Wednesday, February 16, 2011

So, did anyone attend the gkk meeting?

Some returns in ping-pong are controversial
     Re the gkk "master planning" meeting at 3:00 p.m. today: I was unable to attend (and probably shouldn't have anyway). I do know that certain reliable folks attended. Got any reports for us? Did gkk or administrators (or somebody!) acknowledge our peevitude? Did they read our comments? What?
     PING-PONG. I see that, at some point today, faculty inputtery sent to the master planning folks—comments that seemed to fall into a black hole, for, not only have they gone unanswered, they have not been posted on the site!—have now appeared with “responses.” Check ‘em out: here.
     For what it’s worth, here’s my comment (ping) with response (pong):

PING. Transparency is a good thing, doncha think? But when you think "transparency," your mind doesn't immediately bolt to the SOCCCD. But things are changing! One way in which they are changing, we're told, is that the new round of planning of facilities for the college genuinely solicits input, etc. It's all very open and sensible, they say. It's a new day! Yeah, but, so far, the process just seems to me to be a carnival fun house, a hall of mirrors. It ain't inspiring confidence, I'll tell you for sure! How can it be that, once again, there is no plan for an H&L building? And why have the comments submitted by H&L faculty in the last few weeks been swallowed up by this machine, without a trace? Then, all of a sudden, the comments now appear, all encrusted with the bizarre remark, "well get back to you soon"! Here's what I expect. We'll get carefully written comments some time during our retirement. I'm starting a pool. My guess: feedback by 2025.

PONG. Thank you for your passionate comments regarding Humanities and Languages/Social Behavioral Sciences. Sincere discussion regarding the future of IVC and the many vital programs that make up the College does occur openly. Our strategy is combine the needs of the campus with the complexities of State approval and funding, while considering the current condition of the State budget. The facilities master plan seeks to outline a comprehensive vision of the IVC campus evolution. Project priority will be developed by administration and faculty representation while project scheduling will inevitably be a function of funding availability. Regarding delay of response, the consultant team will strive to address comments in a more timely fashion.

They must think we're awfully stupid

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

They didn't expect you to participate - now they don't know what to do with you. Have pity.

They are as surprised as you that their numbers show a declining need for ESL and a big desire for journalism - that BOOMING field. Everyone knows newspapers are where it's at. But they have to do what the number say.

Anonymous said...

Does the Master Plan include a ping-pong table? Where will they put that?

Anonymous said...

Clearly the planning with this process got mucked up a couple "Master Plans" ago...take a look at who really uses BSTIC. Why are no classrooms being built in new buildings? And yeah, the A-quad...remember how Howard gensler was able to turn A-300 inside out in a matter of months? where were the planners then?

Anonymous said...

I heard it went well. They're raising half a million dollars for a new clock tower. And three quarters of a million for new signage.

Anonymous said...

I can' figure out why they can't plan to use the facilities we alreay have effectively.

Departments and programs and instructors and are spread all around campus in configurations that don't make any sense. It's so confusing to students - and isolating for the staff and faculty. At nights it's even worse.

Anonymous said...

Have you ever taught in room 101?

Anonymous said...

I'd pay them big bucks if they'd just use capitals in their acronym.

By the way, what else have they done for us?

And since the Register is going to publish our salaries (find out who among makes 6 figures and goes home earilier than you do!) - how much is gkk making off our Master Plan?

Anonymous said...

Have you ever taught in A-201 B?

The front of the classroom is where they store unwanted furniture so the instructor can move it daily during lecture, back and forth and back and forth. Current inventory: lectern, tall chair, two office chairs, overhead projector on wheeled stand and some kind of heavy work table I'm going drop on my foot one day as I move it to access the whiteboard. Add this to the slightly overstocked collection of desks - and well, some fun!

Of course, the real problem is that the room was not really designed as a classroom - and we've made it into one.

If anyone had accessibility issues - student or instructor - it would be a real hazard. ADA anyone?

Anonymous said...

Try to explain to a student where the H & L dean's office is - go ahead, just try. Then try and explain to them where they can find their part-time poli sci instructor. I dare you.

George Orwell said...

The room 101 question was in reference to 1984. See pic
WAR is PEACE
FREEDOM is SLAVERY
IGNORANCE is STRENGTH

what happens in room 101?

Anonymous said...

I though Room 101 was that TERRIBLE room in the library with the columns that students hide behind.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to bring it up again, but I again looked very closely at the gkk-district comment/response page and my comment from 2/11 is still not there. I even posted it twice that day just to make sure I did it right. Here it is below.

“Point of information:
The four A-Quad buildings along with B-100 are not permanent structures; they are temporary-modular buildings with brick facades. These kinds of buildings are not meant to be remodeled, but rather disassembled by section (like they were assembled) and hauled-off on 18 wheel tractor-trailer rigs. Think “double-wide mobile homes.”

Q1:
Doesn’t the Master Plan call for permanent structures?”

Anonymous said...

3:20 PM, this is the first time I hear this information. If what you say is true, why don't they just haul them off and build a real building for the largest school on campus? Why not use Basic Aid to build a new building before the State takes the money away?

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know how the BSTIC building made it as a priority? Surely the data didn't (and doesn't now) support it? Maybe the GKK can answer this question? Did anyone post it on their website? In order to trust the current process, one needs to understand past practice. And by the way, history does not repeat itself, men do!

Anonymous said...

I can join the chorus of those who have posted several comments that have yet to appear on the site. I hope they at least post them after the plan is approved so we can see what everyone else had wanted to say.

Anonymous said...

Oh goody now they're going to have an all-campus free-for-all held during prime teaching hours!

(I know, I am hard to please. But I have been teaching in leaky, stuffy, rat-ridden classrooms for over a decade now.)

Anonymous said...

To the teacher in A201B - just let that table made of lead (I know - I have tried to move it too) - fall on your foot. Then you can take a leave of absence and sue.

Just kidding.

But the situation in the front of the room IS pretty awful. I suggest we have the all-college meeting in THAT room.

Anonymous said...

Injured teacher won't be able to sue, but he/she can make a worker's comp claim and learn firsthand about the rat fucking of injured employees in this state.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...