Board Forum: don't nobody ask the obvious questions

Nobody gave a crap

     Naturally, there was no chance of my attending today's Trustee Forum. These Presidential and Board extravaganzas are invariably scheduled when I teach. Such was the case today, for the forum started at 12:30, the start time of my Philosophy 2 class.
     Undeterred, immediately after class at about 1:50, I walked over to the A100 Building, hoping to find the meeting--or at least a few stragglers and cupcakes. I found three or four people standing around. I got nowhere.
     Later, I ran into one or two people who could fill me in on the event. "There was a Monopoly Game about ATEP," said one wag. Not sure if he was kidding. But I wouldn't be surprised if some version of that proposition were true. ATEP is, of course, the Eternally Amorphous Kollege (EAK). It was once slated to become the new home and headquarters for a band of young performers called the "Young Republican Hoofers" or some such thing. The Young Hoofer idea fell through, though, and, since that time, ATEP has lacked any discernible identity or vision or Zip Code. Last I heard, it was still an enormous Money Pit, sporting three or four tin shacks and the sad sawdust residue of a chapel that had been built for soldiers back in 1942. (I tried to get people interested in saving the chapel, but nobody seemed to give a crap.)
     "Was it well attended?" I asked. Well, yes it was, I was told, "though there were only two or three faculty."
     Oh. I guess maybe they were teaching. Classified employees get brownie points for attending, I bet.

The Plastic People of the Universe

     As you know, recently, the state promulgated the result of an effort to collect factoids per college regarding "success." It's called the "student success scorecard." "Completion" and "success" are, of course, the buzzwords de jour. Generally speaking, our two colleges did OK, completion-wise, though, on some measures, we were way behind other local colleges or districts. For instance, the SOCCCD was in distant last place with regard to the ratio of full-time instruction to part-time instruction (aka "reliance on slave labor"). It was kind of embarrassing. A debacle even.
     That's not about completion, I guess, but it sure is about something important.
     "Anybody talk about the recent State Scorecard for the colleges?"
     "Nope."
     "Nobody? ... Nothing?"
     Head shake.
     "What did they talk about then?"
     "I dunno. ATEP, I guess."
     Someone else told me that five of the seven trustees showed up. Only PJ Prendergast and Bill Jay were no-shows. I wonder what these trustees made of the "Scorecard." Were they embarrassed? Concerned?
     Maybe they've never heard of it. I mean, nobody brought it up today at IVC. Could be nobody in the room heard about it. It somehow fell between the cracks, like oversight of evening classes.
     Maybe, here, in the SOCCCD, we're in one of those Bubbles. Could be.
     Hello? Anybody out there? HELLLOOOOOOOO!

Gone forever