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| 2012 scholarship ceremony -photo by Roy Bauer. |
People keep dropping by the office with one question: What did you think of the Scholarship ceremony?
Where does one start?
Rebel Girl doesn't have time to begin let alone end. So she will just get the ball rolling. You can take it from there if you wish.
Yes, money was distributed to deserving students and photos were taken and sliced fruit eaten and hands were shaken. Yes. Applause, applause.
See you next year.
*
Anonymous - 10:51 AM, May 20, 2014
What is up with the confusing numbers - cited in the program:
At today's ceremony, approximately $201,400 will be awarded to 356 Irvine Valley College students for the 2014-2015 academic year.
In total, this year, 477 scholarships will provide approximately $368,200 in awards.
Huh? What does that mean?
And why doesn't the program tell you which awards were given to which students?
Anonymous - 11:04 AM, May 20, 2014
On the up side there wasn't a prayer!
On the down side, well...why did the students have to be seated outside the room? It made the room seem empty and we couldn't see their reactions - and they could not see the speeches which were all about them. Very odd.
The need to take a photo of each group on stage really was awkward and emphasized the photo - not the recognition of the scholars. Couldn't that be done another way? What happens to those photos anyway?
Couldn't the whole thing be done another way? It's not very dynamic or sophisticated.
Anonymous - 11:12 AM, May 20, 2014
It's always difficult to criticize a program that assists students but it's important to do because of that very fact - it provides critical assistance to students. So it's important to look at the integrity and transparency of the process of how the awards are determined and how the program is managed. It's broken and it is not getting any better.
Anonymous - 11:50 AM, May 20, 2014
I don't know how people could sit on that stage or in the audience (or in the lobby!) and not notice there was something very, very wrong. When you try and say something about it, they look at you like to have just kicked a kitten.
Roy Bauer - 11:57 AM, May 20, 2014
What's the "Mama! Mama!" alluding to?
Anonymous - 3:59 PM, May 20, 2014
The Mama, Mama is alluding the the opening (and condescending) line of [VP of SS] Linda Fontanilla who started the ceremony not with a welcome but with a bizarre story about a girl getting a scholarship and being able to college just because of that money. The story was told in a pre-school tone of voice and one of the weirder things I have seen at a college ceremony.
Anonymous - 4:00 PM, May 20, 2014
To the, go to college. Ugh typos
Anonymous - 4:03 PM, May 20, 2014
Also, what is the deal with the Devil that Morley has signed with follet? Without their contributions, were not actually giving out that much money from the foundation. Think someone needs to investigate what is being bought and sold at IVC. And something tells me it's not just books....
Anonymous - 11:44 PM, May 20, 2014
The opening story was a very odd, condescending, ultimately infantilizing of our students - and us. The stage was bare - with covered drums in the background (!) and trash in evidence. Too many speeches saying the same thing to students who weren't in the audience. Morely lacked a script and had to be corrected from the audience. He ignored people he asked to the stage to recognize. Marcia was on her cell phone! The staged photos were AWFUL. No one knew who won what or why.
Anonymous - 12:26 AM, May 21, 2014
I am so glad others pointed out how AWFUL and CRINGE-INDUCING the patronizing story offered WITHOUT introduction at the beginning of whatever that was last Friday morning was. Oh my. Where are the grown-ups around here? It's a good thing the students were not in the room to be insulted like that. Too bad their families and friends were.
Anonymous - 7:06 AM, May 21, 2014
The ceremony needs to be re-envisioned and streamlined with the focus on the students, not speeches and photos. The process of awarding scholarship needs transparency and accountability.
25 comments:
What is up with the confusing numbers - cited in the program:
At today's ceremony, approximately $201,400 will be awarded to 356 Irvine Valley College students for the 2014-2015 academic year.
In total, this year, 477 scholarships will provide approximately $368,200 in awards.
Huh? What does that mean?
And why doesn't the program tell you which awards were given to which students?
On the up side there wasn't a prayer!
On the down side, well...why did the students have to be seated outside the room? It made the room seem empty and we couldn't see their reactions - and they could not see the speeches which were all about them. Very odd.
The need to take a photo of each group on stage really was awkward and emphasized the photo - not the recognition of the scholars. Couldn't that be done another way? What happens to those photos anyway?
Couldn't the whole thing be done another way? It's not very dynamic or sophisticated.
It's always difficult to criticize a program that assists students but it's important to do because of that very fact - it provides critical assistance to students. So it's important to look at the integrity and transparency of the process of how the awards are determined and how the program is managed. It's broken and it is not getting any better.
I don't know how people could sit on that stage or in the audience (or in the lobby!) and not notice there was something very, very wrong. When you try and say something about it, they look at you like to have just kicked a kitten.
What's the "Mama! Mama!" alluding to?
The Mama, Mama is alluding the the opening (and condescending) line of Linda Fontanilla who started the ceremony not with a welcome but with a bizarre story about a girl getting a scholarship and being able to college just because of that money. The story was told in a pre-school tone of voice and one of the weirder things I have seen at a college ceremony.
To the, go to college. Ugh typos
Also, what is the deal with the Devil that Morley has signed with follet? Without their contributions, were not actually giving out that much money from the foundation. Think someone needs to investigate what is being bought and sold at IVC. And something tells me it's not just books....
The opening story was a very odd, condescending, ultimately infantilizing of our students - and us.
The stage was bare - with covered drums in the background (!) and trash in evidence.
Too many speeches saying the same thing to students who weren't in the audience.
Morely lacked a script and had to be corrected from the audience. He ignored people he asked to the stage to recognize.
Marcia was on her cell phone!
The staged photos were AWFUL.
No one knew who won what or why.
I am so glad others pointed out how AWFUL and CRINGE-INDUCING the patronizing story offered WITHOUT introduction at the beginning of whatever that was last Friday morning was. Oh my. Where are the the grown-ups around here? It's a good thing the students were not in the room to be insulted like that. Too bad their families and friends were.
The ceremony needs to be re-envisioned and streamlined with the focus on the students, not speeches and photos. The process of awarding scholarship needs transparency and accountability.
Who is responsible for the scholarship ceremony?
Years ago, for each scholarship the names of the recipient(s) were announced.
The winner(s) walked off stage and met the donor, shook hands and have their pictures taken. Now the donors have a snow ball's chance in hell of meeting the students. Taking a picture of a group of students who don't win the same scholarship is so flipping lame. Stupid
356 students, only 400 seats in the PAC. Time to move scholarship ceremony to live oaks.
Live Oaks would be greater but the greater problem is the whole set-up. The story at the beginning of this year's ceremony was well-intended but presented in such an infantile way that it insulted everyone who knows who are students are. These are adults, not children. And yes, it would be nice to know WHO won WHAT and WHY.
12:25 AM - Agreed, too many people (students, parents, guests, donors, faculty, etc.) to hold the ceremony in the PAC as it only has seating for about 375. Time to move it to the terraces like commencement. We have outgrown being the "little college in the orange groves".
Does everyone have to give a speech? Are their egos so fragile they have to get up there and gush? ONE welcome speech. One acknowledgment of a FEW select donors. THEN put the focus on the students -and please STOP the cattle call! Group the scholarships thematically. It's not rocket science. Doesn't anyone ever visit any other colleges?????
Grouping the winners thematically - great idea! You could have say - all the big science awards. Announce them and if the students one others, mention those too. All the music, speech, etc. Highlight new scholarships. Single out especially BIG awards. That would make sense.
All these suggestions are great but in order to implement any of them we'd need to overhaul the timeline and management of the process and I can tell you, that NEVER happens. They're making decisions about WHO gets WHAT at the very last minute. Irresponsible, yes. Poor planning, yes. People are unwilling to let go of a very broken process. How broken is IVC? they couldn't even hire a person to take over for Darryl. Every one turned them down.
I was on the search committee (for the "Darryl replacement"). The committee's work was good, I believe. We sent up three qualified candidates. I believe that one of these candidates had already accepted a position and the other two refused us. The latter factoid surprised me.
They dont want a financial aid director. They want more window dressing. Financial aid candidates are smart enough to spot a bait and switch, and smart enough to not go where they cannot be successful.
The Scholarship meeting Tuesday morning was interesting. You should have been there.
It could have been MORE interesting. It's nice that so many good people want to help a few do their jobs. I still don't understand who that works.
Was that a rift between Linda and Richard?
There is always some rift going on with Richard. He has more issues than a daily newspaper!
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