meeting. The Chancellor recommended that (1) our two colleges’ TV stations broadcast only programs that satisfy the highly-restrictive PG standard (Saddleback’s Channel 39 has traditionally broadcast programs, including student projects, that satisfy the less-restrictive PG-13 standard). (2) He also recommended a review of membership of the Film Program Advisory Committee for the purpose of broadening representation.

Recommendation 2 wasn’t controversial. Recommendation 1 was. Trustees Lang, Milchiker and Williams opposed it. Nancy Padberg, who initiated a late-‘09 investigation of the Communications program owing to a documentary it broadcast called “88 Years in the Closet,” and Wagner supported it. Fuentes seemed to support it as well.

Jay expressed no view. But he usually votes with Milchiker.

Lang (and others, e.g., Saddleback Academic Senate Prez Bob Cosgrove) warned ominously of accreditation consequences, should item 6.1 pass. And so Padberg suggested “tabling” recommendation 1. Recommendation 2 passed, but the discussion ended with an understanding that Communications would self-impose the PG standard. Padberg made clear that she’d keep an eye on Channel 39 and its programming.

So, though the contentious part of 6.1 was tabled, essentially, Padberg got what she wanted. Lang suggested that the PG change smacked of “censorship,” and I’d have to agree.

As near as I can tell, the status quo is that Saddleback College’s Channel 39 and Irvine Valley College’s Channel 33 must now restrict broadcasts to PG productions. If they don’t there will be hell to pay. Fierce Padbergian hell. No one wants that.

This, I think, is very bad. According to some of the speakers on Monday night, the new broadcast restriction will diminish Saddleback’s celebrated program. Unfortunately, no one really elaborated on that point. I do wish they had.

I have suggested to IVC’s Academic Senate Cabinet that they consider agendizing discussion of the situation. (For all I know, Saddleback College's Academic Senate is already all over this. On Monday night, Bob certainly was.) We’ll see what happens.

REPUBLICANS BEFORE TRUSTEES. On Monday night, Board President Don Wagner mentioned two recent deaths. One was the passing of a local Republican—the husband of an OC fair board member—who died in December. Ron Young.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but Young seemed to have no connection to the district. He seemed to be, well, a Republican. And Wagner is a Republican. So there you go.

As you know, former trustee Joan Hueter—whom Wagner replaced in 1998—died last week. She is remembered by all as an unfailingly decent person. (See recent video.)

Near the start of Monday’s meeting, Don declared that it would be adjourned "in honor of" both Young and Hueter. (See video.)

Young might have been a great guy. But that dedication doesn’t make any sense to me.

WILLIAMS: BEAN SPILLAGE. As you know, John Williams is not the brightest bulb on the tree. Leave it to John to foul up “the spin” that the district is trying to put on Mathur’s terminatitude.

In his silly email, Mathur explained the situation: he had spoken with his family and they all decided that he should move on to further “professional challenges.” That is, he resigned. Voluntarily.

Wagner denied that Mathur was fired. (See.)
But in Tuesday's Register article, Brown Boy states: “…You work for an elected board and you need a majority of those board members to vote to keep you. In this case, the majority of the board felt they wanted to have a change, so they voted to.”

You mean the board voted Mathur gone? But then what's all this stuff about voluntary resignation?

(At his day job, Williams processes unclaimed corpses and their money.)

Did you notice? Evidently, Mathur lost retreat rights too!

They really want him gone.

From The conservative board majority

Blast from the Past: "Not-So-Secret Service" (Rebel Girl)

As we count down the months, weeks, days, minutes seconds to the departure of Raghu Mathur, we at Dissent will recall some of the highlights of his tenure.

After all, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone, right?

Today, a reprint of former IVC adjunct instructor Andrew Tonkovich's Open Letter to Raghu Mathur, first published in the OC Weekly on December 30, 1999 under the title, "Not-So-Secret Service." The wire service picked up the story and while driving home from her holiday sojourn in Mexico, Rebel Girl and Red Emma were delighted to hear all about it on KNX 1070.

A little background: Mathur, at that time, was president of IVC. He requested -and was granted - an unprecendented security stipend to protect himself from faculty and staff. Mathur singled out Professor Kate Clark, accusing her of disguising her voice and leaving racist threats on his answering machine. (You can't make this stuff up.)

Dear President Mathur:

I note that the South Orange County Community College District board of trustees recently awarded you a $200 monthly "security stipend." I am sure that, like me, all Irvine Valley College (IVC) faculty, students and staff will sleep better knowing efforts have been made to address the menace to your personal safety caused by threatening phone calls and e-mail (undocumented); political attacks on you in [the faculty-run] Dissent, the Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, OC Metro, OC Weekly, and [the student-run] Voice newspapers (constitutionally protected); and letters mailed to you via the U.S. Post Office (also, oddly, unavailable).

I am writing to offer my services as a security consultant. As your security stipend is equivalent to a full two weeks' pay for my own work as a part-time instructor, you'll understand that I'm eager to start work immediately.

As your presidential security consultant, I am prepared to:

• Escort you to and from your car and the administration building every morning and evening.

• Maintain secret files on high-profile personnel (we'll call it an Enemies List), including—but not limited to—academic-senate president Peter Morrison, philosophy instructor Roy Bauer and anthropology instructor Wendy Phillips.

• Put English instructor Kate Clark under immediate 24-hour surveillance.

• Taste your meals to check for poison.

• Maintain a physical-security cordon in front of your office window.

• Enforce the IVC clap.

• Proofread your memos and letters for punctuation and spelling errors, cliches, factual errors, and ad hominem attacks.

—I hope you'll contact me immediately for an interview, or at least file this letter.

-Andrew Tonkovich

From The conservative board majority

Video of Monday's board meeting

1. A brief announcement about recent losses (Joan Hueter)

2. 1:50 Marcia reads out board actions in closed session (Mathur is canned)

3. Students, et al., come to defend Saddleback College's Communications/Film program and Channel 39's practice of broadcasting student projects à la PG-13. Nancy wants PG.

4. 7:20 Trustee Lang sees censorship. Nancy is miffed.

5. I oughta get flex credit.

I'm told that this whole sorry chapter started when Nancy encountered a documentary, produced through SC Communications, entitled, "88 Years in the Closet." You know: lesbians. (Good God!) See the trailer below:

You say termination - I say resignation! Let's call the whole thing off! (Rebel Girl)

Rebel Girl regrets bumping Red Emma's lead story but the Mission Viejo Dispatch continues its coverage of Mathur's departure with a look at the numbers and a consideration of the word choices used by the various parties.

highlights:

"It is costing the South OC College District a quarter million dollars for the early termination of Chancellor Raghu Mahur, so why is Board President Don Wagner telling the Register this is a retirement initiated by Mahur? (sic - name misspelled throughout) Wagner hasn’t yet returned a couple calls from the Dispatch.

The settlement agreement (SA) includes a mutual non-defamation clause and a mutual non-disclosure provision intended to keep the facts quiet, but the agreement itself and Mahur’s existing contract are public records. The SA conveniently characterizes the departure as a resignation for the purpose of retirement, but neither Mahur nor Wagner use those terms in written statements released Tuesday. If Mahur simply wanted an early exit from his contract, which expires June 30, 2011, the Trustees wouldn’t be paying him over $250,000 to leave. That amount is one year’s salary of $237,231 plus employee benefits, and plus Mahur’s attorney fees regarding the separation agreement...

...A question lingers whether Tom Fuentes and Dave Lang opposed the Board’s 5-2 action because they approved of Mahur’s performance or instead because they opposed paying over $250,000 dollars to end the relationship one year early.

Gag agreements are common in the private sector, but in the public sector don’t necessarily serve voters well, because the secrecy hides accountability of elected officials. The privacy rights of the employee must be preserved, but the Board unfortunately avoids accountability for describing how the District expects to benefit from its quarter million dollar investment for a one-year period."

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

UPDATE: evidently, Board President Don Wagner has returned MVD's calls. The updated MVD piece includes this paragraph:

Wagner tells the Dispatch he disputes the conclusion that Mathur was fired or that the Board is buying out the remaining year of the Chancellor’s contract. His logic is that Mahur might perform some duties after being required to leave the college on “compensated leave” at the end of June. But under the settlement Mahur is under no obligation to perform any duties and still will receive his $20,000 monthly salary each month for a year. The spin is obviously designed to minimize controversy, but it just isn’t credible.

‪Comments

Anonymous‬ said... ‪ Wagner should return those telephone calls and clear things up.
‪Anonymous‬ said... ‪ With these people, the deceptions never end.
‪Penny Pincher‬ said... ‪ But Don is a fiscal conservative! Here it is, quoted from his website:

 "Every month California families stretch their budgets and pinch their pennies to make ends meet. Not so in the State Capitol. There, budget gimmicks and creative tax schemes encourage the state's spending spree. This has got to stop. 

When pet projects, political handouts to special interests, and ineffective programs take priority over California citizens putting gas in the car, buying new school clothes, or repairing the water heater, something is seriously wrong in our state. I will not stand by silently while the liberals in Sacramento put their interests - like lining their crony's pockets or buying off interest groups - ahead of the interests of California's families. "

How could Wagner fork so much moolah over to his crony (or special interest, take your pick) - Raghu Mathur while Californians are pinching their pennies?
‪Anonymous‬ said... ‪ Gag agreements are common in the public sector, especially when they involve faculty sexual harrassment complaints from their students. Many esteemed professors think it better they just go away quietly.
Anonymous‬ said... ‪ Howard Zinn has died, yet Fuentes lives on. Where is God?

Return to Sender (Red Emma)

We at Dissent the Blog see recent developments as an opportunity to embrace a lost art form, what with email and bloggery. It’s letter-writing time. See Chancellor Raghu Mathur’s own letter and be, well, inspired. Red Emma suggests getting out your own pen and some crisp leaves of “Hello Kitty” stationery and having at it. Helpfully, he includes below other exemplary letters — missives which not only model excellent correspondence behavior but, as is the tradition here at Dissent over the past thirteen years of the Mathur Regime, still manage to keep the pissed in epistolary. Remember, Dissenters, that the rhetorical secret to creating a really fine and effective letter involves, as Chancellor Mathur demonstrates in his own letter, capturing just the right tone, appropriate to the occasion. Here, then, six possible sample letters you might use in composing your own, just for the occasion. Postage not included. Friends, you gotta write ‘em to get ‘em! Occasion: Vacating Office

Dear Raghu: Thirty four years is a long time. It seems like only yesterday that you were starting your very first secret file, eavesdropping, skulking, collecting embarrassing photographs of board members. My, how time has flown. Please do let me know when you’d like to dismantle the electronic surveillance equipment and if you’ll be taking with you the portrait of Ronald Reagan hanging in front of the secret wall safe, and how you’d like staff to pack and ship the following: • Richard Nixon Snow Globe, with pumpkin patch, Checkers and a flurry of subpoenas. • Ronald Reagan jellybean dispenser (empty), in the shape of the island of Grenada. • The original four dollars and twenty five cents, in bills and coins, framed, which you carried in your pocket upon arriving in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. • Your collection of inspirational and motivational posters: Destiny, Motivation, Attitude, Strength, Pride, Duplicity and Excellent Bowel Movements. • The photograph of you with Jesus, autographed (by both of you) and inscribed, “What Would We Do?” and two smiley faces. (Gosh, I will always remember the occasion of his visit, and the personal tour you gave Him of the ATEP campus.) Like you, I have treasured every moment of working together, and look forward to my new position as Vice Chancellor of your online educational resource, Mathur’s Academy of Managementarian Success and, further, to helping write and edit your memoirs, The Ten Commandments of Highly Effective Effectors. Love, Your Secretary

Occasion: Return of Items

Dear Chancellor Mathur: Now that we’ve arranged your retirement, we are writing to thank you for the opportunity to have worked so closely with you and request that you return those, shall we say, special and confidential items you have so faithfully guarded and kept securely in your office safe, behind the photograph of Ronald Reagan, from the hands of reporters or our family members and which now, we imagine, will be of less use to you than in the past. We would also appreciate return of the negatives. Sincerely, SOCCCD Board

Occasion: Resignation (Personal)

Dear Mrs. Chancellor and all the little Chances: After a great deal of reflection and discussion with, well, everybody your husband and father sued or was sued by, slandered, blackballed, lied to, recommended for anger management counseling, made up totally fictional stories about and generally fucked with, I would like to thank you for the guidance you offered him and concur with — and wholeheartedly support! — your effort of reflection over, and helpful discussion of, the decision to choose now as, indeed, the ideal time for your father and husband (uncle and brother, nephew and family member), Mr. Raghu Mathur, to indeed consider and pursue his next professional challenge. As a strong believer in the importance of family, I am so very pleased that you will now have the opportunity to spend time with him. We’ve spent plenty, thank you. Collegially, A. Colleague

Occasion: Exploding courses

Dear Chancellor Raghu Mathur: Your recent communication has been made available to our office. It has come to our attention that your letter of resignation, while no doubt attempting to communicate your decision, also suggests a serious threat. With white powder packets mailed to professors and students dressed in camo gear roaming campuses while armed with paint ball guns, we ask that you avoid using adjectives which unnecessarily provoke an emergency situation, and cause alarm. As regards your sentence, “Online course offerings have exploded,” we feel it our job to point out that offerings cannot in fact explode. We are only security experts, but our terrific Composition teachers taught us that much. Please do take steps immediately to correct this egregious error in syntax and word choice, toward making our campuses, states, nation and world indeed a safer place and, in the future, find someone to proofread your work, whether in the remaining months of your employment -- its minutes ticking like a time bomb -- or in your next professional challenge. Sincerely, U.S. Department of Homeland Security cc: Saddleback College campus police

Occasion: State and National recognition

Dear Almost Ex-Chancellor Mathur: We at the district’s news clipping service will miss you. Indeed, your work as instructor, college president and district chancellor has kept us all mighty busy here. Boy, have we been busy. State and national recognition, you bet, but also regional, county and city. Whether threatening faculty or praising Jesus, supporting a Holocaust denier or subverting Shared Governance, leading meetings in prayer or enjoying a security stipend, we’ve got an impressive archives documenting your success at gaining recognition for our little district. Things have been a-hoppin here for us, with features and news stories in any number of news outlets, from alternative weeklies to mentions in columns in national news magazines, not to mention transcripts from radio and television reports. In the spirit of fiscal responsibility and management, we offer you now the opportunity to purchase, for a nominal contribution to the charity of our choice, in this case Americans United for Separation of Church and State, these one-of-a-kind documents, which we know you like to call The Raghu Mathur Presidential Papers. Staff (Anonymous) SOCCCD Public Relations

Occasion: Last Day in the Office

June 30 is a Wednesday. It is, according to my calendar, also the birthday of civil rights activist-actress-singer Lena Horne. And, in 2005, it’s when the nation of Spain recognized same-sex marriage. Synchroniticy! Kismet! ATEP! Your commitment to student study abroad in Santander, Spain, and your work for civil rights, including gay marriage and the advancement of women instructors who are smarter than you happily collide on this occasion. Throw in the War on Terror and, yes, it’s Raghur Mathur Homeland Celebration Day Pray-a-Thon and Flag Ceremony 2010. We write to inform you that classes will be suspended that day in your honor, with all classified and academic faculty receiving the day off. On this special day we encourage prayer (mandatory), meditation and deep consideration of inspirational posters, which will be on display on campus, and offer an early walk-through of the Raghu Mathur Presidential Library (also mandatory). In addition to those historic documents pertaining to your state and national recognition as assembled by the SOCCCD archivist, on display will also be: the $1,200 swivel chair that graced your IVC Presidential Office, the taxidermy corpus of the late beloved Stipey the Security Hound, an audio-video recreation of threatening phone calls from Kate Clark, and an authentic-seeming scale model diorama of your reserved parking places at both the IVC and Saddleback campuses. Finally, we will unveil, in an elaborate commemorative ceremony involving prayer, speeches and bugles, a replica of the two-ton slate of polished granite which Roy Bauer, IVC philosophy professor (and noted body builder) famously threatened to drop on your head and, following the dedication of this iconic, well, icon, the opportunity to climb all over it and yell your name, lead the crowd in prayer or point a finger at those assembled, with three fingers pointing back at yourself. Mandatorily, Events Planning

Comments: Anonymous said... LOL Anonymous said... Funny! Anonymous said... If only my composition classes had been so inspired!

The ever-dynamic SOCCCD

Cleveland, city of light, city of magic
Cleveland, city of light, you're calling me
Cleveland, even now I can remember
'Cause the Cuyahoga River
Goes smokin' through my dreams

—From Randy Newman's "Burn On"

FIRST: Issued this morning, just after 8:00: “a statement to our campus communities from Board President Donald P. Wagner.”

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to take this opportunity publicly to thank Chancellor Mathur for his years of service to the district and its students. He has been tireless in his efforts in the Chancellor's office and can take great pride in the many accomplishments listed in his email. We on the board are fortunate to have been able to work with him in pursuit of the district's goals. We wish Chancellor Mathur all the best in his future professional endeavors.”

MEANWHILE, back in the real world, a friend and former SC/IVC administrator (now in Colorado) sent us the following list:

[This] is a partial list of administrators who either were terminated, resigned, retired, or reassigned since the South Orange County Community College District Reorganization in 1997:

· Administrators:

1. Andrews,William -Vice President, SC
2. Audibert, Donna -Director, IVC
3. Bauer, Roy -Chair, IVC
4. Bergerud, Marly -Dean, SC & District
5. Bishopp, Greg -Dean, SC & IVC
6. Bullock, Dixie -President, SC
7. Burgess, Terry -Vice President, IVC
8  Busche, Donald -Vice President, SC
9. Carcamo, Tony -Vice Chancellor
10. Cayabyab, Nelson -Director, IVC
11. Christianson, Bill -Director, IVC
12. Corum, Susan -Dean, SC & IVC
13. Craig, Jess -Dean, IVC
14. Culton, Donald -Director, District
15. Dachschlager, Howard -Chair, IVC
16. Deegan, Bob -Vice President, IVC
17. Deegan, Pam -Dean, IVC
18. Doffoney, Ned -President, SC
19. Doty, Ann -Director, IVC
20. Evans, Lloyd -Dean, SC
21. Forouzesh, Jennifer -Dean, SC
22. Gabriella, Wendy -Chair, IVC
23. Gensler, Howard -Dean, IVC
24. Goodwin, Don -Vice Chancellor
25. Hasson, Kathy -Director, SC
26. Hill, David -Director, IVC
27. Hodge, Kathleen -Vice Chancellor
28. Hodge, Vern -Vice President
29. Jacobson, Ruth -Dean, SC & IVC
30. Jay, Bill -Vice Chancellor
31. Kirk, Joyce -PIO, IVC
+ Kopecky, Robert -Park Ranger (Provost), ATEP
32. Kremer, Nick -Director, IVC
33. Kuss, Hans -Vice President, SC
34. Larios, Daniel -President, IVC
35. Lemkin, Susan -PIO, SC
36. Loeffler, Bob -Vice President, IVC
37. Long, Sue -Chair, IVC
38. McCrory, George -PIO, IVC
39. McCullough, Rich -Dean, SC
40. Merry, Pauline -Vice President, IVC
41. Mora, Aracely -Athletic Director, IVC
42. Newell, Linda -Director, District
43. Ontiveros, Michael -Director, IVC
44. Parmer, Harry -Vice Chancellor
45. Pniewski, Stacey -PIO, IVC
46. Poindexter, Rodney -Dean, IVC
47. Prystowsky, Richard -Dean, IVC
48. Reynolds, Nancy -Dean, IVC
49. Rickner, Donald -Director, IVC
50. Rickner, Sandra -Director, IVC
51. Riopka, Diane -PIO, District
52. Rivas, Daniel -Dean, SC & IVC
53. Robinson, Terry -Dean, SC
54. Rochford, Steve -Chair, IVC
55. Romas, Ted -Director, IVC
56. Roquemore, Glenn -Chair, IVC
57. Ross, Priscilla -Chair, IVC
58. Ruiz, Armando -Vice President, IVC
59. Ruminer, Sabrina -Director, District
60. Runyon, Mike -Vice Chancellor
61. Sampson, Cedric -Chancellor
62. Spencer, Patricia -Vice President, IVC
63. Urell, Bob -Chair, IVC
+ White, Dennis -VPI, IVC
64. Woodward, Ken -Dean, SC
65. Zandvliet, Bevan -PIO, IVC
66. Zanelli, Pam -PIO, District

Comments

Anonymous said...
Let's invite Kathy Hodge to the party. And Pauline Merry too.
Anonymous said...
How about the people who simply silently put their heads down in disgust and dismay and tried to survive that way?
Let's NOT invite Howard Gensler to the party.
Anonymous said...
What about all the people who simply never applied for jobs because of him?
Anonymous said...
Couldn't Don muster a list of Raghu's accomplishments on his own?
That's not lukewarm, that's cold, brother. Glacial. Icebergy.
Anonymous said...
If Don doesn't do better than that, Raghu is going to sue him for breach of contract. Don's just damning by faint praise.
Anonymous said...
Remember when he came THIS close to getting Jeff Kaufmann fired?
Anonymous said...
It might be helpful to update the list. Certainly Dennis White, Bob Kopecky and a host of others deserve a mention.
Anonymous said...
Let's all do the clap.

Anonymous‬ said...
...so, let me get this straight. All these people left after Raghu took over, so, therefore, they left because Raghu took over. Right? Oh, wait a minute, isn't that like "post hoc ergo propter hoc", some kind of logical fallacy? Aren't the operators of this blog writing and philosophy teachers? Well I guess it's OK if they don't practice what they preach, so long as it's for the noble overriding cause of getting rid of Mathur. The end justifies the means, you know...

‪Anonymous‬ said...
12:42, Chill dude. There are three people who write for this blog, and only one (me) teaches philosophy. The other two teach English/Writing.
 The post did not say or suggest that Raghu Mathur is responsible for these people leaving. Indeed, some people on the list (Woodward, Runyan, possibly others) were made administrators by Mathur and his group, just as Mathur was made an administrator. This is well-known. If you were more informed, you would be aware that a consistent complaint about our district and colleges--going back at least 13 years--is that they have seen far too much administrative turnover. The Accreditors have pressed this point, and it is a good one. ("Administrative instability," is how they recently referred to it.) When Mathur's crew took power (starting in December of 1996), we fell into severe administrative instability. That's the point. So, dude, get a clue. --RB

Anonymous said...
I get the point you’re trying to make, that Mathur was the cause. As you know, attrition is a normal occurrence in every organization. Why you would then include “resigned” and “retired” while already knowing attrition is negligible at best. Are we just trying to make this list as long as possible to impress? Not so scientific, I must say. The correct study would be: “employed” or “not employed” because of Mathur. First, I would compare a period of pre Mathur attrition against Mathur era attrition. The probability is extremely high there will be no correlation; you will not be able to establish a causal relationship, so that cancels-out most of your list.
Then there’s the issue of “reassigned.” As you know, the employer has the right to reassign employees “at will” within the organization. How could you then include them in your list? They do still work here. That eliminates another big “Chunk” (get it Chunk?) of your list.
Now were [sic] only left with “termination.” As you know, employees get terminated for a wide variety of reasons. How many were actually terminated because Mathur himself terminated them? As I recall, he did spare Dr. Kauffman.
The “administrative instability” as I recall, was due to a combination normal attrition and some voluntary resignations. And from what I understand, those who voluntarily resigned generally found better, higher-paying positions elsewhere.
1:40 PM, January 29, 2010

B. von Traven said...
Raghu, you really don’t read well, do you?

First of all, Mr. Goo, the post is a list sent to me by a former Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College administrator. It is not “my” list. It is his. Read the post again.

Second, and for the second time: no, neither the list-maker nor I have ever suggested that “Mathur was the cause” of the administrative exodus and administrative instability suffered within the district in the last 13 years, though he certainly was the cause of some of it (e.g., Bob Loeffler left his VP post saying who couldn’t work with you). Mathur (i.e., YOU) were a key member of the corrupt group that controlled the faculty union in 1996 (and for a few years thereafter) and that managed to get its right-wingers (Frogue, Williams) elected in 1996 (also in 1998: Wagner, Padberg; and 2000: Fuentes). 

That group (the Old Guard/Board Majority Axis) pursued actions and policies that created administrative instability, among other problems, one of the key areas of concern in a series of accreditation findings.

How many times do I have to say it, Raghu?

And, Goo, you really need to get some new material. You state that “those who voluntarily resigned generally found better, higher-paying positions elsewhere.” Gosh, you said practically the same thing back in 1998!



“[Mathur] said it is a ‘feather in the cap of the district’ that people who have gained experience here have gone on to find excellent positions when they have chosen to go elsewhere.” (Irvine World News, 7/9/98)

4:27 PM, January 29, 2010

Anonymous said...
I don't think Mathur "spared" Kaufmann - I think Kaufmann and a lot of others made it impossiblr for Mathur to fire him.

Mathur wielded a shameful, dishonest campaign leading up to the fateful board meeting -where - I recall - it was standing room only. 

I believe Mathur's longtime uber-supporter (then still playing a union role) kept trying to talk Jeff into resigning (!).

Cads.
4:30 PM, January 29, 2010

B. von Traven said...
You are correct, 4:30. Mathur didn’t spare Kaufmann. Some of us worked very hard to get public support for Jeff and media coverage of Mathur’s attempt to scare faculty into obedience. In the end, the support for Jeff was so great—and in full view of the media—that the board decided not to take Mathur’s recommendation. For an account, see Mathur goes after Jeff
4:39 PM, January 29, 2010

More on Mathur

OC Reg Mission Viejo reporter Niyaz Pirani has updated his article on Mathur: College district chancellor resigns.

Here’s what he’s added:

...Under the terms of the settlement, Mathur’s last day at the helm of Saddleback and Irvine Valley colleges will be June 30. His contract would have expired on June 30, 2011.

He will be paid a base salary of $237,261, plus cost-of-living adjustments, for the remaining year of his contract. Expense reimbursements, a $700 monthly car allowance and electronics equipment for a home office will cease.

Additionally, Mathur will recoup up to $25,000 in attorney’s fees he paid in relation to the separation agreement within 30 days of signing the deal.

If he desires, he could return to the community college district as a part-time faculty member after June 2011.
. . .
[Don] Wagner, who was one of the five in support of the resignation, said he wouldn’t talk about personnel issues or his job satisfaction regarding a district employee.

In the separation agreement, it is made clear that neither [Raghu] Mathur nor trustees are allowed to talk publicly or privately about the terms of the separation, and that neither party may make disparaging remarks about the other.

“He was a faculty member, and a fine one for a number of years,” Wagner said. “He may come back to teaching at some point. It’s entirely up to him whether he does that or pursues something else in the future.”

John Williams, a trustee who disagreed with the resignation, said he voted for it “to protect Chancellor Mathur’s interests.”

“I voted for the agreement because I was looking out for his best interests, knowing that the majority of the board favored his departure,” Williams said.

“I’ve known Raghu for some time and I thought he did a good job,” Williams added. “ … You work for an elected board and you need a majority of those board members to vote to keep you. In this case, the majority of the board felt they wanted to have a change, so they voted to.”

Roy Bauer, an IVC philosophy professor named in Mathur’s 2000 lawsuit, said he was pleased by the announcement.

“We have attempted to get the board to see Mr. Mathur’s limitations and his character for many years,” Bauer said. “I think I’ll just leave it at that. There’s no point, now that he’s going, to lay it on thick.”

“We now look forward to a careful and honest search for our new chancellor,” he said.

He's decided: it's an ideal time to move on

ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO, the word was out: Board President Don Wagner was furious at the Chancellor. Evidently, Mathur had been caught in a bold act of self-serving connivery. It concerned a curious communication between Mathur and an accreditation official. The details are unimportant. No doubt, Wagner had observed the impossibly wily side of Mathur many times before, but this time, somehow, he had had it. No more.

When Mathur learned that the jig was up and Wagner wanted his head, he did what he felt he had to do to protect the Mathurian behind. It is at such times, with his back against the wall, that Raghu can make mistakes. Evidently, he made one or two of them as he hastily scrambled to improve his, um, bargaining position.

If Wagner was steamed before, after Mathur’s desperate but unsuccessful gambits, Don was now the violent towering geyser of a nuclear meltdown.

But what about Tom? Tom’s the man among local right-wing wannabes. And Don was depending on Tom to win in his Assembly race.

But Tom protects his soldiers, no matter how clear to the world their corruption or sleazitude becomes. Going against Mathur meant going against Tom.

I don’t know why. You’ll have to ask others. But Don chose to go against Tom. Mathur would simply have to go, even if it meant turning the world of SOCCCD trustee politics upside down, heading who-knows-where.

I’ve heard stories about subsequent situations and episodes allegedly occurring in December. They don’t really matter. Mathur was headed for the district exit. All that he could do now was negotiate the best possible walk through that door.

(One might ask just who represented Raghu during this process. Had to be somebody. It wasn’t Mathur.)

I have never seen Tom Fuentes as angry as he became at the December 7 board meeting. It was a remarkable evening. It was, of course, that special time of the year when the board elected its officers. (See district video.)

Padberg (Padberg!?) nominated Wagner for President. Gosh.

Milchiker (Milchiker!?) seconded. There was a vote.

Fuentes, Lang, and Williams voted against Wagner. I was amazed.

But Don had his ducks in a row. (They weren't Brown ducks.) He had Marcia, Nancy, and Bill’s vote—and, of course, his own. Four votes.

A few seconds later, Padberg was the board VP; and Marcia was the Board Clerk.

In the course of a few minutes, Wagner managed to turn the board, and the district, completely on its head.

Over to the side, Mathur was silent. He looked bad.

Last night, Mathur again looked bad. His eyes seemed bloodshot, dark, sunken.

As Marcia read the actions taken in closed session, I looked at him. His head seemed to sink into his neck. He looked like a cat, hunkering, looking outward, but at nothing.

Comments

Anonymous said...
I feel badly for all the people who f---ed over.
He's walking away with $$$$ -

Anonymous said...
SO - the decision was made in December - that's what made Fuentes mad - and they spent the next month haggling over how, how much and when.

Anonymous said...
"bad," not "badly," and don't.

Anonymous said...
Thank you Don Wagner for having the b***s to get rid of Mathur. Can you do the same with Williams and Fuentes???

Anonymous said...
Unlike 9:27, I don't want to speculate on the physical integrity of Wagner's genitals (ewww) but I do want to say that Don only took action when Mathur finally hurt HIM, attacked HIM - Wagner could care less about the institutions, the staff or the community he is supposed to serve. In that way, he'll be PERFECT in Sacramento.

Chancellor Mathur makes an announcement

As you know, last night, Chancellor Raghu P. Mathur got canned. Near the start of the open session of the January meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees, Clerk Marcia Milchiker announced that, in closed session, the board passed (in a 5-2 vote) an agreement according to which Mathur will exist in June and retire a year later.

At about 3:30 this afternoon, Chancellor Mathur spammed the district community with the following letter:

Dear Colleagues:

After a great deal of reflection and discussion with my family, I believe it is the ideal time for me to consider and pursue my next professional challenge.

I am very pleased and proud of our tremendous accomplishments over the past eight years as your chancellor. We balanced the budgets every year while maintaining substantial reserves for rainy days, and investing wisely in expanding our full-time faculty ranks to support existing and new educational programs. Online course offerings have exploded over 200% in the past few years and our overall student enrollment has grown over 25% in the past two years alone. Major construction and renovation initiatives continue to flourish on college campuses in compliance with our education and facilities master planning efforts. Investment in technology has increased services to students and resulted in bringing state and national recognition to our District. All these successes are due to broad-based discussion of ideas from all constituency groups and support of our board of trustees.

I derive great satisfaction in knowing that our colleges, the Advanced Technology and Education Park (ATEP) campus and District Services are positioned to successfully meet the educational challenges of the 21st century.

My last day in the office will be June 30, 2010 and I look forward to working this semester with the board and executive staff to foster a productive transition. I consider it a privilege to have served our District for the past thirty-four years and have treasured every moment of working with each of you in dedicated service to our students.

Thank you.

Raghu

Here's the latest version of an OC Register article concerning Mathur's new status:

College district chancellor resigns

Raghu Mathur, chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District, has sent out a letter to district colleagues announcing his resignation. He was reportedly voted out of his job by district trustees on Monday night.

The vote was first announced on Dissent the Blog, a blog run by Irvine Valley College philosophy professor Roy Bauer. The district oversees Irvine Valley and Saddleback Valley colleges. Bauer reported that the 5-2 decision was made in closed session.

[Here’s exactly what trustee Milchiker reported: “In the closed session, the board approved an agreement with Dr. Mathur persuant to which Dr. Mathur’s service as the district chancellor shall end on June 30th, 2010, and provides for his retirement from the district effective June 30, 2011….” Mathur's staunchest supporters on the board--Tom Fuentes and Dave Lang--were the only members of the board to vote against the "agreement."]

"It's official," he writes. "During tonight's board meeting, Board Clerk Marcia Milchicker read out board actions taken during tonight's closed session. She reported that a decision was made essentially to end Chancellor Raghu Mathur's continued tenure as Chancellor."

Mathur, who took the job as chancellor in 2002, has been criticized for the district's declining enrollment and poor accreditation reports. He was originally hired as Irvine Valley president in a closed-door decision that a judge later found violated the state's open-meeting law.

Mathur survived a May 2004 vote of no confidence by 93.5 percent of the Irvine Valley and Saddleback College faculties, the third no-confidence vote in his district career. In May 1998, 72 percent of the Irvine Valley faculty cast a vote of no confidence in Mathur. And in November 2000, 90 percent of the Irvine faculty voted no confidence.

In 2001, Mathur settled a negligent supervision and breach of contract lawsuit against the community college district for $36,000. The lawsuit came after Mathur lost an earlier suit against a teacher and a former college administrator. That suit charged that the two illegally obtained information from Mathur's personnel file and published the information in a newsletter.

The article ends with Mathur’s letter (which I had forwarded to the reporter).

Comments
Anonymous said...
I don't get it. Did he and his family ASK he board to fire him?
Anonymous said...
He crossed Don Wagner too many times - just ask Steven Choi.
Anonymous said...
I "treasure" all those moment where Raghu stood in front of faculty and told some of the hardest working people in the district that they simply weren't doing enough, that they failed to get involved in the process...(you know who I'm talking about).
He lies and lies and continues to lie. He was forced to "reflect" and "discuss" with his "family" - because the board was finally going to do what they should have done a decade ago. He is just trying to save what is left of his face.
Anonymous said...
Retired? Fired? same result - he's GONE.
Anonymous said...
Go Raghu! (Go away!)
Anonymous said...
Raghu's letter? Painting lipstick on a pig. How typical.
Anonymous said...
"... *exist* in June and retire a year later"? Don't get everyone's hopes up by implying that he might disappear from the universe a year later! -- ;) MAH
Anonymous said...
Love that picture of the girl with the mysterious smile.

Mathur's out

Dissent the Blog. 7:30 p.m. (See also Tracy's Board Meeting Highlights)

It's official. During tonight's board meeting, Board Clerk Marcia Milchiker read out board actions taken during tonight's closed session. She reported that a decision was made essentially to end Chancellor Raghu Mathur's continued tenure as Chancellor.

“In the closed session, the board approved an agreement with Dr. Mathur persuant to which Dr. Mathur’s service as the district chancellor shall end on June 30th, 2010, and provides for his retirement from the district effective June 30, 2011. The board vote on this matter was as follows: in favor: Trustee Wagner, Padberg, Jay….” [My camera went haywire at this point. Sorry.]

Marcia reported that Tom Fuentes and Dave Lang voted against the agreement. Voting in favor: Trustees Milchiker, Wagner, Padberg, Jay, and Williams. No other details were provided.

* * * * *

Tonight, during "public comments," numerous speakers addressed item 6.1, a recommendation (from Mathur) to restrict broadcasting on Saddleback College Channel 39 and IVC Channel 33 to programming that meets the restrictive PG standard. The speakers spoke passionately in favor of returning to the less restrictive PG-13 standard. (See my previous post.)

The speakers were generally impressive. They made strong points. One made reference to a particular student documentary that seems to have started one trustee down the path of investigating the Communications Program. We'll see what the board decides later tonight.

* * * * *

Mathur spoke strongly in favor of 6.1. He seemed to say that it was backed by Saddleback College President Tod Burnett. (That seemed odd.)

The discussion of this item was somewhat confusing, but it was clear that trustee Dave Lang was very opposed to the board's imposition of the PG standard, as was trustee Marcia Milchiker. John Williams, too, opposed it, noting the fine reputation of the program and the possibility of violating Constitutional rights.

In the course of the discussion, Nancy Padberg made clear that members of the community had complained about some channel 39 broadcasts. (After the meeting, some in the Communications crowd suggested that these complaints were highly exaggerated and seemed to be engineered by trustee Padberg.) In Padberg's own view, these broadcasts pushed the limits even of PG-13 (at this point, I heard groans from supporters of the program, sitting behind me; the room was nearly full).

Early in the discussion, 6.1 was divided into two parts:

1: imposing a policy that only PG (or tamer) programming may be broadcast by 39 and 33
2: increasing membership of the "oversight" (?) committee, adding other members of the community

The Communications people didn't seem to object to 2. Everybody was on board with that.

Oddly, some administrators noted that, recently, the programs/channel had voluntarily adopted the PG standard. Evidently, they did that after the Nov. 17 report came out. (See earlier post. I could find nothing in the report to inspire concern.) So the issue became: why object to 1, which imposes the PG standard, if you have already voluntarily agreed to self-imposition of PG?

Tom Fuentes made a point about others' frequent references to the "community," which, he said, does not comprise the people in the room or even the people at the colleges, but the one million people living in South County. We need to consider their perspective, their interests, he said.

Board President Don Wagner seemed to like 6.1, noting that what goes on in the classroom and what is broadcast on channel 39 are two different things. He supported the program and its instruction; he seemed to lean towards imposing the PG standard.

Oddly, no one seemed to insist on a clear answer to (what strikes me as) the key question: how exactly would, as public speakers claimed, the board's imposing the PG standard hurt the students or the program? (I can easily imagine ways; but still--why not spell them out?)

Bob Cosgrove spoke forcefully against part 1 of 6.1, noting the possibility of accreditation difficulties down the line, which would be very distracting, expensive, etc. He noted that the board often speaks of accountability, and so, if they take this action, they should pay the cost if things go badly.

At some point, in view of Communications' voluntary imposition of the PG standard to their broadcasts (since November), Nancy Padberg suggested "tabling" 1--and coming back to this matter in a year to see how things have gone.

In the end, Padberg's suggestion was taken up. #2 was passed and #1 was tabled. (It seemed to me that Nancy didn't have the votes for #1, and so Dave's embrace of the tabling suggestion was a strategic error.)

This whole episode really doesn't add up for me. My guess is that there's more to it that we have not heard. I don't understand why the communications people would agree to restrict broadcasts to the PG standard. (After the meeting, one communications instructor did tell me that students do not produce films that are problematic anyway: no gore, etc. One communications person told me, "Nancy Padberg should get a hobby.")

In the coming year, no doubt Padberg will be watching the program(s) and the channel 39 broadcasts like a hawk.

Throughout the evening, Chancellor Mathur looked subdued, with dark, sunken eyes. My guess is that he was upset. It is likely that the closed session was stormy. It was supposed to end at 6:30 but stretched to at least 7:15.

The board is, I think, as fractured as it has ever been. Fuentes and Wagner, formerly the core of the board, are now profoundly at odds over this Mathur business, which Wagner pursued. Lang appears to have sold his soul to the devil (viz., the one with whom he voted in support of Mathur). There are no substantial alliances. I'm not sure what to make of it all or where it's headed.

I suggest that we concentrate our energies on urging the board to engage in a careful and honest search for a new Chancellor.

Matt Coker of OC Weekly noted our little story. Over the last dozen or so years, the Weekly has often marveled at some of our more colorful districtular players, especially Mathur.

Comments:

‪Anonymous‬ said...
Where's the party?
8:11 PM, January 25, 2010

Anonymous‬ said...
How much $$$$ are they paying him to go away?
8:12 PM

Anonymous‬ said...
It's about a decade too late. The guy has run the district into the ground and made us a laughingstock. Furthermore he has surrounded himself with incompetents that will wreck their own havoc. 

It will take years to undo the sort of damage that has been done.

 Sort of like the country in the aftermath of Bush.

 STILL -- where IS the party?
8:15 PM

Anonymous‬ said...
Thanks ROY -- for everything but especially for keeping the heat on and the lights bright. You are the BEST.
8:16 PM

Anonymous‬ said...
They should give us reparations for putting up with that guy and his management style! 

I guess he finally betrayed and lied to too many people but we've been calling it all along ...
9:02 PM

‪Anonymous‬ said...
Not with laurels but in shame.
9:22 PM

Anonymous‬ said...
My RSS feed isn't broken anymore!! Hooray! Thank you!!
 ES [That's right; everybody should re-subscribe, I guess.]
10:33 PM

Anonymous‬ said...
I understand there will be admonitions to not "dance in the street,"  regarding Mathur, but there are dozens of people whose personal and professional lives he killed. There yet remain malignant pockets of Mathurian creation. Congratulations and thanks to all who had the fortitude to see this through. I thought my feelings would be joyous come this day, but all I feel is sadness for his victims.........and no, Mr. Fuentes, this is not hyperbole.
7:29 AM, January 26, 2010

‪alannah said...
(1) Yes it will cost us money, but I'd rather pay for him to be gone than pay for him to be present.
 (2) He did surround himself with people who say "yes" well, but many have lots of other skills, have been doing good work in spite of him, and may now have the chance to really shine (I have a few in mind but don't want to out them).
 (3) The party, friends, is spread out across many happy hearts this morning.
 (4) If I had been at the meeting, I might have yelled, "Thank God!" . . . would that have been bad? ;)
7:51 AM

‪Greg‬ said...
Congratulations to you all. Thanks to those who have worked so hard for this day.

 I miss you.

 Greg
8:13 AM

Anonymous said...
What's the back story? [Note: much of the backstory has been explained here on DtB.] Why'd Williams and Wagner turn against him? As of last week, Mathur was defending Williams and his Florida junkets - even encourgaing other trustees to go out of town more often like Williams - maybe now we know why Mathur wanted them away!
8:43 AM

‪Anonymous‬ said...
No dancing in the streets?

 Can we dance in the hallways? In our offices and classrooms? While we watch PG movies, may we dance in our desk chairs? 
By all means, someone get on the horn to the people whose careers he ruined and let them know.
8:48 AM

Anonymous said...
Now Raghu can teach full-time at Argosy, passing on his experience and wisdom to those who thrist for it.
8:51 AM

Anonymous said...
They tolerated his gross mismanagement and irresponsibility for years -- it must have gotten personal for them to decide to take a stand. That's my guess.
8:57 AM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
I hope he comes back to teach at IVC. I'd love to run into him at the vending machines.
9:08 AM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
Thanks for your coverage of this Roy -- now and in the past.
9:18 AM, January 26, 2010

13 Stoploss said...
congratulations! :)
9:28 AM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
No official word from the district yet -- are we sure Roy isn't pulling our legs?
9:37 AM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
Someone needs to tell Cely Mora, Bob Loeffler, the Deegans, Nick Kremer, Terry Burgess -- Bobbie Weiner!-- all the people, fundamentally decent, whose careers he went after...

Who else?
10:18 AM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
Wagner has known for quite some time that Mathur is unscrupulous and conniving, but, in recent months, the Chancellor was caught in some lies that were rather spectacular, self-serving, and personally offensive to the Wagster. Mathur needed to go, but Fuentes is all about protecting "his people," and so firing Mathur had to occur in bold defiance of Fuentes. Wagner should get some credit for putting his personal interests (i.e., his prospects of winning that Assembly seat) aside to do the right thing (for once). There's been bad blood between Williams and Fuentes at least since the latter sicced Steve Greenhut on the former during the last trustee election (remember how G called out Republicans who cozied up to unionists?). Recently, the head of the local GOP, Mr. Baugh, made a big policy speech condemning this sort of thing, and so Fuentes, by tagging Williams, has made things very difficult for the Brown man.
11:42 AM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
I'm REALLY happy for you all. I hope that further good will happen this year for you!

" The wicked witch is dead...."

 --MAH
12:49 PM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
Oh horrors--you don't suppose he'll stoop to coming BACK into the classroom, do you???

 Dancing in the streets seems to be the only moral thing to do...that and trying to pick up the pieces of all he destroyed.
1:11 PM, January 26, 2010

Bohrstein said...
Congratulations indeed. I had to read and re-read the first paragraph to "get it". I still don't think I do.

 So what now, exactly?

 Where IS the party? Why does this feel so anti-climactic?
2:05 PM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
Looks like the Reg is on the case: College district chancellor reportedly voted out
3:07 PM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
BS, to whom does it feel anti-climactic? To you? Are we sending a vibe of anti-climax?
 It feels anti-climactic to me, but that's because we've been told that Mathur's on the ropes so many times, and then he has always managed to pop right back up again, like one of those daffy balloon clowns. This time, too. Back in mid-December, the word was that Mathur was total toast. Perhaps he was, but we really didn't hear anything about it again until last night. 
Looking at the board last night, I didn't know how to feel about things. The board continues to harbor (arguably) four clueless right-wingers. They were a kind of occasional voting block, but they are so no longer. I'm not sure what we've got. But surely it's got to be less "fun" being a trustee on such a board. There's lots of hatred and feelings of betrayal there. They oughta make a TV show about it. They could call it "The Board of Hell." --BvT
3:19 PM, January 26, 2010

Anonymous said...
Can we have a farewell vote of no confidence?

 Please.
3:26 PM, January 26, 2010

Bohrstein said...
My sensors are not picking up the climatic feelings if they are there. So, its a possibility that you are not sending out the proper climatic vibe. Judging by what you just wrote, it's your fault!
*insert crass climaxing joke here* BS
3:28 PM, January 26, 2010

twojobsago said...
It will be so long overdue if this "separation" comes to pass. No doubt the AHOLE negotiated some sweet deal to extend his "retirement" to July 2011. Whatever. A price well worth the cost. I still have great affection for your district, and particurly IVC to whom I gave 19 years of my career, and hope that this milestone marks a future of recovery. Cheers!
4:04 PM, January 26, 2010

Click on comments for subsequent remarks...

The Student Film/Channel 39 issue (tonight's hot issue)

As reported earlier, item 6.1 on the agenda of tonight’s meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees is a recommendation that our colleges’ TV channels only broadcast programming—including student film and TV shows—with a PG rating.

This would render all college TV broadcasting harmless and "sans edge."

Nancy Padberg seems to be the Puritan behind this thing.

As near as I can tell (as I explain later), despite the 6.1 verbiage (see immediately below), Saddleback College had in some sense been broadcasting student films and other programming that meet the less stringent criteria of PG-13.

Surely that standard is more realistic than PG. These kids are supposed to be learning real-world skills, not Ozzie Nelson skills.

Lemme explain. Let's start with item 6.1:

In September, Nancy Padberg requested reports on the Saddleback College “Communication Arts Program” and its “Film Program.” She seemed to have a bee in her bonnet.

On November 17, a report was made available (it was placed in a room for viewing). Don't know why they did that. It's a public document.

I’ve seen it.

Page 202 of the report covers “Television.” As you know, Saddleback College broadcasts channel 39 on basic cable (through Cox). IVC broadcasts the similar Channel 33 in Irvine.

The report explains Channel 39’s programming, which consists of the usual stuff—telecourses, board meetings, college promotional materials—and “Student Productions including student films [and] programs produced by TV Production classes….”

That's good.

The report explains that cable programming is different than broadcast television programming. For my purposes here, the main difference is that “since cable TV channels cannot be viewed by those (e.g., children) without the proper equipment [try to refrain from making a joke here], the FCC’s rules regarding acceptable content do not apply to cable TV networks, allowing greater freedom in the use of profanity, sex and violence.”

So premium cable channels can broadcast just about anything—even pornography. “Basic cable, on the other hand, has not traditionally been as loose with regard to content. …[M]any basic cable networks self-regulate their program content, particularly with regard to language and nudity.”

In recent years, however, basic cable stations have begun to broadcast R-rated movies, sans editing. According to the report, Saddleback’s Channel 39 is “similar to other cable channels ... in that, while we can freely air R rated content, we voluntarily self-regulate….”

The report explains that “student productions…generally receive several layers of screening prior to being aired,” but none constitutes censorship. They are “more of a check against poor quality….”

That makes sense.

Eventually, “Student productions deemed worthy of airing…and that meets our internal standards of decency…are then given to the department staff and [are] typically again screened and then programmed by Mark Kruhmin.”

This brings us to Channel 39’s internal [self-imposed] standards. In fact, the report states that the Channel uses the PG-13 standard, not PG:

You can find much of this history at Wikipedia.

Next, we are offered some “basic principles” regarding what constitutes PG-13:

If I understand the situation—that Mathur is recommending that the colleges apply, not the PG-13 standard, but the stricter (Puritan-friendly) PG standard—the board seems poised to make a change that could really hurt these programs. Students need to be allowed to pursue film and TV production as it is, not as Nancy Padberg wants it to be. If the TV stations have broadcast PG-13 programming, they should be allowed to continue to do so.

Or so it seems to me.

Well, we’ll see what happens tonight.

Below is an official statement of the PG and PG-13 standards.