Meeting of the SOCCCD BOT: part 2 (open session)

[UPDATE: it's confirmed. The board added the names of Grimm and Boettger to the list of faculty to be granted tenure (item 6.9).]

[See Tere's Board Meeting Highlights]

7:42 — Looks like the closed session is over. I spotted TJ Prendergast and maybe one other trustee lurking in the hallway. Saddleback's Burnett is zooming around the room. Peebles is out and about. Now trustee Jemal appears.

See post re earlier session: More than 30 come to speak in support of probies Grimm and Boettger

Craig Justice

7:49 — Nancy's out and about. Now Bill Jay. Now Marcia Milchiker, Dave Lang, Gary Poertner. They'll start soon, I think. Jim Wright just arrived.

7:52 -- Still waiting for our "read out to come from our attorneys," says Nancy. I suppose this means that they're running a decision past the attorneys. But what was the decision?

7:55 -- Clerk reads actions taken in closed session: on a 6-1 vote (Jay voting No) Affirm (?) rejection of tenure, 2 at SC, 2 at IVC [I've scrambled to get clarification. Three very reliable sorts in the room heard Marcia's readout this way: the two IVC probies were granted tenure but the two SC probies [for whom tenure was not recommended] were not granted tenure. Speakers earlier addressed only the IVC probies: Amy Grimm and Susan Boettger. So it appears that the jobs of Grimm and Boettger were saved.]

UPDATE (March 4): Here's what Milchiker actually said: “On a six to one vote, with trustee Jay casting the negative vote, the board voted to affirm the district’s recommendation to nonreelect two faculty members at Saddleback College and to reject the recommendation to nonreelect two faculty members at Irvine Valley College.”

7-0 vote, classified employee's appeal re discrimination.
7-0 denied request paid leave for police officer
7-0 3 month paid leave.
7-0 approve termination of employment of a faculty member.

A resolution read regarding IVC women's golf team. Evidently, they're the best in the country or something. (I was off talking with colleagues; sorry.)

2nd resolution: "Leadership innovation award." [I was busy during this.]

Pulling 5.11, moving 6.1 forward.

Board reports:

Bill Jay: Congrats to Lasers golf team. Marvelous. All we do as trustees is figure out ways to spend money. Note item 6.6: IVC management reorganization. Budgetary savings of $117k. They deserve recognition.
Tim Jemal: pretty active month. I completed the tour of SC and IVC. Thanks for the hospitality. Saw learning environments. Etc. We're seeing legislation re using community colleges as engine for increased....economic growth.  "There is a skill gap in this country." Our colleges will get ahead of legislation in this regard....
Marcia Milchiker: echos what Jemal just said. I'm excited too....The importance of community colleges. Meeting with legislators.
TJ Prendergast: attended invention convention. Congrats to Saddleback for "recovering the cup" (President's cup, I think.). Blah, blah, blah. My daughter's taking Early College at Beckman. She dragged him to music concert, but he enjoyed it.
Nancy Padberg: various committee meetings she attended. Presidents cup in memory of "my husband." Scholarship in his name. (Applause.)
James Wright: workshops on how to be effective trustees, etc. Gosh, Jim, your voice tends to trail off into nothingness. I think his voice has a sleep-inducing effect. Am I dreaming?
Lang: passes

Chancellor Poertner: reports tonight: 4.1 report, student success. Improving ed of basic skills students. 2nd, mental health services at our colleges. Third item: 6.1 concerns lease-lease back strategies for construction.

President Roquemore: President's award recipients. We give our awards during Fall inservice, so wanted to mention recipients. Goes through IVC awards. Craig Justice, Dennis Gordon, Bruce Hagan, Matt W/Ilkner E-W, Roopa Mathur;  Melody Harper. (Does this in lieu of report.)

President Burnett: blah, blah, blah. Men's basketball, undefeated. Etc. Accreds accepted our follow-up report. Refers to "recent tragedy" concerning one of our part-time students. Jemal's request for report on mental health services very timely.

Board requests for reports: Jim Wright requests progress of veterans services. There's been a lot done since last year, so a report would be nice. Unanimous support.

Advancing 6.1. Resolution. Lease lease-back contracts. Brandye D'Lena comes forward to explain, discuss. But first VC Deb Fitzsimmons will explain (I became distracted by conversation with someone).

Brandye comes up to give "overview of lease-leaseback construction delivery method." I'll be tuning out for this. (Pretty dry.)

Any questions? ... Unanimous approval.

Consent Calendar: nothing else pulled. 5.11 already pulled. Unanimous.

Discussion items:

Student success task force, blah, blah, blah. Kathy Schmeidler, Kathy Werle, Summer Serpas, Donna R. Here we are being cooperative and collaborative, says KS. SS discusses accelerated writing project. Presents data suggesting success of pilot program. Then DR: fast track to success. (These people speak well.) She discusses the problem of "allied health" and lack of basic skills. Got the allied health and basic math/English people together. They created a textbook. Sounds good. Pilot program. KW: discusses basic skills funding. She thrilled all by discussing "butts in seats." Blah, blah, blah. It all sounds good to me. Questions? Jemal: experiential element, where taking place? A: here on campus. DR discussed blood taken from fake arms.

Next report: mental health services. Linda Fontanilla speaks for IVC. She refers to her colleagues. Mentions 33 discipline cases. Three years ago, saw maybe one student per semester. Now all the time. Describes one student with mental health issues. Hygiene problems, disruption, snoring, etc. She was apprised of available facilities/services, but she rejected them. Intelligent but delusional. Another case: a young man who wasn't getting his financial aid on time. He became loud and aggressive. Called the police on him. Learned that he suffers being bipolar.

Chris H, IVC nurse, speaks. Been at IVC since 1985. Reviews history at IVC. A huge range of cases. We were dealing with mental health issues in 1979, but demand has increased. Demand for health services doubled from 2003-2012. Students were at first referred to "community resources." We did crisis counseling. Now, we have part-time psychologist. There's a year round waiting list. Lots of community resource referrals still. I started out as a psychiatric nurse. There are such limited resources in the community [OC]; it is appalling. Really bad in Orange County; was bad back in 1985, still is. Notes various things that have been done recently; preventative actions, etc. Funding? It is through $18 Health Fee. That's it. Chris does a great job, heavy on cynicism about lack of funding, lack of services in the County.

Liz Cipres, dean of counseling services. Discipline officer. We've seen 33 students through 2012. Various cases. Threats, etc.

Robert Melendez: Protocol of the health center. Etc.

Chris comes back to discuss protocol. There are many ways students come to us. They are interviewed by a nurse. We need to know if they are in immediate danger, are an immediate threat. We put them on the list for therapist. We are not dealing with schizophrenics, bipolar, referring them--we do not abandon them. Referrals. Follow-ups. 51-50 call: identified someone who is an immediate danger to selves, or to others. We had five during a recent semester. Amazing. You involve the police. Etc.

Next: Saddleback College. Blah, blah, blah. We have a wonderful collaboration between those working in this area. Counselors, et al. Blah, blah, blah. Presents "measures to identify, assist and educate employees working with at-risk students." 7 points. Online, self-paced program called "Kognito 'at-risk' gate keeper training." (Sounds like BS.) Evidently, the speaker went through this program. He seemed pleased as punch. There's one of these programs for faculty, for faculty and staff working with veterans, etc. We've had 52 people go through the (something) training. Etc. We're looking to expand that.

A faculty guide developed two years ago. How to respond to students who are distressed or threatening. We've handed these out to faculty at inservice, etc. We try to get info out there. (This guy's emphasis was on training faculty and staff.)

Turned over to Jeannie Harris-C. We have ten mental health beds in the County of Orange. Ten. (Echoes what Chris H said.) We shouldn't be surprised by what is happening at the college. Lots of students come with problems, baggage. We need to find ways to identify and help these students. Kognito is wonderful. We have two clinical psychologists. 5 registered nurses. All working part-time. Every slot that I have is filled. Cases: student misconduct. Discipline issues. Meetings with therapists on biweekly basis. Individual consultations with faculty members. Referrals from faculty happen every day. 51-50. One of our students was a "cutter." They can't feel pain, so they cut themselves. We were able to talk with student, put her on 51-50. Took her to a hospital. Held for five days. Was very gravely ill. This has a happy ending. Her medications were adjusted and changed. We'll be monitoring her. So we try to identify these students and try to refer them to something that will work. Lots of drug and alcohol use on this campus. About half of the cases involve substance abuse of some kind. Blah, blah, blah. Notes a web page available to faculty. Brochures given out. Anxiety, suicide. Occurences have become more routine. We try to address everything.

Jemal: dealing with these problems, very challenging. I'll hold in abeyance many questions that I have. So we have two different systems--one for IVC, another for SC? Woman explain the number of faculty who have completed "modules."

Jemal: a very good report. Good structure in place. --So Jemal has opted to be positive.

6.6. IVC Reorganization. Will hire new dean of online, etc. Significant savings overall....

That's it for me. I can stand no more. 9:41.