A golden oldie: Wagner defends prayer, Lorch attacks Dissent!

Brief, but fun, scenes from the January, 2000, meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees:


See the infamous "Pteddidactyl." Frankly, I thought the graphic made her look great. But whaddoo I know.

Watch Monday’s gunfight at the Bonzo corral

Click: here. Then click on VIDEO for Board of Trustees February 22, 2010.

Then “jump to” 6.1

voila

Sit back and behold Monday’s marvelous board (but not bored) discussion of whether to proceed with Chancellor recruitment.

Black hats: Fuentes, Lang, Williams

White hats: Milchiker, Jay, Padberg, Wagner

Remember: moving forward with the process does not entail hiring anyone. If the applicant pool is judged inadequate, nothing prevents our re-advertising and seeking a better pool.

(For my report on the board discussion, go here and here.)

Decoder:
Bonzo corral = SOCCCD Ronald Reagan board of trustees meeting room

Board Policy 4011.6 (Employment Procedures for Chancellor) is available (as a pdf file) here

Comments:

Emmet said... ~ Fuentes looks mean. ~ 11:50 AM, February 28, 2010
Anonymous said... ~ Interesting that Fuentes uses the term "cloak of darkness" with no sense of irony. ¶ If he's so concerned about the taxpayers, will he release the billing statement for Mathur's mouthpiece that allowed for a legal fee of $25,000.00 for a basic termination of contract discussion and settlement? ~ 3:15 P.M.
Clara said... ~ You mean Phil Greer, the ethically-challenged Advocate to the Stars? --I.e., Local, corrupt right-wing officials. ~ 5:15 PM, February 28, 2010
Anonymous said... ~ It's almost like being there...yikes. ~ 7:52 AM, March 01, 2010
Anonymous said... ~ Williams certainly has devoted a lot of time to his hair. My goodness. Could that part get any straighter? And why no tell-tale gray hair? And that sheen. Blinding. ~ 7:56 AM
Anonymous said... ~ Can I get the policy in concrete? Please. ~ 8:16 AM
B. von Traven said... ~ We've provided the policy previously. But Board Policy 4011.6 (Employment Procedures for Chancellor) is available (as a pdf file) here ~ 8:23 AM
Anonymous‬ said... ~ Is it true that there exists some film of Fuentes at the Balboa Bay Club in his bedroom with a large flightless bird? ~ 9:25 AM
Anonymous‬ said... ~ Indeed. Wearing a white fluffy robe. ~ 9:28 AM

It hits the fan this week

• From this morning’s Sacramento Bee: Education protests on tap this week in California

The protests, teach-ins and walkouts that swept through University of California campuses this fall are scheduled to come back this week. But this time the activism is moving beyond UC – to include Cal State, community college and K-12 campuses – and beyond California to other states as well.

Buoyed by the influence they believe their demonstrations have had on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, student and labor activists have planned a series of events to highlight the impact the state budget crisis is having on public education.

Thursday is expected to be the big day of activism in California and about a dozen other states, with promoters urging people to "march forth on March 4th." Teachers and other workers will be fighting for their jobs, while students will demonstrate their desire for more classes, lower fees and increased funding for education…. (continued)

• Governor Appoints New Secretary of Education (Alameda Blog)

As some of you may remember, California's Secretary of Education, Glen Thomas, resigned three weeks ago. ¶ In the past, the post has sometimes languished for months without a secretary to fill it. But this time the governor has already appointed a replacement: Bonnie Reiss, 54, a Democrat and long-time friend to Governor Schwarzenegger. (continued…)

• Meanwhile, at Southwestern College, the battle continues: Letters to the Editor:

It is of great concern and regret that the only institution of higher education in South County has, for the first time in its nearly 50-year history, been placed on probation by the accrediting commission for community colleges. The findings and recommendations by the WASC team can be viewed in their entirety at swccd.edu.

No doubt this probationary status was imposed because eight of 10 previous recommendations made in the 2003 visit still had not been completely satisfied by WASC’s October 2009 visit. Upon review of the report, readers will determine that the primary findings are due to administrative shortcomings and ongoing problems with governance.

However, what the report does state clearly is that, “A sense of vibrancy and student engagement pervades the college, and faculty and staff are clearly dedicated to students and to providing a supportive environment for learning to occur.” It further states, “Turnover in administration has caused middle managers and faculty to take responsibility for the continuity of the day-to-day activities of the college. Staff loyalty and the evident engagement of student in the life of the college have sustained the college through its difficulties.”….( continued)

(Photo: Jason)

Love these guys

Everybody loves this one, right?

A Terrible Wrong.

…..Many months ago I went to a party where a colleague came up to me troubled and angered that a recent hire/search process hadn’t identified a certain familiar person, the estimable X, as the committee’s recommendation. I had been on that hiring committee.
…..I looked at him. I said something like, “Well, we interviewed lots of candidates, and X, though estimable, wasn’t among the very best candidates interviewed. So, naturally, X’s name wasn’t put forward.”
…..The colleague stared back, uncomprehending.
…..It wasn’t the first time I had encountered people who assumed that some candidate who is familiar and generally well-regarded would be selected. But I’ve served on enough search committees to know this: if the process is clean, the assumption is never justified.
…..Have you ever sought a position and done an interview somewhere burdened by the suspicion that the fix was in?
…..“No,” one thinks. “People aren’t that rotten—to allow all these earnest people to travel to this strange place from far and wide, to give their all when, in truth, the entire process is a sham, a fraud, for the decision has already been made!”
…..Sometimes, over time, we drift from our initial clarity, and we come to do things unthinkingly that, once, we would have surely condemned. I do think good people, confused and fragmented by endless episodes of complexity and compromise, sometimes fall into this kind of corruption, this kind of wronging of people.
…..But it is a terrible wrong, isn’t it?

From Andy Hardy Christians, Dec. 1

Just wanted to say it again.

Just about the coolest song ever.

1962: These guys sound so good together (Cooke and Lou Rawls). Call and response.

Redding (1941-1967) had it all. He was just the best. Great song.

OK, this is truly bizarre, but Brown cuts the Pav Man but good! He's in fine voice indeed. Meanwhile, Pavarotti appears to have been embalmed for the occasion. He brought some pretty female singers to compensate and to make sure that his grave is kept clean. Modena, Italy, 2002.

The unique and deep blues of John Lee Hooker. Hugely influential.
There's been no one like him. "It's in 'im; it's gotta come out!"

Editorial stirs things up anew at UCI

Gary Robbins of the OC Reg’s College Life blog posts about an editorial in UCI’s New University: Racism story stirs fresh anger at UCI:

An opinion piece in UC Irvine’s student newspaper that questions the need for Black History Month has generated more tension on a campus where almost 30 people have been arrested this month in protests over religious, racial, political and financial issues. (Latest arrests).

The controversy also comes amid high racial tension farther south at UC San Diego, where students are angry about an off-campus party that belittled Black History Month. (Union Tribune story). Students also are outraged that a noose was found in the UCSD library.... (read the whole post)

SOCCCD: the Mathur years

A predictably "classy" exit

• 1989: Mathur writes the Chancellor, claiming to have been "discriminated" (no evidence offered)

• 1992: “I feel shocked and saddened”: Mathur’s bitter farewell to the SVUSD

It's not that hard to figure out what makes Raghu Mathur tick. If someone is chosen over him or if he is demoted in any way, he invariably interprets the event as an unjustice done him. Here’s his letter to the local newspaper upon his failure to be reelected as board member of the SVUSD in 1992:

People have voted and have spoken in the school board election of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. While I respect and accept their decision, I feel shocked and saddened by the result with respect to my re-election bid. I feel shocked and saddened because education is my career and my life and I am proud of my contributions in education and as a trustee. I have 25 years of experience in education, having taught at the secondary, college, and university levels. I know what the education system needs to do and have worked hard to deliver it.

• 1994: Instructional Council: Mathur is censured for lying
• 1995: beloved executive assistant Leann Cribb makes formal complaint vs. Mathur and his false accusations
• 2006: Mathur caught trying to sneak in a raise for himself! Also: In flagrante delicto

If necessary, he makes things up:

Mathur has long had a reputation for being a liar (see "liar" links). Further, when events cast a harsh light upon him, he has often responded with outrageous charges of dastardly actions by his critics.

—But always without providing a shred of evidence. Disgraceful.

For instance, during the early days of his Presidency of Irvine Valley College, he received a strong vote of "no confidence” by the college’s full-time faculty. He responded to this by providing a colorful red herring: during the board meeting in which the vote was announced, he accused three or four of his faculty critics (including me, Senate President Kate Clark, and counselor Bob Deegan) of sending him threatening hate mail. He provided no evidence whatsoever.

It was classic Mathur.

I have never sent such mail to anyone in my life. Neither have Kate or Bob, I am sure.

Later, during a deposition, my lawyer asked Mathur about the claims he had made of having received threatening and hateful communications. His answers were odd and contradictory and confused. His reasons for supposing that I—or Kate Clark, and Bob Deegan, et al.—had sent him these communications were laughable. (Judge for yourself; see below.)

When my lawyer asked him if he had kept any of the alleged dastardly voicemails, emails, or letters—there were perhaps a dozen—he admitted that he had nothing.

Nothing.

For transcripts of that deposition, go here:

• 1999: The curious Mathur deposition: “Evidence Shmevidence”

Comments:

Patrick said... ~ Mathur was removed from the SVUSD board during a coup by religious right candidates who later tried to stop the teaching of evolution and sex education. Another moderate board member was also removed.

The anonymous threatening letters were real, and submitted to the college president at the time, and the county sheriff. He was not the only faculty member to receive such a letter at this time.

FYI. ~ 6:38 PM, February 27, 2010
Anonymous‬ said... ~ so, Patrick - Mathur wasn't enough to the right - is that what you're saying? He is, uh a MODERATE? ~ 6:44 PM
Anonymous‬ said... ~ A moderate paranoid narcissist maybe. ~ 6:56 PM
B. von Traven said... ~ Patrick, the "religious right" characters you are referring to included Frank Ury, who helped create Education Alliance (a year or so later). He's still around and active. Mathur attends Education Alliance functions, as we've reported here on DtB. Evidently, he doesn't have a problem with their agenda. FURTHER, you are ignoring Mathur's sworn statements during the deposition (that I link to). He claimed to have been sent voicemails and emails of a threatening nature. He acknowledged during the depo that he had kept none of them. AND you're ignoring my central point: Mathur has a history of accusing critics of outrageous wrongdoing (hate mail, blackmail, kangaroo courts, racism, etc.) without providing a shred of evidence. What was his evidence that the Clella Wood hire involved racial discrimination? What was his evidence that I (or Kate or Bob) had sent him hate mail? What is the evidence that he was "blackmailed"? Concerning the latter, there was an internal investigation into the charges that found them unsubstantiated. Wagner cannot mention it because of the recent "resignation" agreement with Mathur, which requires that they not trash each other in public. (Do you read the paper?) But I can mention it. ~ 7:04 PM
Anonymous‬ said... ~ We know "asshole" is not an argument but is there any better description of Mathur? Anyone doubt he's the anonymous source of the Register's recent "story"? Sounds like Mathur's the blackmailer here. What a reprobate. ~ 7:24 PM
‪B. von Traven said... ~ 7:24, I sympathize. You [might] want to read my little essay In Defense of Name-Calling ~ 7:48 p.m.
Anonymous said... ~ Could it be the *one and only* Patrick? After all these years?!? ¶ By the way, has anyone noticed that they're no longer replacing light bulbs in the ceiling panels in IVC's A-200 hallways in the office area? It's becoming quite cave-like. Not that I'm complaining. ~ 7:48 PM
B. von Traven said... ~ It can't be "the" Patrick. The latter fellow would never do anything as subtle as making a factual point and then adding "FYI." Patrick would call somebody "ginga" (whatever that is) or worse. He writes as though he is breathing heavily into a phone.
Anonymous said... ~ More a-200 anomolies: The two classrooms in A-200 that have been "closed" all semester (pending remodeling) have remained untouched since August. ~ 8:15 PM
Anonymous said... ~ then there's the whole duplicating center snafu... ~ 8:52 PM
Anonymous said... ~ The reconfiguration of the A-200 building has created a sense of increased disconnection. I don't like it though the new offices are awfully nice. ~ 9:54 PM

Photos of events at UCI (Wednesday)

There's a growing anger on campuses. Example: UCI this week:

Another Day, Another Bunch of UCI Arrests (Matt Coker)

17 arrested in UCI protest (OC Reg)

Here are some pics, provided by our pal Jason (13 Stoploss),

wielding (mostly) his super-duper Chinese Holga camera. (See also Only film.)

See end of this post for latest on UC San Diego

Meanwhile, at UCSD:

Protesters take over UCSD chancellor's office: They are outraged over latest episode, a noose hanging at the library

SAN DIEGO — Discovery of a noose hanging in the University of California San Diego library set off a fresh round of student demands and demonstrations yesterday that climaxed with the takeover of the chancellor’s office for several hours.

Addressing about 300 distraught students and others gathered on campus, Chancellor Marye Anne Fox promised to get to the bottom of the “dastardly” crime.

“This is truly a dark day in the history of this university,” Fox said through a bullhorn. “It’s abhorrent and untenable.”

The demonstrators — some in tears, others hoarse from a week of yelling at race-related protests — were not pacified and later occupied a warren of offices next to the locked door of Fox’s personal suite for nearly six hours, starting about noon. Fox and her staff left the building….

Lush and quiet here in Live Oak Canyon

Along the drive to my home, two hours ago

Lots of green

Protests: "save my education"

• Protesters Receive Coy Embrace (Inside Higher Ed)

The tricky thing about viruses is that it’s impossible to know where they might spread next or what damage they might do if they mutate. The same could be said of “viral” protest movements like the one that started in California months ago.

Talk of a series of March 4 demonstrations across California began in October, and since that time a loosely connected cyber network of angered faculty and students have planned their own protests across the country. What has emerged is the promise of the collective angst of cash-strapped public education -- from K-12 through the college sector -- bubbling over in hot spots from sea to shining sea….

• California Education: Tallying Cuts and Costs (New York Times)

A new round of rallies are planned for next week to protest the budget cuts in higher education and the resulting layoffs, furloughs and fee increases. Here are some numbers — from state and nonprofit sources — that describe education in public schools and colleges….

Sent tonight, 7:37 p.m.
From UC Irvine 
Chancellor Drake:

Dear Students,

On February 17th, as many of you have read, I wrote about the manner in
which we discuss and debate our differences, our values and how we use
those values to guide our decision-making. An unfortunate series of
recent events requires that I revisit and reinforce this message.

During recent days, several events on the UCSD campus have opened
painful wounds. As I stated in my commencement address last June, we
are all particularly offended (and astonished) when campus groups behave
in ways that are harmful to other members of our community. On our own
campus, we have unfortunately seen an increase in inflammatory rhetoric
and actions, rather than an increase in problem solving efforts. At
Berkeley, just last night, we witnessed a regrettably destructive and
violent confrontation. The list goes on.

This is a stressful time for all of us in the University of California
family. And it is at just these times that we must remember and
rededicate ourselves to our values and guiding principles, particularly
respect, integrity and empathy, to light the way forward from the
distressing events of the recent past.

I have joined my colleagues in a statement reaffirming our commitment to
promote and defend the principles and values of the University of
California. Fortunately, as I stated, the overwhelming majority of us
are fully aligned in our efforts to continue to advance as a campus and
as a community, and that is just what we shall do.

Chancellor Michael Drake

Mathur's termination: "There was a fight brewing...for at least eight months before he agreed to leave" (Mathur slits his political throat)

Chancellor alleges blackmail in whistle-blower complaint

By JENNIFER MUIR
Orange County Register

February 25, 2010 

¶Exactly why South Orange County Community College District Chancellor Raghu Mathur abruptly resigned in January still remains unclear. 

¶But one thing is for certain: There was a fight brewing between him and the school board’s president for at least eight months before he agreed to leave quietly (with a hefty severance package and a promise that he wouldn’t trash talk the district if trustees agreed to do the same for him.) 

¶Mathur filed a complaint with the district’s human resources department in May alleging that board president Don Wagner intimidated and blackmailed him to create a new dean position at Irvine Valley College, and directed him to fill it with a professor who insiders say is a longtime Mathur rival. 

¶He asks the district for confidentiality and protection under state and federal whistle-blower protections. 

¶Wagner, who also is one of three Republicans vying for the Assembly seat left open by Republican Chuck DeVore, says the complaint is “nonsense” and that he’s been cleared internally of any wrongdoing. 

¶But he wouldn’t say what, if anything, he discussed with Mathur, citing the separation agreement. In fact, part of that agreement involved Mathur agreeing to drop the whistle-blower complaint, says Warren Kinsler, an attorney for the district. 

¶That may explain why Mathur also wouldn’t talk to the Watchdog. Technically, Mathur is retiring early — a year before his contract with the district was set to expire. 

¶His last day is June 30, but under the settlement, he’ll collect an additional year’s pay of $237,261 plus an additional $25,000 to cover the attorney fees he incurred in relation to the separation agreement, according to a report by my colleague Niyaz Pirani. 

¶The agreement also says that neither Mathur nor trustees are allowed to talk publicly or privately about the terms of the separation, and that neither can make disparaging remarks about the other, Pirani reports. 

¶So it was a curious when an unmarked envelope containing a signed and stamped copy of Mathur’s whistle-blower complaint arrived at the Register late last week. The envelope also contained some campaign literature, a highlighted Orange County Register editorial and other accusations about Wagner’s moral character that can’t be verified. 

¶The Watchdog sent the letter to district officials, who did not dispute its authenticity. District spokeswoman Tracy Daly responded to questions about the email’s authenticity with a prepared statement from Mathur: “After 34 years in the South Orange County Community College District, I have only the highest regard for the board of trustees and the employees who work so hard toward the success of our students.” 

¶The complaint alleges that Wagner threatened to fire Mathur if he didn’t support creating a new dean position at Irvine Valley College and giving the job to longtime anthropology Professor Wendy Gabriella (pictured here with Wagner). Gabriella could not be reached for comment.

¶“Over a period of many weeks, he has harassed me over the phone, in emails and in person to deliver the three additional board votes to garner board approval to create the appointment and ensure the subsequent appointment of Professor Gabriella,” Mathur wrote in the letter. “He threatened me repeatedly with dismissal if I did not support his direction.” 

¶Under duress from Wagner, the letter continues, Mathur recommended creating the position in April. 

¶Irvine Valley College President Glenn Roquemore says that story doesn’t ring true. Roquemore said that for the past two years, he has been trying to restore a dean position that the district cut in 1997, and relax the requirements for that position in hopes of expanding a pool of applicants. 

¶In other words, the position was his idea, not Wagner’s. Plus, he says the hiring process at the district makes it virtually impossible to ensure a candidate a job, even if he wanted to. 

¶Roquemore acknowledges that Mathur and Gabriella have been longtime rivals. And Wagner says he and Gabriella are friends who worked closely together on the school’s accreditation team. 

¶Roquemore admits that in April he called a meeting with Mathur, Gabriella and Wagner and they discussed the new dean position and Gabriella’s desire to move into administration. 

¶But he said the purpose of the meeting was so that Gabriella, the district’s academic senate president, and Mathur could reconcile their differences and begin communicating again. They never discussed Gabriella being a candidate for that job, he said. Wagner was there, Roquemore said, because he wanted to talk about candidate requirements for the new dean position. 

¶ “That meeting ended shaking hands, and frankly I felt we had overcome a hurdle that had been a decade long and people were shaking hands,” Roquemore said. 

¶Two days later, everything fell apart. He got a call from another trustee urging him not to bring the new dean position before the board. 

¶ “The fact that I can’t get this dean position is hurting the institution,” Roquemore said. “I know the two individuals are not the ones driving it. It must be the chancellor.”

[If one desires more light, see this. —RB]

Mostly a good day

THINGS went well at today’s meeting of the Irvine Valley College Academic Senate. The senate and the college have now fully dealt with that awful “Crean High School” snafu that we discussed here last December; and it has done so in a fully satisfactory manner, I believe. Administration has consistently taken the hit here, explaining that they screwed up royally, and that “it won’t happen again.”

I believe ‘em.

TODAY, Jennifer Muir posted something on the OC Register’s “Watchdog” blog that concerns our district. I promised someone today that I would do what I could not to draw attention to it. (I cannot simply ignore it.) I did say that I would provide a link:

Chancellor alleges blackmail in whistle-blower complaint

I’ve known about these allegations for some time, but I chose not to mention or discuss them here because, in my judgment, they amount to a desperate and appalling attempt to gain leverage by smearing opponents. I consider people who do this sort of thing, well, rat bastards from hell. If you read Jennifer’s post, be sure to read to the end, where the President of IVC effectively undermines these charges.

And remember: all of the trustees are of course fully aware of Mathur’s claims, which were made many months ago. Nevertheless, Mathur’s recent “resignation” deal was approved, not by the solitary Don Wagner, but by five of the seven trustees: Wagner, Padberg, Jay, Milchiker, and Williams.

TODAY at the senate, we voted to make a statement of support of the SOCCCD board of trustees for it's commitment, unequivocally expressed by Board President Wagner three days ago, to pursue a thorough, transparent, and aboveboard chancellor hiring process.

As I recall, only one senator failed to vote in favor of that motion.

He's a close friend of—well, you know.

Comments

Emmet said... ~ Yes. I good day. ~ 9:40 PM, February 25, 2010
Anonymous said... ~ Raghu is NOT going quietly into that good night, is he? ~ 6:36 AM, February 26, 2010
Anonymous said... ~ Classic Raghu! "an unmarked envelope containing a signed and stamped copy of Mathur’s whistle-blower complaint arrived at the Register late last week. The envelope also contained some campaign literature, a highlighted Orange County Register editorial and other accusations about Wagner’s moral character that can’t be verified." ¶ I'm surprised the Reg went for his bait though... ~ 7:25 AM
Anonymous said... ~ Raghu is setting up his reintstatement -- when Don wins his Assembly seat, Raghu will use all this -- and more -- to bully his way back in. Heads will roll. Watch. ~ 7:32 AM
Anonymous said... ~ SO - you WERE right about Crean, weren't you? ~ 7:59 AM
Anonymous said... ~ Mathur's toxic. I'm wondering why the Register doesn't ask Roquemore which trustee called him to stop the process. I'm betting it's Fuentes. (Maybe they did ask him, got that answer, and are protecting the big guy.) Anyway, that's the story, that and why Fuentes, Lang and Williams (and Wagner for too long) support this creep. ~ 8:38 AM
Anonymous said... ~ They're all creeeps. All of them: Fuentes, Lang, Wagner, Williams, Mathur. ~ 1:38 PM
Anonymous said... ~ There is STILL something terribly wrong with that new dean position and their attempts to shove Wendy into it. Everyone knows it. ~ 1:40 PM
Anonymous said... ~ "an unmarked envelope" -- ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ~ 3:33 PM
B. von Traven said... ~ We're about the start a Chancellor search that can go badly or well. It is in everyone's interests (leaving aside Fuentes and Mathur and Satan) to permit and promote a good search with a good outcome. The board majority appears genuinely committed to a good search. With a little luck, we could have a good chancellor by summer. ¶ The spotlight, for now, is on hiring processes and the value of transparency and the like. So let's continue to maintain that spotlight. That might be enough to prevent hinky hires, beyond the Chancellor hire. ¶ I think it's a time to feel good: we have a board that, it seems, owing to a shift in power, can do some good and decent things that will have a lasting impact on the district for the better. We need to support David Bugay and board members who are moving in the right direction. Be as cynical as you like, but do not fail to support people who right now are involved in decent and highly consequential processes. ~ 3:44 PM
Anonymous said... ~ Imagine Ray voting against a open process. Perfect. ~ 6:41 PM
Anonymous said... ~ Roy, I read your comment in the OC Register, and it is lip service to Wendy et al. at best. Why don't you be a reporter and tell the TRUTH? You know as well as a lot of people in the District that several failed attempts have made to give Wendy a dean job. What's amazing in all this that YOU of all people have condoned it! Have some decorum and stop participating in this buffoonery!!! Wendy and company are doing the same exact thing you’ve been accusing Mathur of doing. They’re ALL selfish bastards! ~ 7:24 PM
Anonymous said... ~ 7:24 - I haven't read Roy's comment in the Reg, but if you remember Roy reported on this same issue (the dean-ship and Wendy) weeks ago...here in Dissent. At some length. Inspired some pretty heated commentary too. Get a clue. ~ 7:58 PM
B. von Traven said... ~ 7:24, months ago, I wrote a post in which I said:

Naturally, anyone who believes in fair and open hiring processes will cringe at the possibility that administrators would pursue a new position—such as a deanship—with a particular person in mind to fill that position. And, gosh, many of us who have battled the forces of slime and darkness since 1996 have regarded “fairness and openness” as, well, a big part of what we were fighting for. (About last night)

It wasn’t the first time I said that or something very like it.

You might want to read such DtB posts as Trust, Lines, Last night, and Wendy's new assignment. In the latter, I very deliberately noted Wendy’s heroic leadership in the last dozen years and I emphasized her early stand against hinky processes. Now why do you suppose I did that? I paid dearly for that post, as did the Reb.

My recent letter to which you refer does not fail to state the truth. As far as I know, everything I said there is true.

You are confusing issues. ~ 8:25 PM
Anonymous said... ~ One of these days you'll have to tell us what happened to her. I don't get it. She's just not there anymore. ~ 9:15 PM
B. von Traven said... ~ People change. And they have every right to change. I'm OK with it. But I have not changed. My values are as they were in 1996. 
Process, process, process. No hinky hires. Let the best person win. Good night. ~ 9:44 PM
Anonymous said... ~ Seeking whistle-blower protection to keep a job as a BOSS? You have to admit, that's brilliant. Of course, he has extra space in his brain for that kind of brilliance because he has all those cells most people use for a conscience. ~ 10:46 PM, February 27, 2010
Brave "anonymous" squeaks forth:
Anonymous said... ~ "I’ve known about these allegations for some time, but I chose not to mention or discuss them here because, in my judgment, they amount to a desperate and appalling attempt to gain leverage by smearing opponents. I consider people who do this sort of thing, well, rat bastards from hell." ¶ Roy, isn't this exactly what you've been doing to your opponents for the last 15 years? ¶ Isn’t this exactly what you continue to do? ¶ According to your logic, that makes you a rat bastard from hell. ~ 11:19 PM
B. von Traven said... ~ smear: figurative damage the reputation of (someone) by false accusations ¶ "Roy, isn't this exactly what you've been doing to your opponents for the last 15 years?"
ANSWER: no. I have made no false accusations. I have repeatedly supported any accusations I have made. ¶ If you have nothing to offer, go away. ~ 11:34 PM

At yesterday's Black History Month celebration

The church on the hill, down the road

Day of Thunder

• California Community Colleges See Enrollment Dip (Inside Higher Ed)
• San Diego Students Walk Out of Teach-In on Tolerance (Inside Higher Ed)
• Students Walkout Disrupts Teach-In on Race at San Diego Campus (Chronicle of Higher Ed)

Pic: Yesterday's "Black History Month" celebration at Irvine Valley College

A successful Black History Month celebration today at IVC

"Slightly to the right of Genghis Khan"

Melissa Fox is a Democrat running for the 70th Assembly District. She’s liable to be Don Wagner’s liberal competition.

On her blog today, Fox draws attention to an old (1974) article about Orange County’s right-wing past: Orange County: No Longer "The Right Wing Cradle":

Dated July 7, 1974, and titled "Orange County: The Right Wing Cradle," the article shows how dramatically Orange County, and in particular my own 70th Assembly District (Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Foothill Ranch, and most of the cities of Aliso Viejo, Newport Beach, and Tustin) has changed, both politically and demographically, in the past four decades.

The article describes Orange County as “a stronghold of the John Birch Society, a former stomping ground of the Klu Klux Klan, the fastest growing county in the United States, and the home of the first drive-in church.”

Fox draws attention to how much OC has changed from it’s notorious right-wing past. In some ways, I’m sure that’s true. But we’re still the home of Birthers, Minutemen, and other Neanderthals.

Fox’s link to the article brings one to an old and unwieldy photocopy. It's hard to read. I’ve converted that to digital form. If you’d like to read the entire article, go here: Orange County, the right-wing cradle – A Fertile Land of Firsts, It’s Patriotic Above All

Here are some excerpts:

From the Palm Beach Post-Times, Sunday, July 7, 1974

Orange County, the right-wing cradle
A Fertile Land of Firsts, It’s Patriotic Above All

By Kay Bartlett

Just About anything will grow here. Most things will flourish.

Societies to fight income tax, counter committee to battle the “Communist infiltrated” PTA, even something called SHRIK (the Society to Harass the Reds and Intimidate the Kikes).
. . .
It’s citizenry tend to add fuel to the image. Four-star Gen. Curtis LeMay, four-star patriot John Wayne, Sen. Barry Goldwater, an Arizonian who keeps an apartment at Newport Beach overlooking a bay.

Bordered by mountains on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west, Orange County has been, among other things, a stronghold of the John Birch Society, a former stomping ground of the Ku Klux Klan, the fastest growing county in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau figures), and the home of the first drive-in church.
. . .
Currently popular bumper stickers include “CommUNism,” “Hanoi is Fonda Jane,” “Kissinger My Ass,” “Would You Want Your Daughter to Date a Kennedy,” and “Nixon is a Liberal.” The “X” in Nixon is a swastika.

Politically, Orange County has long had a reputation for its ultra conservatism, a reputation that has been the subject of national magazine articles and popular jokes. It once prompted John Schmitz, a former congressman and 1972 presidential candidate of the American Independent party, to remark that he joined the John Birch Society in get into the mainstream of Orange County politics.

Many of my neighbors were Birch members,” says Mrs. Judy Rosener, who teaches a course in Orange County politics at the University of California at Irvine (UCI). “They were almost evangelistic about it. The thing that was disturbing to me was that they were well-educated, very bright and they took this thing very seriously.”
. . .
Many residents claim the image attached to their county never was justified. And then you meet a resident like Anthony Hilder, a self-proclaimed “new rightist” and author of a book – “The War Lords of Washington” – which argues that international bankers conspired to involve American in World War II.

“I’m slightly to the right of Genghis Khan and far, far right of the Birch Society,” Hilder says. “If I was in charge, I’d bomb London, New York and Washington. That’s the seat of the international banking cartel that wishes to dominate the world.”
. . .
Many see in the Register, a Santa Ana newspaper with a circulation of 172,000, a major reason for the county’s conservative bent. Since 1905, the Register has editorialized unwaveringly against income tax, public schools and government in general. It refuses, for instance, to endorse political candidates because, as Jim Dean, the executive editor, puts it, “Government is the problem.”
. . .
Then there was the late Jimmy Utt, a dapper man who sat in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 83rd Congress until his death in 1970. Known as “Mr. Conservative,” Utt usually was cheered back to Congress with 70 per cent of the vote.

When Utt died, he was replaced by Schmitz, who continued the ultra-conservative voting pattern.
. . .
James Townsend, publisher of a newspaper called the National Educator and a man sometimes called the hub of the right wing in Orange County, assessed the reduced membership this way:
. . .
“The Zionists are a powerful force, money-wise,” says Townsend. “It’s a very wealthy, very well-organized, very fanatical force. Anyone who doesn’t recognize the power of the force is naïve. It is alien and very dangerous to the people of the United States. Their goal is world control. They can buy a candidate for any office. They exert a tremendous influence on who wins the presidency of the United States.”

Townsend’s newspaper, The National Educator, is mailed across the country, but he won’t reveal circulation figures. It regularly attacks the school system, the National Education Association, abortion, the United Nations, sex education, both the Republican and Democratic parties, Darwinian theories of evolution and income tax….

Townsend, a middle-aged six-footer, describes Mr. Nixon as a “wild-eyed liberal who did more to promote the concept of one world in his first five years in office than all the Democratic presidents put together. Well, maybe, except for FDR. Nixon takes the concept further than McGovern’s wildest dream. McGovern would never have gotten away with what Nixon has.”
. . .
One thing Orange County has not been accused of being is a center of culture.

“As I’m fond of remarking,” historian [Jim] Sleeper says, “the last cultural innovation that came to Orange County was indoor plumbing.”….

“Occupation” of 5th floor of Aldrich Hall, UCI, today by “labor organizers”

Evidently, the following email was sent to the “UCI Community” today at 1:30 p.m.

From: On Behalf Of Cathy Lawhon, University Communications
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 1:30 PM
To: UCI Community :
Subject: Update on Aldrich Hall Activity

A group of students and labor organizers occupied the fifth floor of
Aldrich Hall at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, disrupting business and
presenting a wide-ranging list of demands.

Offices on the fifth floor were locked down and protestors were
informed that they should leave or they would be arrested. By noon,
police arrested 17 protestors inside Aldrich Hall who refused to leave
and cited them with unlawful assembly and refusal to disperse.
Students arrested will also be cited with violations of university
conduct policy.

Demonstrators outside the building blocked several exits impeding the
ability of those inside to leave. Police surrounded the perimeter of
the building and exits were cleared.

By afternoon, staff inside Aldrich Hall were evacuated to ensure their
safety.

• 17 arrested in UCI protest being released (OC Reg)

3:15 p.m. update: While there were several reasons for the protest today at UCI, one of the factors was a break down in negotiations between UC Irvine and the UC system's janitorial union. The union was seeking to "insource" janitorial and maintenance jobs which are contracted out to ABM Industries.

Negotiations broke down because UCI management wanted to impose citizenship checks on the workers, said Jorge Olvera, a groundskeeper at UC San Diego and executive vice president of service for the local chapter of AFSCME, which represents janitorial employees at the UC system.

• Another Day, Another Bunch of UCI Arrests (OC Weekly)

A big boost for Don Wagner

Allan Bartlett of Red County/OC (AD 70 Watch: Don Wagner Gets The CRA Endorsement) reports that the California Republican Assembly has endorsed our own Don Wagner in the 70th Assembly District race. Here’s his campaign’s press release:

The Orange County chapter of the California Republican Assembly, the state’s oldest and largest conservative volunteer organization, held its endorsing convention this past Saturday in Newport Beach and overwhelmingly endorsed Don Wagner for the 70th Assembly District. Wagner defeated moderate Republican Jerry Amante by a 28-3 margin. Amante was unable to hold the 5 votes of his home base, Tustin, where he serves on the City Council.

“I am very proud to have earned the support of the CRA, one of the most important organizations in our party and within the conservative movement,” said Wagner. “CRA is the conscience of the Republican Party and has always been focused on governing based on a set of principles. I have done that as president of the South Orange County Community College Board of Trustees and will continue to as a member of the State Assembly.”

Wagner is a proven conservative leader, having founded the Orange County chapter of the Federalist Society, a nationwide organization made up of conservative and libertarian attorneys, judges, and law professors dedicated to promoting the rule of law against liberal activism.

He is supported by conservative leaders like Hugh Hewitt, Michelle Malkin, John Eastman, Jim Lacy, and the Atlas PAC. He is also proud of the support of conservative California Senators Tony Strickland and Mark Wyland….

Frozen in San Diego

From this morning’s Inside Higher Ed:

Student Government Freezes Funds for Student Media at UC-San Diego

The student government president at the University of California at San Diego temporarily froze funding for all student-financed media operations on the campus after members of a student media group made racially charged comments on a broadcast, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The incident, which was the second involving derogatory comments about black students in a matter of weeks, led the president of the student government to freeze student funding for all media outlets while the campus drafts a new policy on funding student media. The Guardian, the student newspaper, which does not receive student fee support, blasted the decision in an editorial entitled "Stopping the Presses Won't Heal the Hurt."

Meanwhile, at the Chronicle of Higher Ed:

Student Media Groups at UC-San Diego Lose Funds Amid Controversy Over Race and Speech

The head of the student government at the University of California at San Diego has temporarily suspended funds for all of the university's student-run media outlets after a broadcast prompted new outrage in a controversy over a party mocking Black History Month, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The broadcast was produced by The Koala, a controversial campus humor magazine, and aired over the student-run television station last Thursday. The freeze on funds, which affects 33 student media outlets, has in turn prompted complaints of muzzling free speech. Utsav Gupta, the student-government president, said he wanted the campus to craft a new policy for student media groups before lifting the freeze.

Also in IHE:

Merced Bans Chancellor-Mocking Art From Exhibit

The University of California at Merced has banned from an art exhibit a student's series of photographs that mock Chancellor Steve Kang, the Associated Press reported. The photos, among other things, show the chancellor speaking into a microphone that has been covered with a condom. University officials said that the art exhibit is billed as a family event and that this series was inappropriate. A video by the student, showing and explaining her work, may be found here. She writes: "My piece is a reflection of the torn feelings students face when discovering themselves. It outlines the ability to love two different campus idols: Steve Kang, our chancellor, and Lady Gaga, a pop idol."

And at the always entertaining OC Reg:

School board adopts patriotic policies

FULLERTON - All high school classrooms in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District will display the American flag and hold a patriotic activity on a daily basis after a 5-0 vote Tuesday by district trustees.

The new policies were researched and developed by an eight-member student advisory council in the past four months.

"The whole goal of these policies is for students to have an appreciation for the country we live in, and for all our freedoms," said Amanda Wong, the district's student board member – and a senior at Sunny Hills High School – who led the council effort.

A handful of students and residents complained to the board last July that the district wasn't following the state Education Code, and urged trustees to adopt a written policy.
. . .
"Our fear was that if the (Pledge of Allegiance) were recited every day, we could lose touch with the students," Wong said. "So, we decided that period of time could also be used to read a quote from one of our presidents, read a patriotic passage, discuss the meaning of words in the pledge or hold a moment of silence.
. . .
Ultimately, the council decided those students who chose not to participate must remain silent, Wong said….

The February board meeting: honoring that paragon of Bergesonian virtue

.....The board meeting was supposed to start at 6:00 p.m., but it didn’t actually start until nearly 7:30, suggesting, of course, that the board had lots to discuss in closed session. [See Tracy's Board Meeting Highlights.]
.....No noteworthy action taken during closed session was announced.
.....Next came “public comments.” Said bemused Board President Don Wagner: “No requests to speak, is that true? People are learning!”
.....This evoked some laughter.
.....Trustee reports were unremarkable.
.....Chancellor Raghu Mathur described our administrative delegation’s contributions to the recent ACCCA conference in San Francisco. He praised a presentation concerning ATEP and VC of Tech Robert Bramucci’s keynote address. (At the conference, he got people to sing. Seems like a bad idea.)

nepotism: the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, esp. by giving them jobs. (New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd edition)

.....One trustee requested a report: Tom Fuentes wanted a report on nepotism. In particular, he wanted to know how well the district board policy on nepotism is administered “to prevent nepotism.” He said he was concerned to have “the cleanest operation possible.” The report, he said, is especially important in view of our economic downturn.

.....Possibly he’s right about all that. Dunno. Still, I feel compelled to observe that Tom Fuentes is Mr. Hypocritical Politician, par excellence. I dunno about nepotism, but Tom has got to be the most cronyistic guy the world has ever seen. I won’t go into the usual examples.
.....Tell me, why are the most unchristian people always noisy, pious, self-righteous Christians? How does that work, exactly?
.....Tom asked that the report be as “detailed” as possible.
.....Sensing that ugly politics were afoot, Don Wagner asked for clarification. What do you mean by “nepotism”?
.....Fuentes turned to Mathur, who referred to the district’s board policy, which, he said, underwent a “legal review.” In his mind, that suggested that it contained legal definitions. So there you go.
.....Wagner asked, “Is the report looking for violations of the board policy?” Wagner noted that the presence of relatives among employees is one thing; nepotism is something else altogether.
.....Fuentes clearly wanted the “broadest” report possible. That is, he wanted to see lists of relatives.
.....It’s the usual witchhunt. Why bother with a tiny list of possible cases in which employees acted to benefit relatives when one can assemble a much longer and more impressive list of, well, just relatives.

I have here in my hand a list of 205 … names.  —Joseph McCarthy

.....Wagner noted that the presence of relatives in the workplace is not in itself nepotism—not in any meaningful sense. He decided to illustrate his point with the name of a volunteer that appeared in a footnote somewhere—a Michael Telson, whom, he said, is the nephew of Saddleback VP of SS Lise Telson.
.....Telson was in the audience. She spoke. She has no such nephew, she intoned.
.....She looked seriously pissed. I got the sense that her anger was not only about this apparent misunderstanding, if that's what it was. Emotions were running high. Naturally, there were plenty of characters in the room who could be the ultimate source of her consternation.
.....Next came a discussion item: Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery Plans. Bramucci, Palmer, and Glenn took turns presenting. There were lots of warm and fuzzies. Even Mathur got slathered with ‘em.
.....Next came Curriculum Review for the two colleges. As you can imagine, so riveting was this presentation that, by the end of it, trustees were speechless. There were no questions.
.....A handful of items were pulled from the consent calendar.
.....Item 5.5 concerned that semi-hinky business about cosmetology program review. The item recommended the payment of $3,400 to a beauty college in Lake Forest.
.....We were told that Saddleback College contracts out to this business, but the contract does not include program review, which requires time and effort. And so the beauty college people must be paid for that time and effort.
.....Lang suggested that paying these people to review their program involves an apparent conflict of interest. Yeah, said Saddleback College President Tod Burnett (who seemed addled), but faculty routinely review their own programs. They’re paid to do that.
.....Lang offered a painful milquetoastian smile. OK, he murmured.
.....Item 5.7 was the “loop road project.” I’ll spare you the details. They’re gonna go forward with the study of this road. Gotta think of the future.
.....Item 5.19 was trustee requests for conference money. There was a solitary request to attend the “Campus Safety Conference” in Long Beach.
.....Nancy Padberg was skeptical. She said she wanted to know which trustee made this request. (Translation: “What’s that rat bastard John Williams up to this time?”)
.....There was some hemming and hawing. But Padberg did not relent. Eventually, Williams said that he’ll go, if he can--as though he had nothing to do with the request. Padberg made clear that a “request” only appears when a trustee makes a request. So who did that in this case?
.....That would be John “junket boy” Williams.
.....Next came the wild discussion of “Chancellor recruitment.” (See yesterday’s post.)
.....Item 6.6 concerned the “Marian Bergeson” award. Fuentes grabbed the mike. He gave an absurd speech about his pal Bergeson and her values. Who among us is a paragon of Bergesonian virtue? Well, that would be John “two scathing grand jury reports” Williams!
.....Eyes rolled.
.....John accepted the nomination. Aw shucks, he said.
.....The board voted unanimously in favor of the nomination. I stared at the tally of votes displayed above my head and to the left.
.....Nobody said anything.

The Chancellor recruitment goes forward—but only after a brouhahahahahaha

----"You could cut the tension with a knife." —So said a friend after tonight’s meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees.
----Tomorrow, I’ll have a fuller report. For now, I’ll focus on the big news of the night—and the cause of all the tension. It was item 6.1: Chancellor recruitment.

PLEDGING AN "ABOVEBOARD PROCESS"

----The agenda item made reference to the relatively new Board Policy 4011.6, which outlines the “employment procedures for chancellor” and “formalizes the process for recruitment.” And though I could not find it in the agenda, a draft of a brochure outlining a hiring process—including criteria for evaluation of candidates—became a big part of tonight's discussion too.
----As you know, I have raised concerns about the hiring process (Who will oversee the hire?), since board policy 4011.6 designates the Chancellor or a “board designee” as the overseer of the process, including selection of the hiring committee membership and its chair. My fear was that the wily Raghu P. Mathur could end up as Mr. Overseer.
----Ah, but my worries are over. Tonight, it was clear that the “new board” that emerged during the stormy December meeting is still intact. It is a board utterly divided between the odd new “majority”— Don Wagner (Board President), Nancy Padberg (Vice President), Marcia Milchiker (Clerk), and Bill Jay—and the angry and disgruntled new “minority”—Tom Fuentes, Dave Lang, and John Williams.
----Tonight, Wagner clearly hoped to initiate the chancellor “recruitment” process. Meanwhile, Fuentes and his gang plainly sought to prevent or delay that action, by hook or by crook. It was a noisy and sometimes brutal struggle. Fuentes provided all of the brutality. He was like a caged tiger. It was way cool.
----Wagner began the discussion by referring to the Board Policy, adopted three or four years ago, and the brochure, a work in progress (something evidently intended to assist the trustees; probably composed by VC of HR, David Bugay). He suggested that, for tonight, the board could discuss who would serve as “board designee” and whether the board should hire a consultant.
----And so, from the very start, no one was thinking that lame duck Mathur would oversee the process. Maybe that was decided during the closed session (which ran over by over an hour). Dunno.
----But it was great news.
----Someone suggested that the brochure, which evidently described the hire as occurring “by July,” was overly optimistic.
----Wagner then said—well, he said all that one might hope that he would say! He explained that he was committed to a process that was as fully open and exhaustive and aboveboard as possible. Speaking for himself, he pledged that there certainly were no candidates with a "leg up." He said that he was looking for a process that everyone could get behind. He was determined that the community would embrace the process as a good and honest one.
----I carefully studied his face and the faces of his colleagues. (BTW, Mathur looked like a corpse.) He really seemed to mean what he was saying. The new board majority had evidently decided that the Chancellor hire would be a model of transparency and professionalism.
----I was impressed. What could be better!
----Bill Jay said he agreed that the process should be started right away. He indicated that he supported item 6.1 (i.e., initiation of the recruitment process).
----Nancy Padberg agreed, though she acknowledged that the July date was optimistic. She motioned to approve the item.

WHAT'S THE RUSH! they said

----John Williams pushed back. This should be done slowly, he said. Commencement is only 12 weeks away, and that time is too short to properly advertise for the position. It doesn’t make sense to “rush” the process, he said. He said that, normally, Chancellor hires start in the fall. “We’ve missed the window of opportunity,” he declared.
----Williams struck me as confused. Despite his verbiage, his point wasn’t that Wagner sought to initiate a rushed process; his point was that they need to wait for the optimal recruitment season. This equivocation caused a fair amount of confusion, I think.
----Wagner explained that the process is already defined; it is defined by the board policy. The process is what it is whenever we start it. One reason to start the process now, said Wagner, is to shorten the interim period (between Mathur’s exit and the new Chancellor’s arrival). It is best to have a short interim period for the sake of stability, he said.
----That seemed right.
----Williams then reiterated that “now” is not the optimal time to start a Chancellor recruitment process. To optimize the process, one would choose a search committee by late spring and then proceed with hiring early in the fall. Again, he said that they mustn’t "rush."
----Wagner then reiterated that no “rush” was being suggested. All that was being suggested was that they follow the policy, which essentially defines the pace of recruitment and hiring.
----Williams then repeated his point that we’ve missed the window of opportunity. Mid-year hires are not very common, he opined. He referred to some ads in the Chronicle of Higher Education. He noted the timeline of a hire in Australia.
----Freakin' Australia? That example produced quizzical and annoyed looks.
----Tom Fuentes, already in Bully Mode, then spoke. With customary Gigantor candence, he bellowed that he was very concerned about the “rush in this process.” He noted, with great and and oozing passion (rage?), that the board hadn’t had a presentation on the hiring process. Such a presentation was necessary, he said, to “expose” it to the trustees’ constituencies (i.e., the wonderful TV people out there in the dark). Oddly, he then blasted the “draft brochure,” calling it "very disappointing." It doesn’t reflect, he said, his priorities, such as the Chancellor’s responsibility to the “taxpayer.” The brochure refers to a requirement of five years of specifically community college administrative experience. Why exclude 4-year college experience? Fuentes then repeated that the board needs a full presentation from the Vice Chancellor of HR (David Bugay). Item 6.1, he said, was premature, and it was very poorly presented.
----Then Fuentean minion Dave Lang weighed in. We’re proceeding “a bit hastily,” he burbled. He said he didn’t understand quite what was being recommended by 6.1. Plus we need to consider whether people are comfortable with the process that’s in place (a reference, I suppose, to the 2006 board policy).
----Wagner then argued that revisiting the policy in the middle of a Chancellor search undermines the idea of having a policy. The policy tells us what to do when these circumstances (i.e., needing to hire a new Chancellor) arise. It would be improper to change the rules in the middle of the process.
----Wagner couldn't figure out what sort of presentation Lang and Fuentes wanted. The policy already exists (and it is pretty clear). We should now use it, he said. The brochure, he said, is not finished. It can still incorporate trustee suggestions. Right now, we need to consider who should serve as the board designee and whether a consultant should be hired.
----Marcia Milchiker then stated that hiring a Chancellor is the one thing that the board does. There is no reason to expect a presentation from administrators—unless the board asks for one. She did not object to a presentation on the process. She did not object to having a special meeting (within two weeks) in which the board could define just what kind of Chancellor they wanted to hire. We need to get the word out what a fabulous district this is and what a fabulous place this is to live, she said. But none of this, she seemed to say, is a reason not to get started right away.
----Nancy Padberg agreed. We can make adjustments along the way as necessary.
----Lang, ignoring Wagner's argument, then stated that just because we have a policy doesn’t mean it is "cast in concrete." Our starting point, he said, should be "looking at the policy."
----Williams then said that he was troubled by the lack of a “timeline” in the agenda item. We need to adequately "expose" this job in the Chronicle of Higher Ed, he said. What upset him the most, he guessed, was the July date.
----Wagner then noted that, according to the policy, 50 days (of advertising?) are specified, but that period can be extended. What I’m hearing, he said, is “not yet!”—but we can make adjustments as necessary.
----Wagner noted that the policy actually addresses some of the concerns that were being expressed. (It did seem to me that few on Team Fuentes had actually read the policy.) He said he couldn’t see a reason not to start the process. We should empower administrators to get started right away (with forming the committee, etc.).
----Bill Jay chimed in to say that there’s nothing wrong with hiring a Chancellor during the summer. He cited cases in which the board had hired Chancellors during the summer and that turned out well. He noted that the Chancellor hire is important to faculty and that they would be willing to serve on a committee even during summer. (I nodded, hoping that that would matter to someone.) We need to move forward as quickly as we can, he said. If we don’t like the first group of applicants, we can always extend the recruitment period.
----Fuentes then boomed that they were “putting the cart before the horse.” He was visibly angry. They had received a poorly written brochure, he said. We’re expected to vote on a process that we haven’t had presented to us, he repeated. Constituencies and the media deserve seeing that presentation. He said that this process shouldn’t be “railroaded.” He moved to table the matter.
----That failed: 3 to 4.
----I smelled sulphur, heard faint screams.
----Lang again suggested that it is unclear which action is being recommended.
----Milchiker then explained that nobody is ramming anything down anyone’s throat. They're merely initiating the recruitment process. We need to hire a chancellor. That's clear. So let’s do it.
----Wagner stuck to his guns. We can also have a presentation; but, in the end, we will follow the existing board policy. He indicated that trustees were assuming that the Vice Chancellor of Human Resources (David Bugay) should be the board’s designee. So we now need to consider whether they'll need the services of a consultant. We’re just trying to get the process started, he said.
----The motion was clarified: the board would initiate recruitment. Bugay would be the board's designee. There would be a special meeting within two weeks to clarify what sort of Chancellor the board wanted.
----Fuentes, now in full Bully Mode, roared: “I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life! We’re going to put an ad in the newspaper, ‘Chancellor wanted,’ but we don’t know yet the qualifications for the job.” He played the "I've been in the public sector" card. He got seriously ugly.
----“What is the rush in this!” he snarled.
----Lang then stated that he preferred Gary Poertner to David Bugay as board designee.
----Wagner then explained (I didn’t really follow this) why Bugay is a better choice than Poertner. (I think it had something to do with the possibility that some of our administrators might be interested in the Chancellor gig. Bugay was clearly not among that group.)
----Wagner again attempted to hold the vote on the item.
----But Marcia wanted to make sure that everyone had had their say.
----Lang said he had a question seeking clarification.
----Wagner said no, they were finally going to vote, goddamit.
----Fuentes bleated that the board has never done that “discourtesy” to a board member before.
----Wagner relented. Lang wanted to know if we were talking about Bugay as the “chair” or as the “board designee.” (Actually, the board policy makes clear that the board is to choose a designee, not a chair. The chair is chosen by the Chancellor or designee. Gosh, did these people bother to read the policy?)
----Finally, they voted: item 6.1 passed, 4 to 3. The process had started.

THE BIG QUESTION:

----To me, the only question here was: what does the Board Minority have to gain by delaying the recruitment process? Their arguments were weak. As Wagner said at one point, the Minority seemed determined to object to the item no matter how it was formulated. All of the Minority's worries were already addressed in the policy or could be dealt with by ad hoc adjustments.
----Why were Fuentes and his Gang desperately scraping up any reason they could think of to delay or prevent the hiring process?
----I smell a rat.

Comments:

----Anonymous‬ said... - The rat? If the minority can get the process of a chancellor's hiring delayed and IF Don gets the nod to serve as a state political representative, then the new BOT member to replace Don might go with the current minority and reappoint—guess who? - 5:36 AM, February 23, 2010
----Anonymous‬ said... - yes, my thoughts exactly – they are waiting for Don to resign then they'll appoint his replacement (at the ready, no doubt, Probolsky?) and well, that's all she wrote.
"gigantor cadence" – love it, Roy. ha ha ha.

Thanks for hanging in there and giving us such gems—and reportage. - 10:08 AM
----Anonymous‬ said... - Thanks for the good and bad news.
Clearly they're hoping Don makes the jump to Sacramento – and then, a la their attempt to ram Norby down our throats via Fuentes – well, they'll fill Don's seat with a Fuentes' flunky and then undo what's been done.
I hope the union has a candidate in the wings for Don's seat...or is prepared to recall again.

(and yes, thanks Roy for this and everything you do, the recent shabby treatment by the Senate's leadership aside – what's GOT into them anyway? Or is it WHO? Dang. Can you imagine Peter Morrison acting like that? Even with his opponents? He honored the institution.) - 10:16 AM
----Anonymous‬ said... - Raghu's laying the groundwork for his reinstatement – he was talking it up last weekend about how he signed his "resignation" under duress – watch out. They're up to something. - 10:41 AM
----Anonymous‬ said... - Why hire a new chancellor when we have the best one money can buy right here, right now???? - 5:19 PM
----‪Anonymous‬ said... - I smell a rat. Several rats. - 9:08 AM, February 24, 2010