It ain't me

This cut from the summer's Latin tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Quiero Creedence, just might get Rebel Girl through the election season. Maybe. Play loud.

Yes, that is a Donald Trump piñata being dragged by the little girl.

*

Trollery is Assholery

Trolls are generally loutish and
cowardly, hiding behind anonymity

     Many online sites are responding to the problem of nasty trolls by shutting down their comments section à la NPR. Some sites (NYT online) heavily edit or moderate comments. We've generally left our comments sections alone, but it ain't easy letting IDIOTS have their say. Let's see how they respond to this!

Goodbye to the Loudest Drunk in NPR’s Online Bar
(Moyers & Co.)
     Once seen as a way to democratize the media, news site commenting sections have become playgrounds for nasty trolls.

…As NPR’s ombudsman from 2007 to 2011, I know firsthand how futile and frustrating comments sections are. Even though NPR had a sign-up system, and hired an outside moderator to check comments before posting, a listener could still create an alias and write whatever he (and it was usually men) liked. The comments were often mean-spirited and did little to foster civil conversation.
. . .
The trolls who rule the comment seas may actually have won because they often scare away people with their vicious attacks. An infinitesimal number of NPR’s 25 to 35 million unique monthly users bothered to join story-page conversations.
. . .
The New York Times handles comments by strategically opening up only 10 percent of its stories for comments and then heavily moderates the debate.
. . .
“We have the ability to find the worst people on our sites,” said Losowsky [head of the Coral Project, an effort to respond to the problem]. “But there’s almost nothing that really helps find the best people. So what you have is the best commenters feeling like they are not getting attention from the newsroom. And they are not. You need to celebrate the best comments and find and encourage those people to do more.”
. . .
After over a decade of stagnation in comment sections, the Coral Project or, Hearken, which allows journalists to partner with the public, may be what’s needed to shift the debate from negative to positive, listen more to the audience and enhance the conversation for those who want to be involved….

• On embracing your own facts 
(OC Blue Philosopher)

     ...I'm reminded of a curious chapter in the anti-tax movement. Ronald Reagan, of course, is an anti-tax hero among Republicans. In fact, however, he did raise taxes. But he was inclined to deny this fact....

• Ann Coulter flips out over Trump’s immigration flip-flop as she releases new book, “In Trump We Trust”
(Salon)

...“Everywhere I go, I get the same reaction. They want toughness, they want firmness, they want to obey the law. But — but, they feel that throwing them out as a whole family when they’ve been here for a long time, it’s a tough thing. They do feel that,” Trump added....

The SOCCCD: no unmanned aircraft systems allowed!

     Earlier today denizens of the South Orange County Community College District received the above bulletin.

     Better listen up, we were told, 'cuz this will "impact your work and teaching practices."
     The upshot: YOU CAN'T FLY YOUR DRONES AROUND HERE NO MORE.
     Drones? Do instructors and other employees own and operate drones in this district? Really?
     Am I the only instructor left who's sans drone?
     WTF?

I bet ol' Bob's got a truckload of these things.

UPDATE:

7:20 writes

Please read the announcement again. Drones are not outlawed. You simply need appropriate certification.

     Right you are, 7:20. Frankly, I didn't—and still don't—take any of this seriously. To me, that a college district would warn instructors not to fly their drones "on District premises" unless they get the right paperwork is hilarious. But, for some, I guess it isn't. So some of you better get the right papers so you can fly your, um, UASs on campus. You've only got three days! Achtung!

Sing-a-long Thursday: "When they say, 'we want our America back,' Well, what the fuck do they mean?"

When they say, “we want our America back”,
Our America back, our America back.”
When they say, ” we want our America back”
Well, what the fuck do they mean?

Remember the garden of Eden?
Before eve hung out with that snake?
You could walk down the streets not worry bout thieves
All the kids could go trick or treating.
Then those foreigners started coming in
Like the Germans in 1790
Then the Irish arrived, the potato blight
The neighborhood started changing

Life was better, we lived right,
Life had a paler shade of white, when they sing
“We want our America Back”

Before there was Ellis island
And that statue we got from the French
That whore’s still alerting, with strangers she’s flirting
Inviting them into our beds
The guineas, the coolies, the wetbacks, the reds
The Jews, now those terrorists
And who let in the woman who looks after my kid
And the one who is cleaning my mess?

Before the gays had their agenda, before the slaves were free
Before that man from Kenya took the presidency

Life was so righteous, life was so clean.
Send 'em all back including me
When they say, “we want our America back”,
Our America back, our America back.”
When they say, ” we want our America back”

Well, what the…fuckk do they mean?

- by the wonderful Jill Sobule!

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More Emails Show Clinton Foundation Ties to State Department (Democracy Now)

     Hillary Clinton is facing questions after a new round of emails released Monday again reveal the close ties between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state. The 725 pages of emails were released by the conservative group Judicial Watch, which obtained them through a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this year. They show Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, corresponding with multiple Clinton Foundation donors, including Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain, whose scholarship program committed $32 million over five years to the Clinton Global Initiative. He was seeking a meeting with Hillary Clinton. Another email shows Abedin corresponding with a Los Angeles-based sports executive who had donated between $5 million and $10 million to the foundation. He wanted help getting a visa for a British soccer player. The visa was never granted. On Monday, Bill Clinton said he would remove himself from the board of the foundation if Hillary Clinton becomes president.

Review: ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ Time-Travels to Silicon Valley’s Dawn (NYT)

One of my faves.

The August meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees: live and direct!

 

SOCCCD administrators Mr. Sturm
and Mr. Drang

     (Be sure to read Tere's Board Meeting Highlights.)
     6:30 - Here we are once again in the big barn known as the "Ronald Reagan meeting room." There's no sign of the trustees just yet. The room is fairly full with people scattered about, yacking, preparing to make public comments and whatnot. Maybe somebody's getting a prize.
     One hears rumors about this board lately. Evidently they are very divided over something. Something having to do with SC Prez Burnett's banishing of a certain administrator, and a plot most foul among some district and IVC administrators to do—I don't know what. The recent and surprising departures of IVC's VPI and the district Chancellor have something to do with it all (casualties?). Evil deeds are, or have been, afoot among some administrators, I'm told, and some of this darkness will inevitably come to light. Stay tuned.

     Meanwhile, we're all melting and wilting in the heat. At IVC, I'm teaching these days in a crummy old room (A207) in a crummy old building (A200) with lousy AC. "There's nothing worse than a sweaty philosopher," I tell my students. They agree, near as I can tell. They seem aghast, but that could be me.
     Tonight's discussion items, as I recall, include the allocation of basic aid money (SOCCCD's infamous gravy train) and the "parking study report." Unsurprisingly, the latter will describe two campuses up to their blazingly hot roofing tiles in sizzling autos and endless parking wars. Solution: the erection of parking structures among other things. Won't that be nice?
     6:42 - Still no sign of the trustees. The agenda for their closed session looked like it could contain fiery controversy, but who knows. "Public employee discipline, dismissal, release." Burnett? The guy who sells me coffee in the morning? I dunno.
     6:54 - One of the lawyers (or the Fitz replacement guy) just emerged. Now IVC's Prez Roquemore. Now trustee Lang. So things are hoppin'. This dang thing will likely start in 5 minutes.
     6:55 - Trustees Prendergast and Jemal are having an interestingly intense tête-à-tête. Where's Marcia? Wright? Whitt? Babs Jay?
     6:57 - Acting Chancellor Fitz seems pretty chirpy: she's jawin' with Babs. Whitt and Milchiker just arrived. Marcia looks grim. Hmmmm. Wright has sauntered in. Lang's back. We're about to start.

The best ever!

     6:59 - The meeting begins
     Lang: Actions in closed session: Lang: a number of actions. 7-0 vote, approved Fitz as interim chancellor. 7-0 vote: general unpaid leave of absence without benefits for full-time employ .... 7-0 general unpaid leave of absence for full-time classified at SC. General leave of absence, 7 LHE blah blah blah. ... 7-0 settlement agreement, 1 million and 80 dollars for Swinderton Builders.

     Trustee Jay's invocation: "Dear heavenly Father...." Something, she said near the end, was, "a gift from God." Chirpy, earnest, full of gratitude and other 'tude.

New building, new monster

     Public comments (two requests):
     Sahar Wanidi (?) of IVC Student Government. 7 folks stand at podium. We're here, she said, "in support of the ASG budget." (That's it. They immediately sit down.)
     Dr. F Bonefaith (Father of recently "disciplined" student—see below): a man with a thick African (?) accent speaks. Not sure what he's talking about. Thanks the board for the education provided....

     Moving up item 6.3. Student discipline issue. ("Conduct a public hearing to provide an opportunity for the disciplinary matter [concerning a Saddleback College student] to be discussed in public session.") Prendergast: amend recommendation; the student should meet with Avelos to come up with conduct contract. Vote: Amendment unanimously approved (student advisory abstention).

     Trustee reports:
     Trustee Prendergast: Attended anything that involved food. (Laughter.) Thanked especially the luau people. Was invited to speak during Laser week, to new students. Tips and advice for succeeding. "I'm glad I did it...I think they actually listend to me."
     Trustee Jay: short report. Wonderful experiences blah blah blah. Lots of warm and fuzzies, like her prayer.
     Trustee Jemal: Staff Development Week was a whirlwind. Attended everything I could. Was an honor to do so. I travel a lot; our district gets recognized much of the time. Pretty proud of that. Fitz is situated as interim Chance; it's all good. Makes a point that the transition to the permanent chancellor is going well. "We'll get incredible candidates for this position," he said.
     Trustee Wright: applause to in-service week. I enjoy it, he says; a great time to meet with others, hear what's planned. Enjoyed Chancellor's opening session. Wonderful events. Visited "that new science building" (again, he speaks of "we," failing to note that its Saddleback's building, not the district's; once again, district=SC and IVC doesn't exist). Delighted to have Fitz as Interim Chancellor. Thanks staff of colleges, district. Golly you do a good job.

Craig Justice

     Trustee Lang: I was unable to attend inservice week this year, he says. Nevertheless, it's wonderful, a great learning experience. I was back at the Cleveland Clinic, getting an executive health screening. (This seems to mean something to people; I feel alienated.) B-Day greetings to Trustee Milchiker. (Applause) [Jemal urges Lang to lead room in a round of "Happy B-Day." Nope. Won't go there, he says.] Looks forward to working with Fitzsimons and new financial person (who is present). Mentions Craig Justice's retirement. Thanks to him for his hard work.
     Trustee Milchiker: "I spent my B-Day today here." (This struck everyone as funny.) A cool day, she says. To viewing public: you should know that classes began today! Fabulous faculty, etc. Says there are Emeritus Institute classes still open! Better snap 'em up! Evidently, Marcia's signed up to the max. Attended OC business council blah blah blah. Attended Professional Development week. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Chinese students, debate, etc. Erwin Chemerinsky's talk at IVC was a real highlight. He's the dean of UCI law school and he discussed the First Amendment and everything! Many of the sessions will be online later this week, she adds. [Jemal desperately hides his mirth, but he only manages to ignite it around the room.]
     Trustee Whitt: welcome back to "all of you." So proud to serve on this board. Amazing. Went to both (colleges') sessions. "I am very lucky." You are lucky too, she adds. And so are the students. Stellar colleges. Thanks interim Chance Fitzsimmons for your hard work, attention. Gee Whiz, ain't life grand?
     Student Trustee J. Forde: participated in workshop, League of Community Colleges (?); great experience to learn about being a trustee. I am now prez of all the state's student trustees. "That was excellent; I was really happy." Wants to increase communication and continuity between the two colleges. [I'm sensing trusticular discomfort with this fellow's ramblings.]

    Chancellor's Fitzsimons report: mentions a couple other B-days: Terry Whitt, Glenn Roquemore. And even Tim Jemal.
    Thanks the board for appointment, etc. Enjoyed seeing faculty returning. Attended Faculty Association lunch. Classified breakfast too. Met new faculty, managers. They're enthusiastically happy to be working here. High caliber of new hires! Great seeing the students back! We're moving right along in the chancellor search process. Special board meeting this (?) week. Search firm meeting with trustees. Open to public. Tonight, though, we'll hear about basic aid, district budget, parking study, student government budget. Imagine the fun!

IVC outreach to the business community

     College Presidents' reports:
     IVC's Glenn Roquemore: blah blah blah, and I mean that. Congrats Deb Fitzsimons. Refers to Craig Justice's retirement. 9 years at IVC. The crowd is mute. Rocky asks for applause. It is provided, begrudgingly. One of the best Professional Development weeks ever, says Glenn. Two highlights: student embassador's training. Also: student government training. Shazam!
     SC's Tod Burnett: introduced two new members of management team. Dean of Math, S, and E. The fellow is made to stand up in audience. Applause. Second, Dean of blah blah. She stands up. Prof Deve't week was extremely successful, says the Todster. Thanks trustees for attending "the breakfast," etc. Opening of the science building went "very smoothly." Congrats to all of the B-Day folks. We're thrilled that Dr. Fitzsimons has this job. Thrilled I tell you!
     Chirpy student government kids give their reports, etc. They're so cute (thinks the board). And they are. I'm right behind them. Almost pet them.

Discussion items:

4.1 - Basic Aid allocation process
     Various people start hovering around the podium. They talk: Consensus (during accred evaluations) was that DRAC model is fine. Basic Aid funds are a different matter (according to Accreds). Commences dry PowerPoint presentation. Process described. BAARC. Blah blah blah. Bluh.
     Bramucci steps up, looking thin. Discusses techno spending. He's talking "cloud based systems" and the like, and so I go into a coma. "Any questions?" Nope. We're all unconscious.
     Brandye steps up. Capital projects are her thing, natch. Lists projects. ATLAS major renovations: $3 million. Blah blah blah. A new solar structure that will give juice to the PAC. Sounds good, I guess. Are we talkin' lightin' a few bulbs, or what? Next: support projects for capital projects. Blah blah blah. Energy consultants and whatnot.
     Questions?
     Jemal: what about these Radio/TV/photo upgrades. About a year and a half ago we got this grand plan vision for alligning our radio station with CSU Northridge, etc. It sounded too ambitions. Was it? Fitz: yes (I think). CSUN folks came down, though. We're jointly hiring a consultant who will work with both colleges. That's our next step.
     "I'm glad I asked," says Jemal. He can be funny.

Saddleback College Science Building

     "Will be a win-win situation," says Fitz. Nevertheless, she's not trying to be funny. She's dead serious. (Funny.)
     Milchiker: has bragged about BAARC being so open and all, etc. Have all of these committees agreed with these recommendations? Brandye: Yep. All done according to Hoyle.
     Lang: concessions project? Could you shed light on this? Brandye: a concession stand for sports facilities. Blah blah blah. I have no idea what they're talking about. Hot dog sales? Popcorn? (Lang seems satisfied.)
     Wright: refers to projects dependent on Propostion 51. Will 51 be approved? (There's some dispute about the prop's number; Wright insists on his number.) Brandye and other chirpy gal: seems likely, they say. We've been busy applying for funds. "It's looking good but we can't make promises."
     Forde: speaks about need for health center "concessions." Refers to power issues in the summer. [Again, I'm sensing the some trustees who shall remain nameless don't like this guy, this Mr. Instant Confidence, Mr. Smooth-boy.] Can't upgrade owing to power issues (overloading, etc.). Often don't have grills or fridges for a week at a time! Sheesh! [Jemal's glance seems to say: shuddup.]
     Trustee Jay: refers to item—does this have to do with Workday? Yes but also for other things, says Chance Fitz. I dunno.

4.2 - Parking report
     Deb Fitzsimons steps up to give the report. Davit and Carol and Mary will be here to support [my yammerin'], she says. Neither of the colleges have conducted formal analyses/studies of their parking situation. This time, we did a comprehensive study. We learned about the advantages of a "parking plan." What was the reason for "parking study"? Gosh, I'm glad you asked. Blah blah blah. We're interested in ATEP, too. We're not convinced that we have enough parking out there (restricted by the endlessly prickly City of Tustin's desires).
     Mary: a consultant came in last Spring. Did analysis. ATEP, IVC, SC. First week of classes. Came back in middle of semester.
     Key findings: greatest impact at SC: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. At IVC: 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lots of illegal parking goes on. She shows chart. Be stare at it. Based on info (including projected increases in population), we've got deficits. 2020 deficit: 532 stalls. 20130 deficit -- 1000 (?) stalls.
     SC: all parking lots are beyond capacity for first week of class.
     Proposed improvements: incorporate a parking guidance sytem, construct a parking structure. Etc. Blah blah blah.
     IVC: a little bit different. Data collected: many lots beyond 85% capacity. Blah blah blah. Utilization chart, shows peaks. Projected 2020 deficit is 548 stalls; 2030: 1277 stalls. Gotta have deficit reduction. Some measures pricier than others.
     Proposed: incorporating a parking guidance system, constructing parking structures, etc.
     ATEP: parking needs will grow greatly. More parking stalls will be needed. Hopefully, armed with this data, we can negotiate with the city, get more for parking. The city of Tustin is a mite pesky.

     Discusses parking ratios. Not good at SC. Not in line with state average.
     What we've learned: yes, we have peak parking concerns. Blah blah blah. Questions?
     Lang: terrific study, boy. Consultant did an excellent job, identifying the issue, potential solutions. Parking structures: expensive ($34 million). Likely a future basic aid recommendation, he guesses. Could we get state assistance? (A: Nope.) Would like to have more [electric] charging stations, etc. Incentives [for electric vehicles?]. Any consideration of shuttle service? Shouldn't that help? Better than cost of structures? How about people movers like at some universities. Situation at ATEP: telling city about best practices, urging them to make concessions. (Jemal kids Lang for all of his ideas. It's like he's on uppers or something.)
     Davit says reassuring things.
     Prendergast: parking guidance system? What kind of a thing is that? Tells you how many spaces left in this lot, that sort of thing? A: Yep. Charging stations: an excellent idea. (Some joke I didn't get. I need a hearing aid.)
     Milchiker: parking structures are very expensive, expensive to keep up (security) too. What about all those dang fees collected?  Fitz: some costs are paid by parking fees, but doesn't cover cost of capital. Drop in the de bucket.
     Forde: "echoes" trustee Lang. [He gets nasty glances.] Shuttle services in Long Beach around the college. Blah blah blah. Something about "grass pitches" (?). Am I the only one who wishes that he have less to say?
     Jemal: are we satisfied with the OC Transit bus services here? Burnett: they've cut back bus services in South OC, and it's a drag. The new trolly systems in some south county cities might help.  Jemal: so the study didn't consider buses? Burnett: they did. Yes, we're working with the bus people, city level, county level. We're all bussed up.
     Milchiker: use of (I dunno?). Roquemore: "We're not really designed for those buses."
     Milchiker: can we reconfigure entrances to parking lots, etc.? (For buses?)
     Yep. Blah blah blah. Blih.
     Fitzsimons: can do interesting things like putting tennis courts on top of parking structures. Night clubs, too. [Well, no.] Joint ventures with the city. Way to defray costs of parking structures, which are big.

     Move up before consent calendar: item 6.1 (adopt the budget).
     New guy steps up. Heavy Indian accent. Asks that they go through whole presentations before questions. Smart guy.

     8:20 p.m.: ...I've gotta go. Sorry. [P.S.: I'm told that the meeting went on for hours!]
   

Stupid people: a key demographic

• Pew Poll: Majority of American Men, 63 Percent of Republicans Believe Sexism Is Over (Salon)
• Americans Are Gorging on Meat in Amounts Not Seen in Decades (Alternet)
• Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka Urge Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to Widen Inclusion in Debates (Truthdig)

Preview of Monday's Board Meeting: the budget, parking structures, Basic Aid allocations

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there!

     Recently, and as usual, district denizens received a link to the agenda of Monday’s (August 22) meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees (BoT). Here's a preview.

     This item is from the 5:00 p.m. closed session. Make of it what you will:

      The open session starts at 6:30, natch.
      Here are elements taken from each of the college presidents' reports:

Burnett's report: "17 new full-time faculty...."

Roquemore's report: "The morning began with breakfast...."

     There are two "discussion" items for Monday's meeting:
     Item 4.1 is a report of "Basic Aid Allocation Recommendation for FY 2016-2017."
     Here's the PowerPoint:

• SOCCCD FY 2016-2017 Basic Aid Allocation Recommendations

     Here's one among many graphics from the presentation:

Ain't basic aid wonderful?

     Item 4.2 concerns the District-wide Parking Study Report. Here are the "key findings":

At IVC, the annual fee for student parking is now $80.
At UCI, student parking is literally ten times more expensive.

In our future, apparently.

     No surprises there.
     Here's the first part of the long list of recommendations:

     There're no big surprises among the consent calendar items, I guess.

     General action item 6.1 is approval of the FY 2016-2017 Adopted Budget.

     Links are provided:

• Adopted Budget
• Adopted Budget Powerpoint

     Item 6.3 is curious: "Conduct a public hearing to provide an opportunity for the disciplinary matter [concerning a Saddleback College student] to be discussed in public session":

     Golly, what did this student do (allegedly)?

     This was in one of the attachments to item 6.9, Academic personnel actions:

Donald Trump's call for poll watchers brings back fears of 1988 Santa Ana
(LA Times)
     (Oddly, this article fails to mention [future SOCCCD trustee] Tom Fuentes’ key role in all this.)

The new and improved A400 (IVC)

Shiny new classrooms

And there's lots of new office space upstairs

Welcome!

"Employess"?

Sykes. Yikes.

Calling Out the Professoriate
(Inside Higher Ed)

Author of the 1988 book Profscam, conservative talk radio host Charles Sykes, discusses his new book that again takes on higher education.

Q. The book calls for a shrinking of overall college enrollment. Why? And aren't there downsides to rolling back the access gains of recent decades, which women, minority groups and low-income students largely drove? 

A. We should make access to higher education as open as possible. But the reality is that the “college for all” mantra is a delusion that sets too many students up to fail. Far too many students enter college without adequate academic preparation; far too many end up dropping out. The real irony here is that the students who are most likely to be hurt by the higher education complex’s indifference to undergraduate teaching are precisely those vulnerable student groups who need more attention.
      Of the 1.8 million students assessed for college readiness in 2014, ACT found that only 26 percent met college-ready benchmarks in all four subjects (English, reading, math and science). Charles Murray notes that an SAT score of 1180 will give a college freshman about a 65 percent chance of maintaining a 2.7 grade point average. But that is a score only about one in 10 18-year-olds could achieve. “So,” writes Murray, “even though college has been dumbed down, it is still too intellectually demanding for a large majority of students.” Even so, in recent decades, 30 percent of students with C grades in high school and 15 percent with grade point average of C-minus or lower have been admitted into four-year colleges. That has consequences both for the students and for the institutions, which often have to adjust their standards to the new demographic realities….

The Danger of the Right's Noise Machine: Years of Misinformation Led to Trump's Rise
(Alternet/Salon)

Charlie Sykes

…And today, for the first time, some conservatives in the #NeverTrump camp are seeing where their decades-long attacks on the mainstream media and the “reality based community” have led. Right-wing radio talk show host Charlie Sykes from Wisconsin gave an interview lamenting the situation with reporter Oliver Darcy who put up an excerpt on twitter. Sykes also appeared on MSNBC’s “All In” last night where he said this:

Over the years conservative talk show hosts, and I’m certainly one of them, we’ve done a remarkable job of challenging and attacking the mainstream media. But perhaps what we did was also the destroy any sense of a standard. Where do you go to have any sense of the truth? You have Donald Trump come along and the man says things that are demonstrably untrue on a daily basis. My experience has been look, we live in an era when every drunk at the end of the bar has a Twitter account and maybe has a blog and when you try to point out “this is not true, this is a lie” and then you cite the Washington Post or the New York Times, their response is “oh that’s the mainstream media.” So we’ve done such a good job of discrediting them that there’s almost no place to go to be able to fact check....

Fear Not the Parking Lot: The Show Must Go On

Shakespeare by the Sea's "Cymbeline" at Soka University

Fear no more the heat o’ the sun, 
Nor the furious winter’s rages; 
Thou thy worldly task hast done, 
Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages: 
Golden lads and girls all must, 
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.

                                           -  from"Cymbeline"

Last night hundreds of community members converged on the IVC campus for "Cymbeline," yet another terrific and otherwise well-supported production by Shakespeare by the Sea, a regional theatre which travels throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. IVC has been fortunate enough to play host the last few years and the result has been a terrific event which finds community members of all ages enjoying quality theatre for free on our lovely campus. Last night's production was spirited and the full moon rose over the actors on the stage and the audience, which included a few faculty and students picnicking among the community members.

In past years, the plays have been staged in the Live Oak Terrace with free parking nearby in the lots. This year something went wrong. The audience arrived to discover that the Live Oak Terrace was empty and were directed to the front of the Student Services Building where the stage was being erected along with the lighting, sound system and the portable backstage dressing rooms. This reporter arrived too late to conduct a full inquiry but, along with  the audience, was told that the Live Oak Terrace was "double booked," and thus the production had been forced to move to the much less suitable quad. This assertion seemed to defy facts as throughout the evening Live Oak Terrace remained completely deserted.

There was also some kerfuffle about parking. In previous years, as for most venues used by the exceedingly non-profit theatre company, the parking was offered for free. But yesterday, reports varied about whether this was true this year until show time when the audience was assured that parking was indeed, gratis. Also, concerns were expressed from the stage, apparently as directed by IVC police, about how exactly the audience should exit the campus. Much was made about not slowing down in the roundabout when exiting the campus. Much.

It should be noted that the audience members seemed entirely able to exit the campus without incident, owing no doubt to the fact that the majority of them parked in the lots by the Live Oak Terrace and had to slog their picnic baskets across campus, avoiding the Charybdis-like maelstrom of the IVC roundabout completely, and noting at the evening's end the mysterious and complete desolation that was the Live Oak Terrace.

Despite hitches, the show, fulfilling proud theatrical tradition, went on. Funded by every sort of County grant and Arts commission out there, esteemed and celebrated regionally, the troupers performed winningly, though it was clear their extremely accommodating director was justifiably puzzled by the logistical snafu and passive-aggressive administrative reception. She hoped to return, she said and we believed her. Most institutions welcome visitors, make it easy for them to park, roll out the red carpet in hopes of showing off their commitments to visitors, community. We wonder what went wrong last night.

Really bad photo taken by really bad photographer.

*

Wednesday night on CNN

What to watch at CNN's Green Party town hall (CNN)

(CNN)The Green Party is about to have a chance to show voters it is worth casting a ballot for.
     CNN on Wednesday evening is set to hold another of its live town hall events, this time with Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein and her running mate, Ajamu Baraka.
     The prime-time event moderated the CNN's Chris Cuomo is set to be Stein's most high-profile moment in her bid to upset the 2016 election, four years after she first ran and failed to gain enough traction to make it into the general election debates....

Five years ago today...

From Dissent the Blog, August 15, 2011:

•

What are these mangy, disgruntled Old Guardsters yapping about?
Dissent the Blog, 8-15-2011

     AS YOU KNOW, the proposed faculty contract will be presented and discussed at tomorrow’s Faculty Association luncheon/gabfest. In their August 11 “faculty alert,” a group of disgruntled Old Guardsters (DOGs) objected to two features of the contract. (My apologies to canines everywhere.)
     ① One objection concerns the proposed fate of “75” senior faculty who (they say) are at the highest paid step in their "column." You see, the DOGs noticed these features of the proposed contract:

• Elimination of the lowest two steps of each column on the salary schedule, increasing the base salary;
• Each faculty member not at the highest paid step in her column will receive an additional step increase, in addition to the regular step increase, in the fall of 2010*

FA Prez Long: often
compared to a Boy Scout,
"only less cynical"

     These grizzled curs are sayin’, “Hey, what about us? How come we don’t get no increase?” (For background, see 1997 Times article re SOCCCD salaries.)
     So they're like a dog without a bone. All snarly.
     ② The other flea-bitten objection concerns alleged “discriminatory lab compensation decisions.” I shall assume that the objection refers specifically to the following mangy feature of the proposed contract:

• Load value equivalency to lecture (1 for 1) for Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Geology and Nursing labs.

     The problem for the money-grubbing mongrels, evidently, is that this “upgrade” in the valuation of an instructor’s “lab” hours is visited only upon Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Geology, and Nursing instructors.
     "What about all us other labbers?" howl the DOGs.
     (Gosh, I had no idea so much labbing went on!)
     Below, I present the relevant verbiage of the old (2007) contract and the proposed (2011) contract:

OLD CONTRACT:

NEW CONTRACT:

*I found the three contract features referred to here in FA President Lewis Long's Aug. 1 email to faculty

Labs come in several varieties

A group of employees--mostly biologists--vandalizing property at Irvine Valley College

One particularly notorious School at IVC actually teaches vandalism.

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FYI • OMG/WTF

Dissent the Blog, 8-15-2011

Ray

     Newer faculty: you might want to learn more about Ray Chandos, Michael Channing, Sharon MacMillan, Mike Merrifield,* Sherry Miller-White, and Ken Woodward—a group of faculty who recently sent out an “alert” regarding contract negotiations between the district and the Faculty Association.
     It is important that you understand what these people are capable of. I have already described (and documented) some of their outrageous antics (see). But there’s much more.

Ken

     To learn more about the Old Guard’s defense of Holocaust denying trustee Steven Frogue, see When is an anti-Semite not an anti-Semite?, Chandos' letter to the Times in 1997.
     To learn more about the Old Guard’s efforts to secure Tom Fuentes’ appointment as Frogue’s replacement (in 2000), see Fuentes’ suspicious appointment, an account from Dissent.

*As I recall, Merrifield was not associated with the union Old Guard (c. 1996-2000). The rest of these characters, however, were.

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Drugged? Illiterate? They'll love you at Argosy!

                                             Dissent the Blog, 8-15-2011

Harris seeks millions in for-profit college lawsuit (California Watch)

     The U.S. Department of Justice and attorneys general in four states, including California, filed a complaint last week against for-profit college giant Education Management Corp., which operates 14 campuses in the state under the Argosy University and Art Institute brands.
     The 122-page complaint contends the Pittsburgh-based for-profit college company illegally paid admissions employees based on the number of students they recruited, regardless of the students' qualifications. The Higher Education Act prohibits colleges and universities that participate in the federal financial aid program from paying commissions, bonuses or other incentive payments to recruiters based on how many students they enroll.
     The exact amount of California's claim is still unclear, but state Attorney General Kamala Harris is suing Education Management for all the state financial aid the colleges have received since 2003, mainly in the form of Cal Grants. The state is also seeking $10,000 per false claim.
. . .
     The lawsuit says the company created a "boiler room"-style sales culture in which recruitment of students was the sole focus. A guide for assistant directors of admissions includes a points-based salary chart, described internally as "the matrix." The chart rewards a set number of points for each type of student recruited in one year.
     The company relentlessly monitors each recruiter's enrollment statistics, the complaint states. Admissions personnel who recruited the most students in a year won all-expenses-paid "President's Club" trips to Puerto Vallarta and Cancun in Mexico and Las Vegas.
     Education Management also instructs its sales force to enroll applicants regardless of whether they can write coherently and even if they appear to be under the influence of drugs, the complaint says.…

Argosy? Cool!

     --I do believe that Argosy reps regularly visit Irvine Valley College. I guess they're looking to see if we have any druggies and illiterates.

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     I did some digging. Sure enough, I reported the following in early March, 2009:

[O]n Saturday, members of the Irvine Valley College community received a curious email from Dean Elizabeth Cipres (Counseling and Library Services). She wrote:

Dear Faculty:

I have attached a Lunch and Learn invitation from Argosy University that will be held in our Career & Transfer Center … on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. Also if you are considering a doctorate program, I have attached the recently updated doctoral matrix for your review. 

Liz Cipres

     Like Raghu Mathur, Cipres has a gig at Argosy.
     I made a big point of Argosy's unsavoriness back then. I don't think it had any effect. We're still promoting the crap out of these for-profits.

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Mickadeit's "ode" to Tom Fuentes
Dissent the Blog, 8-15-2011

     The OC Reg’s Frank Mickadeit posted a tribute to Tom Fuentes today:

     Walked in the newsroom Monday and told my editor, "I'm going to write an extraordinary column today. I mean, even beyond my usual extraordinariness." He raised an eyebrow. I continued: "I'm going to publish my eulogy, ode, whatever you want to call it, to Tom Fuentes before he dies. So he can read it."
     I'd gotten a call last week from his doctor, Ken Williams, saying Tom had taken a bad turn and it would be "maybe only days," before he passes from his long fight with liver cancer. Now was the time to see him. I didn't want to…. (continued)