As you know, many vets have complained about Minkler’s disrespectful treatment of others—staff, students, vets, et al. (Several formal complaints have been filed with HR, I’m told.) But, evidently, Roquemore and Co. have remained foursquare behind their man and have pushed back against the complaining chorus, in some cases demoting them or firing them,* despite their longtime devotion to the vet community and vet services at IVC.
As per usual, Roquemore has put himself in a pickle. He wants the world to believe that he’s a great friend of the veteran, a heroic champion of our men and women in uniform, etc. But, owing to his incompetence,† he’s managed to hire and support a fellow who, by all (believable) accounts, is an unmitigated disaster. What to do?
It won’t do, of course, to acknowledge that Minkler’s a bad egg, a lousy hire. No, not that. The alternative, of course, is to portray all these carping veterans as the problem.
They’re hostile to him. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Who knows why. But they’re the problem. Not Minkler. So, there we have it. The predictable Roquemorian game plan: defend the indefensible.
Recently, I was told that Minkler has begun to play the “victim” card, asking for protection (from vets!) as he walks to his car in the parkinglot.
Gosh. I asked, “How can this guy run the Vet Center—that seems to be Roquemore’s plan—if he’s afraid of the vets? My vet source pointed at me and feigned an epiphany. He said: “Yeah, that’s what we want to know!”
Today, I visited the Veterans Service Center and discovered that Mr. Minkler is no longer there. Yesterday, I was told, he was moved up to the second floor, home of Guidance and Counseling.
How come?
Evidently (I was told), it’s because he’s afraid of the vets. He needs protection from them.
Wow.
"I have an alternative explanation," I said. "Could it be that, down here at the Vet Center, Minkler's reputation among vets has made him the Maytag Repair Man of Counseling?"
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| (IVC Happenings.) |
"There are lots more veterans at the center today," he reported.
Let's hope they continue to keep the vet counselor away from the vets. That seems to be working out well.
A fine mess, Glenn.‡
*Sources tell us that one of the demoted/fired vets is Chris Hooshmand. According to IVC Happenings (4/30/12), “Chris Hooshmand is the IVC Veterans Transition Coordinator [and] Founder of the IVC Veterans Center….” See also the Irvine Rotary Blog. Note: thus far, Hooshmand has not been among our sources. We'd love to hear from him though.
†The first hiring committee came up with a few candidates, but they were not to Glenn's liking, and so he ordered them to restart the process. Second time around, Glenn found someone he really liked. Minkler.
‡We wish to thank the veterans who first alerted us to this situation and others who have provided invaluable background information about the Center and about the history of the veteran presence at IVC.
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| IVC vets Gabrielle Cobos & Chris Hooshmand receiving scholarships from the Rotary Club of Irvine. (Irvine Rotary Blog) |
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| Dedication of IVC's new Veterans Service Center in September. (OC Register) |
The “Fubar” series:
• The Veterans Center FUBAR, Part 1 — or "Why do the Veterans hate the veterans' counselor?"*
• The Veterans Center FUBAR, part 2: protection!
• The Veterans Center FUBAR, part 3: a room of one’s own
• The Veterans Center fubar, part 4: another side?
• The Veterans Center fubar, part 5: administration's dog and pony show
• The Veterans Center fubar, part 6: the "other side" re Mark Minkler
• The Veterans Center FUBAR, Part 1 — or "Why do the Veterans hate the veterans' counselor?"*
• The Veterans Center FUBAR, part 2: protection!
• The Veterans Center FUBAR, part 3: a room of one’s own
• The Veterans Center fubar, part 4: another side?
• The Veterans Center fubar, part 5: administration's dog and pony show
• The Veterans Center fubar, part 6: the "other side" re Mark Minkler
88 comments:
Thanks for writing about this issue.
Linda F, Mark Minkler, Richard Morley, etc. what a bunch of phonies!
Darryl Cox was a real person who cared about the veterans and was punished for speaking up and standing up for them. That is what a true leader does...and sometimes he has to fall on his sword for the team. I think it is time for the Vets (in force and in uniform) to go to the Board of Trustee meeting and voice their complaints.
Mrs. Plano (Gwen) was and Mr. Weatherford (Ted) is very supportive too.
We've had a great track record for our newest hires: Morley, Fontinella, and Minkler. Not one of them has an inkling about respect or civility towards the Vets (or the other students for that matter). Where is Glenn? Where is HR? Does it take a lawsuit against the district for a hostile environment to get this madness to stop?
Where in the world do we get these people from? Can't we hire people from our campus community that like and respect us? Why do we continue to go outside to hire these rejects from other schools?
An incident, had become a repeated incident, which then became a trend, and now it's essentially habitual.
Keep sweeping it under the rug, Linda Fontanella. I guess since it will make Linda look bad, the veterans should just let Mark Minkler get away with how he treats veterans. That way, Linda wont look bad for making a bad hire, sound about right?
It's so obvious when you think they want a counselor that has multiple complaints from students and veterans.
Does it take a lawsuit against the district for a hostile environment to get this madness to stop?
Excellent point 6:30pm....When was the last time we promoted someone from our own campus? Check the facts:
1. The last two Deans hired - from the outside
2. The last two Directors hired - from the outside
3. The last VP hired - from the outside
4. The last counselor hired - from the outside
5. Morley's staff (all of them) - from the outside
Notice a pattern....
How can the vets be the problem when until now they were so great?
Evidently (I was told), it’s because he’s afraid of the vets. He needs protection from them.
Wow.
Everyone knows that great organizations promote and hire from within...that is what develops loyalty and dedication by employees.
We hire and promote from the outside and make believe we have civility and mutual respect. Someone needs to explain to Linda, Richard, Mark, et. al, what that really means.
When Stinkler moved upstairs stating he was afraid of the vets, he lost respect, and will never regain it. This is an unrepairable catastrophe . Time to dump the Stink and hire someone else. Font needs to cool her jets and stop treating adults like teens, quite annoying.
"There are lots more veterans at the center today," he reported.
Let's hope they continue to keep the vet counselor away from the vets. That seems to be working out well.
A fine mess, Glenn.
connect@ocregister.com
I don't know about "great organizations promoting from within" - I think that depends how great the organization is, frankly - and come on, fine candidates CAN be found on the outside, just as poor ones can be found inside. THIS is really about incredibly poor leadership and a willingness to misuse the good will and the good work of many. They should be ASHAMED of themselves. Thanks for writing about this.
Does HR know about this???? THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ASAP
Glen NEVER admits mistakes. Remember Pointdexter, the guy in PE who terrorized staff? Gensler? Al Tello? The list goes on and on and on. Those people only directly hurt staff and faculty. The tragedy here is that this is directly hurting students.
We've been told that formal complaints have been filed.
Wayne Ward, Richard Morley….
Dam Roy, Chris has so much heat on him right now from Linda I don't know if calling him out like that is a good idea. On the flip side everyone knows you were talking about Chris, that guy is the only reason I didn't fail out of college after getting out of the Marines. Dude just wanted to help veterans pass classes, he even helped me with my chemistry on his own time. Chris for Stinkler in a straight up trade huh Linda? I see you really thought that one out. This decision explains why you park in the handicap stall at IVC everyday when you walk just fine. Your disability is mental not physical.
I was under the impression that it was no secret that Chris objected to Minkler. Sorry if I managed to "call him out." Not my intention at all.
Roy, we gonna blog about this for a few more days and forget about this or is there anyone that can fix this?
This is what leadership makes time for at IVC. Un-flipping believable
People need to complain about the miserable leadership at IVC and, in particular, the lousy way that some key veterans have been treated by this crew. People should direct their complaints to the board of trustees and the chancellor. Here's some contact info:
npadberg@socccd.edu - Board President Nancy Padberg
mmilchiker@socccd.edu - Trustee Marcia Milchiker
dlang@socccd.edu - Trustee David Lang
tjemal@socccd.edu - Trustee Tim Jemal
jwright@socccd.edu - Trustee James Wright
drobinson25@saddleback.edu - Student trustee Robinson
tprendergast@socccd.edu - Trustee TJ Prendergast
bjay@socccd.edu - Trustee Bill Jay
gpoertner@socccd.edu - Chancellor Gary Poertner
The fear expressed here about retaliation is really alarming. You'd think the trustees would have noticed that no vets showed up at the Vets Day event? I wonder what Glen told them about that.
People won't complain because of retaliation (true, no matter what Glenn says). I'm no techie, but can someone email the Board members above and link the address of the Blog and simply ask them to read about the issues?
Faculty are more protected than staff from retaliation. They have tenure. Let's talk to our teachers.
What I cannot understand is how all the respect and support for the vets evaporated so quickly. I am disappointed about the attitude coming from the administration - but not surprised. We've seen this in other ways on this campus and have complained about it for years. This is just the latest glaring example.
Glen didn't care because he had a " Vet" there. Linda F the only Vet that was apparently needed!! Sorry about your dog tags!
It would be helpful if the blog would spend a bit more time investigating both side of a story. While I do appreciate that this is not journalism, it is obviously biased and mean spirited at times in its bias. What many so know is that there is a small group of veterans who have been able to do whatever they want and have done so for quite some time and to the concern of employees. The reality is, things may have changed and because of this, these few Veterans are not able to do whatever as they once did. I sure this is an unpleasant reality to some. While there seem to be complaints about this counselor, it is also understood that other students and staff think quite highly of him. It would be helpful to get all sides of the story prior to posting such comments. While a member of the classified staff was afraid of a Dean many, many years ago....we should show the same concern for any student or (and do not forget) any staff member who also feels unsafe and in all of those cases of course HR must be involved. The comments here do not provide clarity always but may merely worsen the confusion and anger. Truth is in the middle here somewhere and I hope you search for it and locate it on behalf of everyone involved.
The core of this story is the reported fact that this much heralded counselor is the subject of several formal complaints--and that many veterans report that he conducts himself inappropriately and provides poor counseling. Do you deny any of this?
I cannot control comments and, as you can imagine, once DtB starts picking and choosing comments to leave, it is badly eroding the "forum" aspect of the blog. And so we have followed a policy of leaving comments alone except in extreme cases (racial slurs, etc.).
I have said this many times before and I will say it again: those who wish to provide an opposing view should simply provide it. If an alleged fact is not a fact, they should simply say that and make their case. Further, they can contact me--I make no secret who I am or where I can be found--and I'd be happy to listen to you and ev en to provide you an opportunity for an written response. I have often done that over the years.
Hi Mark, nice of you to join us.
It's funny how a "small group of veterans" have been at IVC for the last 2-3 years without any problems or complaints but in the 8 weeks since minkler has been hired those vets are now racist, sexiest, out of control, unprofessional blah blah blah. Makes complete sense when you think about it.
11:47 "2-3 years without any problems or complaints" Really. Quite frankly, you have obviously not been listening until just recently or you would not have made such a statement. This has been an ongoing issue and many have been aware and voiced concern and for some time.
12:42 "This has been going on for some time" is that right? If the veterans are so terrible why did glenn build them a brand new office right in front of school? Why did glenn give them an 80 inch smart board tv? How come the last two galas have been specifically about student veterans? This is how you treat out of control veterans?
Please. No one is buying what your selling so get out of here with your minkler and Linda spin.
1:27 yes, with a small group of Veterans this has been going on for some time and concerns have been voiced for sometime in regards to these particular students. You started spinning when you turned my comment into "the Veterans" ... or all Veterans who are our students at IVC. Nice try but that is not what was said at all ... The Gala, The Office and the television honor Veterans ...
Now that some have come to Mark's defense, I would ask you this question. Is Mark Minkler is good for the Veterans Program? Does he help them transition from the military and get them through IVC successfully? Have you seen him counsel veterans? Does his presence help or hinder the environment of their new center?
4:17 I think the fact that minkler called the police and stated he needs protection from the vets because he fears for his safety pretty much answers all of your questions.
Was it just the veteran named Chris that he's afraid of or is it more of all the veterans as a collective?
Why the hell would anyone be afraid of our vet on campus, total crap
Yes protection! Our IVC Police escort him into his office when needed but God forbid you call campus police for a real issue like an irrate student because they are no where to be found!
All I can say is if I was "Chris" I'd feel pretty good about my self that as a student I have that much power to stir up this much controversy with a faculty member.
As a classified staff member and a female on campus I can truly say the Vets that I do know have been nothing but gentlemen. Always willing to lend a hand and always respectful. I would call a Vet student before campus police if I needed help!
A counselor should never feel afraid of his students
Yeah the vets are the problem...lol lets make sure all vets are Minkler approved
agreed!
As an employee (and a veteran) I have always been proud of the way our campus vets acted. Are there a few who are rowdy sometimes and a little rough around the edges...you bet. And if you had been through the experiences they had you would probably be the same way. They are a tight band that looks out and cares for each other...very supportive. I would have them by my side anytime!
Anyone who calls themselves a counselor and cannot recognize that their feelings and attitudes might be different than a kid just coming out of HS shouldn't be counseling Vets. Minker is afraid of the Vets? Probably afraid of the dark too!
Maybe the kids at the CDC need a counselor.
Lotta officer attitude.
Yet this counselor has "IVC'S" finest escort him all around campus.
Sorry 5:31 PM they can't send Minkler to the CDC, he is afraid of Big Bird.
HOW MANY problems could have been solved if Linda had just put him up somewhere besides the vets new center?????
“We know it’s not always easy for men and women who are returning from their military duty to transition into civilian life," Fontanilla said. "But our staff faculty and students are working very hard to ensure incoming veterans that they receive the support they need in achieving their educational goals here in Irvine Valley College."
Your actions speak louder Linda
Glenn, Linda, Craig, Richard, they are all the same - All BS all the Time...Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah and never a word of truth.
Just because they're vets it doesn't mean they get to do what ever they want, whenever. As I understand, Minkler brought some change, order, process and organization to the centre. Some did not like that so they ran to the blogaderos. Now you see what we have?
I agree with 4:05. It's a College, not a preschool. If they don't like that, they should go somewhere else.
I think 4:05 is 4:08. What do you think?
Within a few months of Minkler's arrival, five formal sexual harrassment complaints have been filed against him. Talkt to HR.
Yeah, he brought change all right.
Have you actually talked to these vets? They'e not kids. The tend to be quietly mature, serious. They are averse to BS. They don't like getting talked down to, especially not by an abusive person.
It's pretty obvious its an organized setup when that happens to a new manager right out of the box. HR are not a bunch of idiots, ya know...
People do not like change, especially a new manager. HR understands that. They probably also understand there is a group of bloggederos that lead those efforts simply because they oppose any new manager hires by this administration, i.e. Cipress, Foneanilla, Morley, Xaou, Poindexter, etc... You people overblow it so much, it's pretty obvious.
Also, since HR issues are confidential, how would you know about the exidtance of such formal complaints, let alone the exact number of them and their nature? It's obvious it's just another bloggedero setup.
4:51, talked down to especially by a know-it-all educationist-unionist.
LOL, the driveby blogederos! The school's new mascot!
MInkler brought about change? He has never been a counselor before in his life (FACT) and he does a terrible job pretending to be one. Minkler did not replace anyone(FACT) he is a counselor inside the vet center. He has no authority at all so what alleged change did he bring? All he did was manage to piss off every campus veteran and in his spare time sexual harass female students and staff. I can't wait for the criminal complaints and lawsuits that will come in the near future against the school and this guy. I wonder how linda is going to explain holding onto a counselor that harassed several women in the first 2 months he got hired.
As someone who isn't involved in any of this I just want to say that this display shows a real problem with communication and management and process. I am sure everyone has some kind of reasonable point to be made but because there is such a "shut-up top-down" management style at IVC you get this kind of sad situation. Over and over again.
You are absolutely correct in your assessment. The lack of leadership, lack of accountability and lack of communication are the legacy of the administration on this campus and the reason for the failures and problems that plague the campus on a daily basis.
I also think that not everyone is all bad but I must say the system here makes it easy to act that way. Why smart, good people play along, knowing how F-ed up it is is beyond me - except of course, we all need jobs but still, wouldn't it better to make it work? Everybody knows better. They do. Whether it's the vets or the women's studies program (I didn't even know we had one) or the foundation or the scholarship program or how and why buildings are built - everyone KNOWS. It could be, should be LOTS better. We SHOULD be making decisions based upon students needs but admin or faculty ego and desires and historical feuds.
At Anonymous 4:05, I think the whole point of giving them a " Vets" center was so they could feel like they were there own group. After all they did fight for our freedom. Also as a female staff member on campus I have never felt threatened by a Vet student or felt like they could "do what they want!" Unlike said counselor who has on several occasions been inappropriate. And yes I'm still waiting for HR to contact me!!!
5:12, among those we spoke with for this story were those who filed complaints.
This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for Linda Fontanella and Mark Minkler and all that they provide for student veterans at IVC.
It's "Fontanilla," not "Fontanella."
Screw you RB. Just because you have this blog, all your liberal newspaper pals, and some complainers on your side doesn't mean you will be able to get away with distorting and exploiting this situation for your own gain. Everyone knows you have an axe to grind with administration, and you'll use anything you can (incl. students) to get at them. Next you'll probably exploit the campuswide email Glenn just sent out wishing the commumity a happy thanksgiving. Don't you get it? It's just a job Roy. Just do it and have a happy life at home. Our campus is never going to heal as long as you keep this up. We wish you a happy thanksgiving Roy.
Gosh, 2:18, on the one hand, you write "Screw you RB." On the other, you wish me "a happy thanksgiving day." You seem confused.
I shall assume that your advice to me applies to others: "it's just a job; do your job and have a happy life at home."
That's quite a philosophy. I do thank you for stating it so clearly, so succinctly.
2:18, just what is it that you imagine Bauer gains by writing about these things? You say that Bauer has an "axe to grind with administration." Well, maybe he does and maybe he doesn't (I see no evidence of it). In any case, it has no relevance to the question whether administration has mucked up the situation regarding Veterans on campus. It is clear that they've moved Minkler out of the Vet Center. Don't you want to know why? No vets showed up at our recent Vet's Day celebration. You don't want an explanation? The vets have complained for years that all the money the Foundation claims to have raised for them never gets to them. Don't care about that?
You're an odd one, Mr. "Screw You." Please tell us more. You are entertaining, if not intelligent.
"IVC: the truth is too miserable a thing to tell" (dtb header).
The reason it's so miserable at IVC is because Roy makes it that way. Roy is just a miserable person. Misery loves company, and so Roy will do anything to keep the organization in a miserable state.
The leaders cannot be 100% truthful with us, for if they did they would not be leaders or be able to lead. Just because they don't tell you everything doesn't mean they are lying. If you want to know everything all the time, then perhaps you should go to work in admin, but the problem is that once there, you wouldn't be able to divulge confidential information, so I guess that would then make you a lier. You are aware of this paradox that would apply to any admin and are just using this bolg and your academic freedom to push it as far as you can. The truth is that it is personal. If the admin was packed with your cronys you would have no beef.
"The leaders cannot be 100% truthful with us, for if they did they would not be leaders or be able to lead."
"The leaders cannot be 100% truthful with us, for if they did they would not be leaders or be able to lead."
I thought honesty and transparency meant being truthful, but evidently not to the responders above. How can you even call them leaders if they cannot be truthful?
2:18 PM is an example of why we need civility and mutual respect at IVC. Roy and Dtb serve a real purpose by exposing issues on campus that impact students, faculty and staff. You may like or agree with the information, but it is an open forum for people to express issues and concerns. The blog is open to anyone that want to comment or rebut any statement or claim. They can even identify themselves (but few do). If anyone in administration want to comment or clarify something they can.
Frankly it's something I have always cherished....it's called freedom of speech.
Case in point: your pal Obama ain't and never was. Why aren't you bothering him? Nontransparency and dishonesty is fine when it comes to leaders on the left who the driveby blogederos agree with.
3:17, you assert that my coverage is "personal," but, as before, you offer no evidence or argument, just assertion. You suggest that I have created the misery at IVC and that I "will do anything to keep the organization in a miserable state."
Part of the district's defense back in 1998 (Bauer v. Sampson/SOCCCD) involved the same canard--that I was responsible for the colleges' accreditation woes, bad press, and legal trouble. None of the judges would have any of it then, and no sentient being will have any of it now. The reason our coverage of administrative doing at IVC is so negative is that administrative doings at IVC are piss-poor. It's that simple.
I'm sorry, but it's odd to find that, as usual, the only apologists the opposition can scrape up are manifest illiterates and fools. My plan is to continue to report on IVC/district doings until, at long last, intelligent and genuinely collegiate leadership is in place at these institutions. (I continue to give Poertner the benefit of a doubt; perhaps he is doing the best he can with the benighted crew he is forced to work with. I don't know how else to explain his passivity before the abject shittiness of college leadership in this district, especially at IVC.)
You say that Bauer and DtB "want to know everything all the time." No. They object to our being told nothing all the time--and enduring endless deceptive and/or self-serving sound bites. 3:17, are you as stupid as you sound? Today, Glenn again declared his devotion to "transparency." Do you really suppose any of us at the college regard such declarations as anything but bullshit? Do you really imagine that we toil at a college that is run intelligently or well?
This must be one of those "self-defecating" comments one hears about. Hilarious!
"The leaders cannot be 100% truthful with us, for if they did they would not be leaders or be able to lead."
Good leaders: we know them by their lies. Thank you sir, may I have another?
Blogedreos, why don't you come to your senses
You've been out riding fences... An oldie but goodie.
Eagles fan, eh?
Learn to spell, dude.
All right, 4:11, try again, only this time sans reference to feminine hygiene products.
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