Thursday, May 7, 2015

Roquemore blows off process, part II

Erwin Chemerinsky
     “What’s the point of having a process at all?”
     “Why doesn’t he just tell the committee who they can’t recommend before the process starts?”
     “The idea that this action by the committee chair followed the process is dubious at best.”
     Such were the comments* made at today’s meeting of the IVC Academic Senate when folks were informed of Diane Oaks’ curious pronouncement last week that the “commencement speaker” committee, which she (as Prez Roquemore’s rep) chairs, may not include writer and columnist Gustavo Arellano among its recommendations for the 2016 IVC commencement speaker.
     According to the process, the college President is entitled to choose among the recommendations forwarded by the committee, which has campus-wide representation. Nothing in the official language describing the process refers to the chair's authority to censor (or edit) the committee's list on the President's behalf.
     Meanwhile, a half hour into today’s senate meeting, President Glenn Roquemore sent the campus community the following email:
     It is my honor to announce the 2016 Irvine Valley College Commencement Speaker, Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the School of Law, University of California, Irvine. 
     Nice diversion, Glenn.
     “Process” sure don’t count for much here at IVC, what with President-for-life Glenn Roquemore running things his way. But at least we’ve lined up an interesting choice for commencement speaker (for 2016—next year).
     Chemerinsky was atop the list of recommendations forwarded by the committee—the list that did not include Arellano, despite committee members' desire to put him there.
     You'll recall that, when Chemerinsky's hire as Dean of IVC's UCI's new law school was announced in 2007, local right-wing pols complained bitterly to UCI's then-Chancellor Michael Drake about the left-leaning legal scholar. That led to an embarrassing flip-flop, followed, ultimately, by yet another flip-flop. (In the end, Chemerinsky was again hired.) It was a low point in Drake's tenure.
Marketing Director Diane Oaks
     At the time, rumors (at least rumors I heard) had it that then-SOCCCD trustee and Neanderthal Tom Fuentes, for many years the chair of the local GOP, was among the noisy complainers about the selection of the decidedly non-knuckle-dragging Chemerinsky.
     Maybe we can get the C-man to talk about that for commencement?!

*Loose paraphrases of actual remarks, imprecisely remembered

See yesterday's Once again, Roquemore blows off process

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tom Fuentes did support the move to remove Chemerinsky. I think former trustees Don Wagner has squared off against him too over a few issues.

Anonymous said...

Just as an FYI for everyone, the people who pushed for Arellano were not humanities faculty. And to be fair to Glenn, in this case, it really was Diane who seemed to ignore the process. Perhaps a problem that she felt the need to thwart the process to protect Glenn, but I'm not sure how involved he was in steering her in that direction...

Anonymous said...

Glenn ordered a committee disbanded three years ago so HE could select the classified employee of the year, I kid you not. This is much too creapy...

Anonymous said...

Why does Glen have to be protected from knowing what a committee thinks? WHO choose the chair of this committee? In the far past it was Helen Locke. The last 2-3-4 years it was been Dianne. She talks about consensus but only she has veto power.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Chemerinksy defend James Corbett, that Capo High School teacher sued by his students for his comments about Christianity? It was a high profile case a few years back.

Anonymous said...

Too many "committee decisions" lately have been a sham. outcomes discussed and decided long before. Transparency and process are just buzzwords that mean absolutely nothing at IVC.

Anonymous said...

6:49, it was one student who didn't like the concept of critical thinking.

Anonymous said...

IVC's new law school?

Roy Bauer said...

I made the correction: UCI's new law school

Anonymous said...

Sort of embarrassing behavior, especially in front of students. The faculty and staff expect this but students still believe the stuff we teach them in the classroom about democratic processes.

Anonymous said...

That' s why she gets paid the big money.

Anonymous said...

D.O.? IVc's newest Empress...

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...