April meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees: night of the war veteran

     It's getting harder and harder to show up to these things. In the bad old days when the likes of Don Wagner and Tom Fuentes showed up, outrageous and absurd statements and actions were fairly routine. Nowadays, one still encounters absurdities, I suppose—Nancy's eye-rollings, Dave Lang's weird continued obeisance to Team Fuentes (he recently endorsed Mathur's City Council bid, as did Burnett)—but they're not worth hanging around for. These people are really no fun at all.
     In part, that's a good thing, I suppose. Boring and decent is better than exciting and outrageous. Unless you're a writer, of course. [See Tere's Board Meeting Highlights for an account of this meeting.]
     6:12 - OK, they're trailing in: Prendergast, Lang, Meldau.
     While we're waiting on Nancy, I'll mention that tonight's discussion item is actually a report—requested by Nancy Padberg, as I recall—on "veteran's [sic] services."

     6:15 - Nancy has arrived. They'll start soon.

     6:16 - It begins. Marcia reads out actions taken during closed session: 6/0 vote, approved 3 month leave to classified employee. 6/0 vote, approved unpaid leave 6 months leave, employee. 6/0: reject claim filed by Baily Constr. against district. 6/0 vote, approved intervention state suit against County of Orange, Vehicle adjustment fee.

     Prendergast did the invocation: quotes Japanese saying, "Once you've finished 95% of the journey, you're half way there." Jay led the Pledge.

     RESOLUTIONS:

     You can just imagine the blathering that attended each of these. The student trustee takes himself very seriously, I'm afraid. I'll leave it at that.
     Blah, blah, blah. "Our classified employees are truly wonderful," gushes Marcia. Applause. Yammer. Applause. Yammer. Applause. "They prop everyone up," adds Marcia.
     Teachers of the year. IVC dancer. She "inspires from within," said a student, reads Marcia. Applause. Roll call. Yammering. Applause. Photo op. Applause.
     IVC part-time teacher of the year. "This is what we're all about," said Marcia, idiotically. Blah, blah, blah. He's an "Egyptian American." "Heroic and confrontational." Blah blah blah. Roll call. Applause. More yammering. Photo op. This guy speaks well! Gracious. Applause.
     IVC Emeritus Prof of Year. Couldn't make it cuz she's teaching. She's trustworthy, loyal, helpful, etc. Applause. Roll call. Applause.
     Saddleback teacher of the year. DiLeo comes up. Meldau reads resolution. Applause. Roll call. Applause. Gracious yammering. Applause. Photo op.
     Saddleback associate teacher of year. Lang reads res. Applause. Roll call. Applause. Terse, humble yammering. Applause. Photo op.
     SC Emeritus Teacher of the year. Lang reads res. A "perfect instructor for the senior population," whatever that means. Applause. Roll Call. Applause. Nice, short speech. Applause, applause, applause. Photo op. Repeat.

     Public comments:
     1. Glenn Roquemore. Takes pride in recognizing ("retiring," they're calling it) colleague Gwen Plano. She recently received a leadership award. Mentions: her focus on veterans, personable style, best practices, yadda yadda. Applause.
     Gwen: gosh thanks. A few words at this, my last board meeting. I applaud you for steps to revitalize both campuses. Difference is noticeable. Set into motion possibility of real change. We need to be freed from old way of doing business. Personal agendas and political ambition: putting that finally to rest. The quiet majority: that's who I serve every day. The heartbeat of the 99%. Not lingering agendas and intrigues of the few. Your task is a sacred responsibility.
     She's pretty emotional. Applause. Holds award. Photo op. Applause.
     A second recognition: Chris Hogstedt, nurse. Apparently, she's active at the state level. She is a member of an organization dedicated to keeping students healthy. "It's been a wild and wonderful 26 years," she says.
     A third recognition: two students. Coca Cola "gold scholar." Phi Theta Kappa. Roquemore goes on and on. Congrats to two students who can't make it tonight. Also faculty advisors to honors society. Blah blah blah.

IVC vets

Trustee reports:
     Bill Jay: congrats to Gwen P
     Frank Meldau: congrats also to Gwen. Looking forward to commencement, fashion show, nursing pinning, etc.
     Marcia Milchiker: congrats to Gwen; you'll be sorely missed. Marcia attended SC fundraiser. "Really fun." Attended distinguished lecture series. Laguna Woods. Attended Cabaret and Rent, two student productions. "Low cost and wonderful," says Marcia.
     TJ Prendergast: echoes "all that as well." Will attend dinner with Scott Lay as speaker.
     Nancy Padberg: congrats Gwen on your retirement. Attended foundation fundraiser.
     Dave Lang: congrats to those honored tonight. Dittos all around. Best wishes to Gwen. Student trustee the best ever.
     Jordan Larson: DeLeo pushes you "past your limits," he said. "You haven't seen the last of me." (Uh-oh.) I'll be back to give you a report, he said.
     CHANCELLOR'S REPORT: [Poertner]: tonight, many recognitions. I'd like to add my personal thanks to all faculty: lifeblood of our organization. Also: recognize Saddleback College—for bringing Dr. Tinto to campus. A national figure. Wonderful event. Also: emergency preparedness event. Want to commend Glenn R...Congrats to Gwen Plano, her husband.

Board requests for reports:
     None.
Discussion item: report re service to veterans. Shows YouTube video made at Montgomery College (another CC). Video:

     On the video, brief remarks by veterans: difficulties adjusting to lack of absolute orders, structure. Back at home, looking for danger where there is none. Glad about GI Bill of Rights. You realize you're not alone, says one.
     --A pretty lost seeming bunch of guys and gals. But very sympathetic.
     Tere Flugeman comes up to present report. "I was a military brat." Discusses her involvement, what goes on on campus. Legislative visits, etc. 2.2 million veterans in Cal. Many will be coming to the community colleges. Veterans face financial, health, family issues. GI Bill won't pay out-of-state charges (that started in August). New legislation designed to overcome some of these problems.
     Legislators have agreed that the GI Bill has favored private colleges. Needs to be adjusted for support for attending public institutions.
     Saddleback guy comes up to describe IVC and Saddleback veterans programs. Veterans benefits offices per campus. Work study students work at these offices. Over 90% of our veterans under "New" GI Bill of Rights. Bill passed in 2009. That resulted in a tremendous increase in student veteran population. Great increase in amount of money. Old bill: $1400 per month. New: $2000 per month and VA pays college fees and book stipend. A significant increase, thus increased number of veterans going to college.
     Increase in veterans on campus 100% at IVC and 130% at SC since new GI Bill.
     Providing deferrals (while vets waiting for VA money).
     How to improve services?
     We were quick to provide priority registration at our colleges.
     Residency status: services have been very successful in securing this status for vets (in one semester, typically).
     If benefits increase, as they might, we need more staffing.
     Another speaker: Terrence Nelson. Our district has been good about working out interface with government. (This guy is a relatively good speaker. Has various recommendations about what can be done next, what needs to be done.)
     We do substantial outreach. Etc. Passes on to Darryl Cox of IVC. Darryl had veterans in the room stand up: quite a few. Speaks of locating the vets in the library: why put all these bulls in this china shop?, asked Darryl. But the library has embraced the vets and the vets have embraced the library.
     We're very proud to have first veterans resource center in our region. Tell story of vet in crisis, just today (at office).
     Darryl: veterans come to center, realize they're not alone. Very important.
     Dedicated veterans counselor hired (at Saddleback, I believe).
     Need more job opportunities for vets on campus. We need child care services.
     Full time veterans counselor at IVC much needed.
     WELL, AS IT TURNS OUT, I was wrong, and this veterans presentation is quite worthwhile (albeit uneven, a bit unfocused). I'm glad they gave it. Pretty inspiring stuff. Kudos to Nancy for asking for it. Kudos to those who gave it. Kudos to all involved in providing these services.
     I for one will look for ways to support these people and their services, as I'm sure many of you have already been doing. I very worthy bunch. Good people, very deserving of our support.

Questions/comments:

Meldau: very proud of what we're doing. Supporting these vets during this reduction of forces very important.
Prendergast: emphasizes "legislative task force" efforts on behalf of veterans.
Milchiker: really appreciate the presentation. This is very important.

Consent calendar:
A couple of things pulled.

5.16. Payment to Jay (Jay abstains). 5 yes votes
5.17 Payment of Milchiker (Milchiker abstains). 5 yes votes

6.1 Public hearing, proposed agreement, blah, blah, blah.
     Most of these "general action items" are pretty routine, unremarkable, I suppose. (Part of the problem is that they're hard to understand. The board made an "agreement" for "energy services." OK, I guess so. I have no idea what that means, nor is there any effort to clarify matters either on the agenda or during the meeting.)
. . .
etc.
. . .
6.5 Board Policy revisions "for review and study"
. . .
6.7 Ac. Personnel Actions. Unanimously approved
6.8 Classified Personnel Actions. Unanimously approved.

Reports:

7.1 info item
7.2 College speakers.
7.3 Basic Aid report
. . .
Lang gets in the weeds.
. . .
7.4
7.5
. . .
yadda yadda
7.6
. . .
7.7
. . .

8. Reports of constituent groups:
Saddleback College Academic Senate: elections. Bob Cosgrove will be back as Senate Prez. Comments that the meetings are much better tonewise than what they once were. (Not first such comment tonight.)
Faculty Association (union): Lewis says he won't be coming back. New leadership elected as of tonight. Comments on improvements in atmosphere in last few years. Incredibly pleasant now. Working with Bugay and Poertner, very good.
IVC Ac. Senate: echoes earlier sentiments. I'll be stepping down too (Lisa Davis Allen). New Prez coming in (Kathy Schmeidler).
Peebles (econ development):....
IVC Prez: ..... It's been an honor to work with you two (Lisa, Lewis).
SC Prez: ..... Yadda yadda. Created an award, named after Richard McCullough
Bugay: speaks in praise of Lisa Davis Allen, Lewis Long, et al.
Etc.

(Addendum: A couple of things of interest found in the agenda:

These expenditures (contracts) are anything but self-explanatory

All of these passed, of course

Protesters call for shutdown of San Onofre nuclear plant (OC Reg)

District expenditures: $23K for "guest artists"?

     Once in a while, I take a look at college and district expenses—as these are indicated on SOCCCD Board of Trustee agendas. Here are some curious items I noticed in the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting (available here). I don't mean to suggest that all of these expenses are questionable.

1. SOCCCD: Purchase Orders/Confirming Requisitions
P12-03715 GUEST ARTISTS Labor for "Joseph" - SCLO ~ $23,000.00

     Near as I can tell, “SCLO” refers to the Saddleback Civic Light Opera.
     I found an add for the following:

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT
McKinney Theatre [in June]
. . .
Directed and Choreographed by K.C. Gussler
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
This Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat of many colors comes to vibrant life in this delightful musical parable. Set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock 'n' roll, this Old Testament tale emerges both timely and timeless.

     $23K for “guest artists labor”? Somebody explain this to me.

2. SOCCCD: Purchase Orders/Confirming Requisitions
P12-03723 OC AUDITOR-CONTROLLER TREASURER-TAX COLLECTOR Mobile Radio Entry Fee ~ $7,440.00

     Huh?

3. SOCCCD: Purchase Orders/Confirming Requisitions
P12-03884 DR. VINCENT TINTO Honorarium and Expenses-Student Success
Speaker ~ $3,500.00

     Gosh, he must be good. Read about the guy here.

4. SOCCCD: Payment of Bills
157006 03/12/2012 COLLEGE BRAIN TRUST ~ $6,750.79

     No description or explanation. IVC has hired College Brain Trust to assist with various projects, including the “civility” initiative (see #5 below). See John Spevak, CBT. Based on what I saw of Mr. Spevak’s efforts with regard to the “civility” initiative, I have my doubts about these CBT expenditures.

5. SOCCCD: March/April 2012 Contracts
College Brain Trust
Consultant Agreement – To make recommendation to the District’s Board Policy and Administrative Regulations Committee and create an Irvine Valley College action plan to pursue the goal of developing a positive culture by mutual respect and collaboration.
Irvine Valley College ~ $5,146.00

     The “civility” initiative suffered a major setback, caused by—you guessed it—the guy CBT sent to help us, John Spevak.

6. SOCCCD: Purchase Orders/Confirming Requisitions
P12-03670 COLLEGE BRAIN TRUST Barriers Workshop consulting services ~ $6,500

     "Barriers" Workshop? Anybody know what that is/was?

In August 1969, a few days after the band headlined at a free concert in New York's Central Park, they performed in what Grace Slick called an early "morning maniac music" slot at the Woodstock festival, for which the group was joined by noted British session keyboard player Nicky Hopkins. When interviewed about Woodstock by Jeff Tamarkin in 1992, Paul Kantner still recalled it with fondness, whereas Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden had less than rosy memories. W

Cal State students announce hunger strike at six campuses (LA Times)

Excerpt:

     Cal State has lost nearly $1 billion in state funding since 2008, forcing cuts in classes, layoffs of faculty and staff and denial of entry to thousands of students.
     Tuition has increased for six years in a row, including a 9% hike this fall that will raise the annual rate for undergraduates to $5,970, not including campus-based fees that average more than $1,000.
     The university also recently announced plans to freeze enrollment for the spring 2013 term and to wait-list all applicants the following fall pending the outcome of a proposed tax initiative on the November ballot....

San Onofre No Nukes Rally Sunday (NavelGazing)

     …Expect to hear a lot of that, or some variation of it, Sunday afternoon near the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), where activists and concerned folks will hark back to 1970-era "no nukes" rallies.
     These are strange days indeed at SONGS. Heading into the power-sucking summer months, the plant is offline until operator Southern California Edison can convince the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) it has addressed and corrected problems with steam-generator tube wear in units 2 and 3. Just as Edison was telling the media SONGS will be good to go for summer, a small fire broke out, with the cause at least initially unknown.…

Trustees set to give themselves an "A"

     Looks like the board will be meeting on Saturday morning, at 9:00 a.m., to do their "self-evaluation":

Marcia Milchiker: “Gosh, I’m a biologist, you know. I seem to be medicated. May I have a D please?” ~ Dave Lang: “I’m the corrupt bastard who sold out my friends for Fuentes’ support. Smack me with an F, maybe even a G!” ~ Bill Jay: “ZZzzzzzzzzzz” (D) ~ Nancy Padberg: “I’ve been tossing the usual red meat, like tonight’s report on veterans. Pointless. Gimme a D.” ~ TJ Prendergast: “I’ll pretty much go along with the rest of ‘em, and they’re pretty clueless. I need a C to make it into CSUF.” ~ Frank Meldau: “I’ve been speaking up lately and I haven’t made a fool of myself yet. B?” ~ Tom Fuentes: “I attended one meeting in the past year. Gimme a no-show drop.” ~ The whole board: morale at the colleges is in the crapper and we have no idea whatsoever. Nor do we particularly care. What kind of meat did they order for dinner tonight?: D+

Here's the agenda for Monday's regular board meeting: Agenda for April 30 Board Meeting (beware: a large pdf file)

Poll: More favor gay marriage than oppose it (OC Reg)

Jane Doe speaks

An excerpt from R. Scott Moxley’s Meet Jane Doe: OC's most famous sexual-assault victim breaks her silence on the 10th anniversary of the Haidl gang rape

…Observers also expected that Haidl's two best buddies, Sheriff Mike Carona and Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo might try to aid the accused rapists. Haidl had risen from San Bernardino Countyused-car salesman who'd made a fortune auctioning government vehicles to assistant sheriff with full police powers—without a minute of formal training. It probably helped that Haidl paid monthly cash bribes to Carona and Jaramillo, loaned them his private jet, bought them custom-made suits, as well as secretly funded their takeover of the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) in 1999 with hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal, undisclosed campaign contributions. In return, Carona and Jaramillo used back channels to sabotage Doe's case by threatening that Haidl would fund an election challenger to District Attorney Tony Rackauckas if the case weren't dropped or transferred to juvenile court….

Van Morrison started out as the frontman for Them. Here's one of their better songs, made a hit on this side of the pond, not by Them, but by some American one-hit-wonder band

Steve Winwood was 17 or 18 when he recorded this one. He went on to bigger things with Traffic, Blind Faith, etc. One of the best singers of the era

This is a reunion performance from about seven years ago, but they sure do sound great. By the time this song became a hit in 1968--their biggest hit--the band had already broken up and gone home

Unlike many of the chart-topping bands of their era, the Turtles really could play, and Howard Kaylan was (in my opinion) one of the better singers around. The Turtles were irreverent from the very beginning--listen to Kaylan's over-the-top lyrics--and only became more so. You can see that in this cool live performance

OK, this is pretty silly, but the song really builds in power and has some great moments toward the end, thanks to lead singer Barbara Harris' spunk. And they sure are purdy

President Cool needles Republicans

Dark night music

Sorry (determining the universe all day long) (OC Blue Philosopher)

Days before the 20th anniversary of the L.A. Riots, Rebel Girl got a shout out on Madeline Brand's morning show on KPCC today. David Kipen called her essay, "Parker Center," which appeared in Geography of Rage: Remembering the Los Angeles Riots of 1992, "terrific."

To hear the Kipen and Brand discuss the books about the riots, including Rebel Girl's modest contribution, click here.

*

Mathur running for Laguna Hills City Council: he's all about "the modern needs of our citizens"

     Well, he’s back, and with his trademark pidgin English, too!

SEE

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

     Many of you may recognize me from my past contributions to our community. Now I want you to know me for my next contribution. I am Raghu Mathur, and I’m delighted to tell you that I’m a candidate for Laguna Hills City Council in 2012.
     I am a former President of Laguna Hills Homeowners Association, before Laguna Hills officially became a city in 1991. In 1983, I was elected by the public to the Board of Trustees of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) and was subsequently re-elected and completed my second term in 1992. [When his reelection bid failed, he wrote an amusingly bitter public letter: SEE.]
     I am a veteran community and education leader. I have served as President of Irvine Valley College for five years and Chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District for nearly nine years. Currently, I serve as the Chair, College of Education, at Argosy University in Orange, CA. [Gosh. No mention of those three votes of "no confidence"? See No confidence vote third for Mathur (LA Times)]
     Laguna Hills is a beautiful and wonderful city. The ideas and management styles of incumbent Laguna Hills City Council members who presided over 20 years no longer adequately serve the modern needs of our citizens. Our city needs a NEW VISION for the 21st Century. The New Vision consists of the following major components:

• Ensure Laguna Hills delivers needed services to residents in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
• Ensure Laguna Hills is a safe and secure place to live, work, play and raise a family.
• Ensure Laguna Hills offers its residents of all ages choices in dining, shopping and recreational activities through business-friendly climate.
• Ensure Laguna Hills residents have abundant opportunities to participate in city governance through citizen-based commissions in the areas of budget audit, planning, parks and recreation, traffic, youth services and senior services.
• Ensure Laguna Hills City Council makes governance decisions in the most transparent, inclusive and collaborative manner possible. [Funny. Mathur's turn as IVC Prez and SOCCCD Chancellor was characterized by zero transparency and zero respect for "shared governance." See Mathur the unpopular]

     I invite you to join me in making Laguna Hills a better City for all of us.

Sincerely,

Raghu P. Mathur, Ed.D.

Saddleback students highlight world hunger (OC Reg)

Several students at Saddleback College gathered Thursday at lunchtime to highlight the issue of world hunger during an event organized by the college's Helping Hands Sociology Club….

I just don't know what to do with myself

(Burt Bacharach, Hal David)

I just don't know what to do with myself
I don't know what to do with myself
Planning everything for two
Doing everything with you
And now that we're through
I just don't know what to do

I just don't know what to do with myself
I don't know what to do with myself
Movies only make me sad
Parties make me feel as bad
'cause I'm not with you
I just don't know what to do

Like a summer rose
Needs the sun and rain
I need your sweet love
To beat love away [to beat all the pain]

Well just don't know what to do with myself
I just don't know what to do with myself
Planning everything for two
Doing everything with you
And now that we're through
I just don't know what to do

Like a summer rose
Needs the sun and rain
I need your sweet love
To beat love away [to beat all the pain]

I just don't know what to do with myself
Just don't know what to do with myself
Just don't know what to do with myself
I don't know what to do with myself

Rebel Girl's Poetry Corner: "that dirt road voice of his"

The return of Rebel Girl's Poetry Corner marks the recent passing of Levon Helms with this sonnet by Tracy K. Smith.  Poetry and rock 'n roll. Yeah.

ALTERNATE TAKE: LEVON HELM by Tracy K. Smith

I’ve been beating my head all day long on the same six lines,
Snapped off and whittled to nothing like the nub of a pencil
Chewed up and smoothed over, yellow paint flecking my teeth.

And this whole time a hot wind’s been swatting down my door,
Spat from his mouth and landing smack against my ear.
All day pounding the devil out of six lines and coming up dry

While he drives donuts through my mind’s back woods with that
Dirt-road voice of his, kicking up gravel like a runaway Buick.
He asks Should I come in with that back beat, and whatever those

Six lines were bothered by skitters off like water in hot grease.
Come in with your lips stretched tight and that pig-eyed grin,
Bass mallet socking it to the drum. Lay it down like you know

You know how, shoulders hiked nice and high, chin tipped back,
So the song has to climb its way out like a man from a mine.




 *
 from the September 21, 2009 issue of the New Yorker
 *

Mi Taco es Su Taco

Gustavo Arellano, perennial nominee for IVC Commencement Speaker, was featured in yesterday's Los Angeles Times as part of the nationwide launch for his new book (his third, but who's counting?): "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America."

Arellano, an OC native, Cal State Fullerton instructor and current editor-in-chief of the OC Weekly, is a regular guest on KPCC's Larry' Mantle's Airtalk show and KCRW's Evan Kelinman's popular weekend show, Good Food.

from Reed Johnson's "To Gustavo Arellano, Mexican food is a big melting pot" --

excerpt:

As he describes in salivating detail in his new book, "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America" (Scribner: 318 pp., $25), the cuisine that has migrated north across the Rio Grande and the Tijuana border is too big and complex to be neatly wrapped up in tinfoil stereotypes and reductive generalities.

Rather, Mexican American food has become a movable fiesta of hybrid tastes and bold regional experiments that have rendered terms like "authenticity" essentially useless, Arellano believes. If the "classic" Mexican recipes of Anglo cookbook authors like Diana Kennedy, and the cosmopolitan concoctions served at Rick Bayless' Red O restaurant on Melrose are rightly regarded as one strain of Mexican fare, Arellano argues, then so too should Taco Bell. Mexican food is a big, inclusive kitchen, he says; all are welcome who add something to the melting pot.

To read the rest, click here.

Gustavo will be one of the many authors appearing at the Los Angeles Festival of Books at USC this weekend. His panel is titled Food Writing: American Potluck and begins at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday

Where: Ronald Tutor Campus Center on the USC Campus

Who: Panelists are Gustavo Arellano, Aaron Bobrow-Strain, Jennifer 8. Lee, moderated by Jonathan Gold.

Information: http://events.latime.scom/festivalofbooks/

FYI:
During the two day celebration that is the Festival of Books, Rebel Girl and Red Emma will be hanging out at the Santa Monica College booth (#993) near the Tommy Tojoan statue. Red will be broadcasting live from the festival on Sunday morning via KPFK. Tune in or drop by. It's a weekend of free fun and lots and lots of books!

*

To read Red's recent OC Bookly column on Gustavo's new book (from which Rebel Girl swiped her nifty blog post title, click here.

*

(photo: Arkasha Stevenson/LA Times)

"Conservative" Ted Nugent

• San Onofre Still Leads the Nation in Safety Complaints (Voice of OC)
• Ted Nugent Remarks On Obama Draw Secret Service Scrutiny (HuffPost)

     Rocker Ted Nugent has reportedly earned himself the scrutiny of the Secret Service after saying over the weekend that he would be "dead or in jail by this time next year" if President Barack Obama is re-elected.
     Nugent made the comments during an interview at the National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis, comparing Obama and his administration to "coyotes" that needed to be shot and encouraging voters to "chop [Democrats'] heads off in November."….

Evidently, the IVC Academic Senate cabinet won't agendize whether IVC should support Saddleback faculty's "shared governance" resolution

Cabinet "determination": Senators will
not consider the question of supporting
the SC Ac. Senate resolution

     Back on March 5, a colleague at Saddleback College emailed me about a resolution recently approved by the Saddleback College Academic Senate (i.e., the faculty). Here it is:

   Whereas, Commencement is an important event for all members of the Saddleback College community…, and
   Whereas, the College Commencement Committee includes representatives from all of these groups to ensure that their voices are heard in planning this ceremony, and
   Whereas, the principle of shared governance is that all constituent groups should have a real role in the decision-making process, and
   Whereas, President Burnett’s decision in 2011 to override the Commencement Committee’s unanimous vote to offer a moment of silence instead of an invocation in that year’s ceremony is inconsistent with the principle of shared governance, and
   Whereas, such top-down decision making has repeatedly caused problems for our College in the Accreditation process,
   Therefore, be it resolved, that
   The Saddleback College Academic Senate affirms that the College’s Commencement Committee is the best group to decide whether or not to include an invocation at the annual Commencement ceremony … [and] The Commencement Committee as a whole should be explicitly charged with making this decision and their decision should be final, …And, … This should go into effect beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year, as an invitation for a speaker to deliver an invocation has already been issued for the 2012 Commencement ceremony.

     The colleague wrote:

… I’m not 100% sure how the decision to invite a Rabbi for the invocation this year was made….
…Do you think there’s any chance that IVC’s Senate would consider a resolution backing up ours?
…Be aware that we tried to keep the focus on shared governance and not on the prayer issue itself….

     I wrote back: “I read the resolution and it looks great. Yes, I think we can get the IVC senate on board, as long as we don't just give it to the Senate President….”
     Normally, our senate meets every two weeks, and the cabinet meets on the off weeks to put together the agenda for the next meeting. So, on Thursday of the 8th, hours before what I assumed was the cabinet’s biweekly “agenda” meeting, I wrote the Senate cabinet:

     I request that we agendize the following item for the upcoming meeting of the IVC Academic Senate Rep Council: whether our senate should support SC Academic Senate's recent resolution re President Burnett's action to ignore or overturn the SC Commencement Committee decision re a prayer at commencement.
. . .
     Friends at Saddleback College tell me that, last week, the SC Academic Senate passed a resolution in response to President Burnett's action of overriding the decision by the Commencement Committee regarding whether there would be a prayer or invocation at SC Commencement. Here is that resolution….[see above]
. . .
     I'm told that President Burnett has already arranged to have a rabbi give the prayer.

—Senator Roy Bauer, Humanities and Languages

     A few minutes later, IVC Academic Senate President Lisa Davis Allen wrote me: “Roy, I will bring it to the cabinet. The agenda for the next meeting has already been set due to spring break. —L” (Note: Spring break was the week of March 11.)
     I also heard from another cabinet member, who wrote me to say “I support this” for reasons echoing the Saddleback senate's reasoning.
     I responded: “LDA has already responded that this [item] can't be agendized for the next meeting because the agenda has already been done—something about the Spring Break.”
     The cabinet member then responded, indicating surprise that it had already been decided that my item was not to be included on the agenda. They said they would themselves request the item formally.
     I didn’t hear back.
     The item didn’t make it to the agenda.
     And so, a week after the March 22 senate meeting, I requested yet again that the matter be agendized (for I was never told whether my item had been discussed by the cabinet; I assumed it hadn't been). LDA responded by writing: “Cabinet will consider it today when we create the 4-5-12 agenda.”
     But then, again, I was never informed what the cabinet had decided, if anything.
     So, on April 12, prior to the senate’s cabinet meeting, I once again wrote the senate cabinet, “asking that this matter [i.e., whether we should support the Saddleback College Ac. Senate resolution] be agendized for the next meeting.”
     I soon got a response:

Roy,
     Your agenda item request concerning Saddleback Commencement plans has been considered by the IVC Academic Senate cabinet. The item will not be placed on the Senate Rep Council agenda because the cabinet has determined that it is not an IVC issue or a district issue, but rather a Saddleback College internal issue addressing their commencement plans.
     —Lisa

     When this "determination" occurred—I have no idea. No one has informed me.
     And since when is an administrator's act of blowing off shared governance at Saddleback College not an IVC issue? If Saddleback’s Burnett can do it, then IVC’s Roquemore can do it too.
     Good Lord do we ever need new leadership of the IVC Academic Senate.

Young Americans filled with glee

Young Americans filled with glee

     Remember when the “Young Americans” people showed up at SOCCCD BOT meetings, aiming to house all those wholesome young people of theirs at our ATEP campus? We said "no." (See Will ATEP be home to the "Young Americans"?)
     They eventually built a “college” in beauteous Corona. (Several present and former SOCCCD/college personnel have joined the YA's advisory board.)
     The organization just turned 50 and the OC Register (natch) is all over it:

Young Americans turns 50
     The group that began in 1962 is considered the granddaddy of show choirs and has trained thousands of young performers.

     Milton C. Anderson, a one-time high school music teacher in Los Angeles and TV music director, saw a disconnect between the emerging images of young Americans in the 1960s and the kids who had been in his classrooms.
     Those kids weren't rabble rousers and hooligans. How could Anderson show to the world what he thought was the true nature of American youth?....

Anderson makes his pitch, early 2007

Expert Says Edison Misled Regulators on San Onofre Changes (NICK GERDA; Voice of OC)

The Death of the Lecture (Anamaria Dutceac Segesten; University of Venus [blog])

U. of California Settles Lawsuit Over Raid on Office for Leftist Causes (Chronicle of Higher Education)

CSU may pull cash grants to half its grad students (Nanette Asimov; San Francisco Chronicle)

Knuckle-dragger Friday

• Creationism lives on one side of political aisle (Martin Wiskol; OC Reg)
If you believe God created humans as they now are, you’re not going to find much company among Democrats or self-described progressive Christians.

• Assemblyman Don Wagner Alarmed By Prop. 65 Lawsuit Abuses (R. Scott Moxley; Navel Gazing)

• Wry and Subtle Jesting? Not Here, Knucklehead (Manohla Dargis; New York Times)
‘The Three Stooges,’ From Peter and Bobby Farrelly

Henri the Existential cat

click HERE

Use of pepper spray was “objectively unreasonable”

Plenty of Blame to Go Around
UC Davis pepper spray report faults administrators, police (Inside Higher Ed)

By Allie Grasgreen

     Many parties were at fault for the now-infamous November pepper spray incident at the University of California at Davis, including the chancellor and other administrators who failed to properly evaluate the protest situation or plan for its dispersal, and the police who did not follow protocol and whose use of pepper spray was “objectively unreasonable,” an independent investigative panel has found.

     Communication breakdowns and procedural neglect snowballed into a confusing and poorly planned police operation, the panel's report says, and ultimately led to one officer casually pepper-spraying students at (much too) close range during a nonviolent protest. The students, who sat across a walkway, refused to move as campus police officers attempted to clear out the Occupy encampment.
     “Our overriding conclusion can be stated briefly and explicitly,” the report states in its very first sentence. “The pepper spraying incident that took place on November 18, 2011 should and could have been prevented.”….(continued)

California Dreaming

Writing yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, Michael Hilzik dreams big and challenges us to revive the California dream that once was available for many.

Let's bring back the idea of a free UC education

Tuition increases are threatening to place a University of California education out of the reach of working-class and middle-class students.

The son of a railroad worker, Earl Warren came from a family keeping a desperate finger hold on a working-class existence at the turn of the last century. Yet when he left high school in Bakersfield in 1908, there was no question where he was headed: to Berkeley and a free education at the University of California.

There he proved an indifferent student scholastically but an enthusiastic absorber of "the new life, the freedom, the companionship, the romance of the university," Warren recalled years later. "It was like being in wonderland."
...
The roll of Californians who rose from modest circumstances to enrich our lives and our society after receiving a taxpayer-supported education at the University of California — or Cal State or the community college system — is too long to enumerate here. They're scientists who made world-altering discoveries, literary artists, composers and musicians, political leaders of city, state and country.
...
The principle of free tuition for state residents was deeply ingrained in UC from its founding in the 1860s and reaffirmed in the 1960 master plan for public higher education, which acknowledged the university's role as a driver of economic growth. Raising the instructional costs for students, the master plan said, would negate "the whole concept of wide-spread educational opportunity made possible by the state university idea."

So here's a radical proposal: As tuition increases threaten to place a UC education out of the reach of working-class and middle-class students, let's reinvigorate the notion of a free UC education.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

*

A student's perspective: at the Writing Lab

Below is a short essay written by one Melanie Hoshall for a Writing 1 class.

A High Rate of Distraction

     There are people sitting on the floor working on laptops. No, this is not the latest venue for the Occupy Wall Street movement. It's not a protest, although maybe it should be. There is just no room for these people to sit at the crowded hardwood tables shared by up to six students at a time. There are no available chairs for them to sit on.
     This is the IVC Writing Lab and it is simply inadequate to student demand.
     Aside from a lack of seating, there's also the noise. There are constant "excuse mes" as elbows are bumped or a bag knocks into someone's chair when a person squeezes down the narrow aisles. Whispered conversations accumulate into unintelligible babble. Add the conversations with the teachers who are there to help students, and the room is a living study of distraction.
     I fall into the "easily distracted" group. If two people are talking at the same time near me, I have to watch the mouth of the person talking to me to understand what he or she is saying. For me, the noise in the Writing Lab makes writing there like trying to write in the middle of Times Square on New Year's Eve.

     While I acknowledge that my concentration ability is impaired, that does not get the Writing Lab off the hook. It is one seriously uncomfortable place to study, even for people who aren't easily distracted. I worked on fulfilling my time requirement in the Lab by plugging in my earphones and listening to soothing music while I was writing. My impairments also allow me to use one of the two workstations reserved for challenged students and a butt-friendly chair on wheels placed in the Lab. Why on earth a person should have to be challenged to get such common-sense seating is beyond me. Those students sitting on the floor may be more comfortable than the ones sitting on the hostile hardwood chairs. No wonder people avoid the Lab until the end of the semester. Okay, to be fair, they would do that anyway. But the Writing Lab does not have to provide so many excuses.
     On the other hand, the average age of most students is less than half of mine. They are also a generation already living life at a high rate of distraction. They appear unable to walk, drive, eat, or go to the bathroom without their cellphones. The conditions in the Writing Lab might not even register with them since there’s no app for it.
     Those students sitting on the floor of the Writing Lab are trying to sneak in their required hours before they are discovered and tossed out for being a fire hazard. Maybe they are not aware they have cause for protest. After all, it's the end of the semester and it's only for a week or two. Who would they complain to and who would care if they did?

   – Melanie Hoshall

The passing of time leaves empty lives

Waiting to be filled

The passing of time

Leaves empty lives

Waiting to be filled

I'm here with the cause

I'm holding the torch

In the corner of your room

Can you hear me?

And when you're dancing and laughing

And finally living

Hear my voice in your head

And think of me kindly

Chandos retrieves his hat (from the ring)

K. Schmeidler

     Two brief factoids regarding Ray Chandos, who was recently nominated (along with Kathy Schmeidler) for President of the IVC Academic Senate. A friend reminds me that, on two occasions in recent years, Ray submitted dissenting reports to accompany the official accrediting reports. Gosh, does anyone have copies of these things?
     I’m also told that, this morning, Ray wrote the senate requesting that his name be withdrawn from the list of nominees for President. Evidently, he was unaware of Schmeidler’s nomination when he nominated himself (or permitted someone to nominate him). Now that he is aware, he withdraws and (I’m told) believes that Kathy will make a fine President.

Schmeidler v. Chandos for IVC Academic Senate President

Kathy Schmeidler

     The faculty of Irvine Valley College have a problem: almost no one wants to run for the offices of the Academic Senate, a crucial “governance group” at the college. —And the election is coming up soon.
     Morale is pretty low, I'm afraid (listening, trustees?). Participation in governance is among the casualties of all this gloomitude.
     As of two weeks ago, the matter looked pretty grim, for no one had volunteered to run (or agreed to be nominated) for the two major Senate offices (Prez and VP).
     But, recently, one person stepped forward as a Presidential candidate—namely, the widely respected Kathy Schmeidler, a bio instructor and a long-time grievance officer for the Faculty Association. Still, by Thursday, the most recent Senate meeting, no one had yet stepped forward to run for VP.

Ray Chandos

     Yesterday (Friday), a reliable source told me that one more person had thrown his hat into the ring for the Presidential gig: Ray Chandos, a close pal of Raghu Mathur's and an important member of the notoriously unprincipled and ruthless union leadership circa 1996. [BUT SEE THIS UPDATE]
     For those unfamiliar with the Rayster, the following posts should get you up to speed in a hurry:

• Ten Years of Bowdlerizing Excellence!

aka Ray Chandos

• The 1998 Accreditation White-Wash [brought to you by RC]
• Ray Chandos defends Steve Frogue
• From the people who brought us fifteen years of abject shittitude comes....
• FYI • OMG/WTF

Lee Rhodes

     Recently, former Saddleback College instructor—and SOCCCD trustee—Lee Rhodes died. The Lariat and the Coastline Pilot have noted his passing:

• Long-time instructor dies (Lariat)
• Professor Lee W. Rhodes, Ph.D (Coastline Pilot)

     The Coast Pilot explains that Lee

was deeply committed to education, serving as an instructor of biology and microbiology at Saddleback College from 1969-88; former president of the Faculty Association; trustee from 1992-1996, and board vice president from 1995-1996.

     As I recall, in 1992, Lee was recruited by the Faculty Association to run for the area 3 seat. In those days, the union was controlled by secretive schemers, including instructor Raghu Mathur at IVC and the likes of Mike Runyan at Saddleback College. They were happy to get their boy on the board.
     But Lee was a decent guy, and so he soon realized that the union’s trustees—Williams, Frogue, and Teddi Lorch—were the worst of the board and that the other trustees—including the union’s public enemy #1, Harriett Walther—were the best. When the union seized upon Walther’s technical violation of conflict-of-interest codes, exaggerating and distorting the facts outrageously in order to discredit her, Lee came to her defense with a letter attesting to her character. Such actions likely sealed Lee’s fate with the utterly unprincipled union schemers, who eventually targeted Lee and other members of the PIE slate (that went up against the union’s Frogue/Williams/Davis/Fortune slate) with the infamous “same-sex flier.” The latter was a blatant red herring; it was homophobic to boot. But it worked. Lee was replaced by the odious Dorothy Fortune, who eventually resigned from the board, in disgrace, amid unanswered allegations that she had ceased living in the county.
     Here’s a letter from the campaign of 1996 by our late and much-missed colleague Jody Hoy. It provides a sense of what was going on in the district at the time:

     Last Friday evening, Oct. 18, a candidate's forum was held at Irvine Valley College for the Nov. 5 election of Board of Trustees for the Saddleback Community College District. The forum was sponsored by the Irvine Valley College Academic Senate and the Associated Students of Irvine Valley College.
     Invitations were sent to all nine candidates for the board including current board members Steven Frogue, Lee Rhodes and John Williams. Great care was taken to provide a fair and open forum for all: candidates and to assure all candidates of the public's interest in hearing their views. The forum was moderated by the League of Women Voters. Questions were prepared in advance and the same questions were posed to all candidates.
     When neither Frogue nor Williams responded to initial letters of invitation, second letters of invitation were hand delivered by forum organizers. When Williams raised a question concerning the "legality" of such a forum, counsel for the district was consulted. Counsel assured Williams that such a forum was legal, whether on campus or off. In addition, the academic senates of both colleges sought counsel and were informed that the forum was legal. This information was also communicated to Williams.
     Given the lengths to which the college community went to provide a fair and open forum for all candidates, I was surprised and very disappointed to see that Frogue and Williams, who purport to represent the voters of this district, did not show up for the candidate's forum-nor bother to inform the people who set up the forum that they would not be present.
     I can only conclude that Frogue and Williams are indifferent to the democratic process or they believe that, as incumbents, the election is in the bag. Why else would they not even bother to appear? As the only other possible explanations are arrogance or contempt for the public in general, I prefer to assume that the former is the reason why they chose to stay away.
     Rhodes, who represents the Laguna Beach area, did attend. Rhodes has been an outstanding board member. He was a biology professor at Saddleback College until his retirement. He was also the chief negotiator for the first faculty association contract. The fact that he has been steadfastly independent and fair handed has won him the enmity of the current union leadership, which is backing candidate Dorothy Fortune, who also chose not to show up. [My emphasis.]

Nancy Jo Hoy
(Irvine Citizen, 10/24/96)

     (The two board remnants of the Bad Old Union are Nancy Padberg, for whom the union campaigned in ’98 (along with Don Wagner), and Tom Fuentes, for whom the Old Guard came to speak, supporting his bid to replace the resigning Frogue in the summer of 2000.)

Tom foolery

After pepper spray: College fee raise put off (OC Reg)

     This is about that goofy Santa Monica College two-tiered fee scale for scarce courses idea—and the protest it inspired and the free use of pepper spray by moron cops that that inspired. Well, now the trustees are backing off of this two-tiered thing for the time being. Sheesh.

Bang bang

Campus police department under review (Saddleback College Lariat)

     Looks like consultants are reviewing the SC Campus Police Dept. and the cops don’t like it a bit.

White powder and a fuse

     The story below describes a scary incident at the home of one of the instructors in our building at IVC (A200). She doesn’t think the prank (?) was done by a student, but who knows:

Woman finds suspicious device on her porch (Daily Pilot) April 05, 2012

     A Costa Mesa street was closed for hours Thursday as authorities tested a device found on a resident's porch, police said.
     About 7:15 a.m., a resident in the 200 block of 23rd Street was leaving for work when she found a sandwich bag on her porch filled with white powder, with a fuse and a partially burned firecracker-type device, according to Costa Mesa Police Department Sgt. Phil Myers.

"Poof"

     The material later tested negative for hazardous materials.
     The resident told police she heard a thump on her front door about 9 p.m. Wednesday, but because her husband was out of town, she didn't go to the door to check the source of the noise, Myers said.
     The next morning, the woman found the device and called police, Myers said.
     Nearby Lindbergh School was locked down, and students were barred from using the playground or outdoor facilities, but class sessions continued as planned as authorities assessed the material, according to Myers and Patty Esteves, who works at the school.

SEE ALSO: School lockdown over after package found to be safe (OC Reg)