Williams refuses to resign, pisses people off

Egyptian—er—Republican Public Administrator/Guardian John Williams refuses to step down. "I will delegate more authority to Rackauckas' girlfriend," promises Williams, as anger and frustration build to new levels.

District Claims Defeat, says Lariat

     Yesterday, I learned that the Lariat had put out a new edition with a front page story about the prayer lawsuit (Westphal v. Wagner). I found the online edition and read the story. It didn't seem worth mentioning, and so I didn't.
     But now I'm told that, in the print edition, the story sports the following headline:

"District Claims Defeat in Invocation Lawsuit"

     Claims defeat? At first, I figured this was just some kind of error. But then I got to thinkin': hmmm. Maybe this is a new strategy. Claim defeat! Lower expectations!
     Brilliant!
     I guess Nancy's been reading those Accred letters.

The Master Plan

[Note: see Master Plan COMMENTS.]

The Master Plan.

Rebel Girl will resist the urge to take apart the roots of that phrase, the implications of "master" (think "slave" not to mention self-abuse, onanism). --After all, she's been out of grad school for years. Has she got your attention now? Good.

Her point today is a brief one and has to do with the link marked "Master Plan" on the IVC website.

She and her colleagues have clicked and clicked that link in recent weeks. They've been trying to join a "participatory process that includes the shared vision of hundreds of students, faculty, staff, administrators, trustees and members of the community."

Why? Well, take a look at where they teach -- scattered about campus in an incoherent constellation of classrooms and offices that confuses even seasoned faculty, full and part time, let alone students.

So, they want to help designing that "thoughtfully prepared roadmap to be known as the 2011 Education and Facilities Master Plan which ultimately guides the development of instructional programs, student services and facilities."

Besides, Rebel Girl and her colleagues have been encouraged to do so by the powers that be through the usual flurry of emails.

Oddly, their comments -- as submitted -- have yet to appear on the site. The only recent comments posted have to do with broken links -- and, oddly enough, missing recent comments.

A robust series of comments would, of course, foster more discussion, exchange of ideas, etc.

It could be that Rebel Girl and her colleagues submitted questions and comments that were laced with profanity and therefore deemed unprintable! It could be that their questions were difficult to address, so difficult that they won't be posted or addressed until after the process is over. That happens sometimes. You know how it goes.

It could be that this public airing of concern might inspire some movement somewhere. After all, it's a new day. A new flag is flying.

The final meeting with gkkworks is next week.

The once and future "Humanities Building"

"[They] want students who can read and write."

This just in, via Universities Diaries:

From an interview in the Wall Street Journal with the dean of the Wharton business school:

WSJ: You're increasing soft skills training—presentations and writing skills. Who pushed for that?

Mr. Robertson: Certainly faculty, and probably most importantly, our business community and our recruiters are saying that [they] want students who can read and write. I don't know there's really been a deterioration of those skills, maybe there has. Maybe Powerpoint and writing in bullet style has led to deterioration of the ability to write reports.

To read the rest, click here.

*

He has his father's eyes

Tom and one of his protégés

     That Tom Fuentes. He’s a complicated man. Just what is he about?
     He took that schnook John Williams and helped ‘im wangle a big job at the County. John’s dumb, but he’s pious, like Tom. He’s all football and boyish good looks. Prays pretty good. Salutes the flag.
     Yeah. Right now, John’s using Tom’s wily pal, Phil, to get the best deal he can, knowing his former friends are desperate to hide the appalling mess he’s made of things—a mess the public will never see. (They’re used to hiding things; they’re Tom’s friends too.) Plus John’s helping his pal Tony by pushing for protection of Tony’s girlfriend. And Tony’s got some pull, boy, ‘cause he’s the DA. So there’s no telling what John might get, if he plays his cards right. Soon, he’ll be sittin’ pretty, that John. Behind all the shock and drama, there’s John, with his sly smile and hair helmet. He’s a hell of a nice guy, you know.
     No doubt Tom helped bring America’s Sheriff around—to IVC—to let the little college bathe in some of Mike’s shine. Or was it John? Those two go way back, you know. Bailiff Boy and the Heartbreak Kid.
     Tom really stood by Mike, even after all those sordid tales, even after those recordings were released—the “n” word and all. And all those women! But Tom knows about complexity—how a guy can be pious and patriotic and wholesome and good—while, all the while, he’s doing some seriously nasty stuff. Yeah, in fact, the only way Tom knows that a guy is good, like Tom, is if he’s, well, complex, like Tom.
     Now, Mike’s in federal prison. He’ll be there a while. He’s a genius, you know.

     And Chriss Street: there’s another one. Family man. See the pictures, the kids, the dog. Very smart. Tom would bring him to board meetings, shining with fiscal smartness across the Ronnie Reagan Room for those Laguna Woods geezers out there in the dark. Remember how Tom would sniff out corruption? Cronyism and nepotism? And big salaries? Imagine! Anna Bryson would be by Chriss’s side. (She’s on the Capo board.) And she’s got a nifty County job!
     But Fruehauf caught up with Chriss. Turns out he’s complex too.
     Dave Lang used to be Casper Milquetoast, counting his simple beans. But Tom spotted Dave’s weakness and one day pulled up, popped open the door, and showed him candy. Dave sold out his friends. Stabbed ‘em in the back. He then did something amazing: he gave ‘em his insipid smile. (What did that smile mean?) Now, he’ll sit there in the RR room and say things he doesn’t even believe. Why?
     More complexity.
     There are many such tales.
     I don’t go in for conspiracy theories, but sometimes I think about the end of Rosemary’s Baby. Everybody, it turns out, is in on the arrangement. Even the husband. Everybody except for simple Rosemary.
     She frantically looks for her baby. She finds the kid.
     But his eyes! His eyes! What’s wrong with ‘em?
     Then Tom, in his best Nixonian voice, says, “He has his father’s eyes.”
     "La la la la la la...."