They simply do not like him

    IVC is suddenly abuzz with the latest chapter in the Howard Gensler saga, which was revealed on the front page of yesterday's Lariat. 

    According to the Lariat, Howard Gensler, a Saddleback College economics instructor, is suing the district. Why? Because "[the dean and the chair] didn't give me priority in the summer classes...The procedure is that full-time teachers get their classes before the part-time." 

    According to Howard's petition (says the Lariat), his dean and his chair "simply do not like the petitioner (Gensler) and have ignored the rules to harass and to injure him." 

    They don't like him? I'm shocked! Shocked! He's being harassed? 

    We'll see. 

    Whatever the merits of this "harassment" charge—sounds implausible—it strikes some at IVC as ironic. Or maybe poetic. That's because Dean Gensler—a Raghu Mathur hire and "golden boy" who retreated into the classroom several years ago after the infamous "Howard Hilton" fiasco (see below)—was the source of much faculty consternation during his administrative tenure. In particular, some faculty—especially those known to be critical of then-President Mathur—objected to what Howard did to their teaching schedules.

    That word "harassment" came up then, too. 

    For instance, at one point, Dean Gensler announced that he forbade instructors' teaching "back-to-back classes." That is, faculty in his Schools were told that they were not permitted to teach, say, an 8:00 a.m. class followed immediately by a 9:30 a.m. class. Or a 9:30 class followed by an 11:00 class. Huh? When individual faculty met with Howard to explain the special burdens this rule created—burdens felt by no other faculty in the district—he readily waived the rule for some but not for others. 

    Interestingly, in the case of one especially well-known Mathur critic, no exception could be made. 

    It wasn't only dissenting full-timers who suddenly found themselves up sh*t creek owing to Gensler's curious edicts and peculiar norms. When an adjunct writing instructor wrote a short piece for the OC Weekly that spoofed Mathur (Here), soon thereafter, he was given no teaching assignments. When asked for the reason, Gensler cited the instuctor's inappropriate attire. 

    I think the problem was his sandals. Or maybe his beard. 

    Another part-timer—a senior and highly-regarded philosophy instructor—objected to the arbitrary manner with which the writing instructor was treated. Guess what happened to him? Yup. 

    Even buildings were not safe from Howard's whimsical standards and odd innovations. Those who are familiar with IVC will remember when building A300 was an ordinary classroom building, a decent place in which to teach. Like most of the buildings at IVC, it had an internal hallway which led to its seven or so classrooms. But for some reason, Howard decided that the building should be radically reconfigured. According to his unique vision, the hallway would be closed off and used as an oddly-shaped space (for the theater people, I believe), and the other classrooms would now be entered from outside doors, which, with much violence, were now smashed into existence. 

    You should take a look at A300 now. It is ugly and ridiculous. And appalling. Plus denizens of its classrooms must endure random theater warblings. 

    Recently, Dissent the Blog referred to one of Howard's "publications," an unfortunately revealing book called "The Avenger of Blood." To get a sense of this book's caliber and nature, consider one of its illustrations: Impressive, ain't it? For those who seek to learn more about the Howard Saga, they might start by reading the following article from a September 2001 issue of Dissent:

From Dissent 65, September 30, 2001 

     Raghu Mathur has a remarkable record as an employer and promoter of very special administrators. Rodney Poindexter is a real standout in this regard (see ARCHIVES: “Mathur vs. Women”, 9/05). 

     Another is Howard Gensler, who was appointed interim or temporary dean some years ago, but Raghu liked him, so he was eventually named permanent dean (of PE/Fine Arts/Humanities!). But, not long after some negative press concerning a project of his and Raghu's that is commonly referred to as the "Howard Hilton," the fellow left that position in a cloud of dense smoke and quizzical expressions. 

     Ultimately, Howard popped up again as a full-time Econ instructor at Saddleback College, sans the usual search and hire process. He is now fully tenured. 

The following piece from a September 2001 Dissent tells some of the Gensler story at IVC. Please note that, at one point, Rod Poindexter was chosen by ASIVC as "administrator of the year." (The ASIVC president at the time was a noted Mathurian.) We figured we would complete the picture by offering Howard the same title.] 

DISSENT’S “ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR,” HOWARD GENSLER 

     Howard Gensler, Dissent’s “Administrator of the Year,” first entered our lives in 1989, when he was hired as an adjunct. Now, he’s a Dean at IVC, and he’s made quite a splash! 

     Dean Gensler’s background is fascinating. In the late 70s, he received five Bachelor’s degrees, and soon thereafter, at UCB, he received a law degree. By 1983, he was teaching tax and law at Northrop University, where he assisted Dean Carl Sederholm. In 1984, he succeeded Sederholm, becoming Dean of Northrop’s School of Law (see Times, 1/26/85). As such, Howard was the Chief Academic Officer of the Graduate Tax Program. As if that weren’t enough, he then published an epic poem, The Avenger of Blood. [Note: you’ve really got to get a copy of this book. It is quite special.] 

     Northrop University: Northrop U sure is an interesting place. Founded in 1942 by the well-known aeronautics firm as a school for airplane mechanics, Northrop later expanded into “computer science, business and law studies” (L.A. Times). In August of 1979, it became the site of the Institute for Historical Review’s first international Holocaust “revisionist” conference. In 1986, Northrop began a master’s program in international business and taxation. 

     Alas, the program ran into difficulty. According to the Times (9/12/89), 

    Northrop University…should lose its accreditation because of ethical violations in recruiting foreign students, awarding credits and bookkeeping practices involving millions of dollars, the agency that monitors California colleges announced Monday…The rare action by the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges stems from complaints about Northrop’s master’s of science program in international business and taxation, which enrolls many students from Asia. But the problems have “substantially affected the infrastructure of the university in nearly every aspect,” according to a WASC official…The agency recently voted to strip the school of its accreditation beginning in November…According to [the WASC official], Northrop operated part of the master’s in international business program in Taiwan without WASC approval. An investigation also showed “substantial irregularities” in how the school admitted foreign students, processed immigration documents, graded student performances and awarded credits, he said…[He] also said millions of dollars in tuition are unaccounted for or improperly accounted for. “We are entirely unsure of the magnitude,” he said… 

     Soon, Northrop’s long time president, B.J. Shell, unexpectedly retired; he was replaced by John Beljan, who was “given authority to take any measures necessary to guide the institution out of its financial troubles” (Times). 

     Northrop appealed WASC’s adverse Accreditation decision; still, the school has dwindled, and it is now the tiny Northrop Rice Aviation Institute of Technology. 

     Howard’s “extraordinarily unusual” legal victory: Howard left Northrop U in 1987, whereupon he worked for the IRS, but only briefly. In 1988, Howard ran for a seat on the Costa Mesa City Council, though he was later forced to withdraw from the race, owing, evidently, to his failure to register to vote (see OC Register, 10/6/88). Starting in 1988, Howard practiced law. In 1990, he represented a UCI math professor who accused the university of “punishing him for failing to publish enough scholarly articles” (see OC Register, 4/20/90). Not long after, he represented another UCI math instructor, Paul McGill, who sued because he had been denied tenure. Eventually, McGill prevailed. According to the Times (7/23/93), a judge “ordered UC Irvine to rehire” McGill. Said Howard, “This is an extraordinarily unusual and unique situation…The university is given remarkable latitude in terms of giving tenure; it’s a really hard area to win.” 

     Howard’s Cato years: Howard, always the busy bee, received his doctorate in Economics in 1993. Then, according to the Laser Beam, during the mid-90s, Howard “taught for three years at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,” where he was a lecturer in Accounting. During this period, Howard published at least 2 articles for the Cato Institute, a conservative/libertarian think tank that opposes government regulation and welfare. In one article entitled “The Effect of Race and Sex on Welfare Benefits” (Vol. 15 No. 2-3), Howard argued: 

  At the national level…disparities exist in the allocation of welfare. Black single female-headed households received $756 more welfare per year than similarly situated non-black families…At the state level for single female-headed households, 15 states gave blacks an average of $1,569 more welfare per year…The analysis…indicates that fundamental problems of equity in either access or assessment persist in the income maintenance system…. 

     Gee willikers! In another Cato article, entitled “The Effect of Welfare on High School Graduation” (Vol. 16, no. 2), Howard offered a fascinating study of welfare mothers: 

  The hypothesis that higher welfare levels adversely impact high school graduation rates is confirmed with a high degree of statistical precision…Increases in the welfare system do not promote accumulation of human capital…[T]he basic negative relationship between welfare and education must be understood before effective public policies concerning welfare, education, and poverty can be formulated. 

     Meanwhile, Howard found time to edit a book entitled The American Welfare System, which remains in print. 

     Another deanship for Howard: In 1999, Howard became the interim dean of Humanities and Languages, replacing Richard Prystowsky, who had resigned after brief service. (Prystowsky had succeeded Dan Rivas, who also resigned after brief service. [As I recall, Dan resigned in part because then-President Mathur was instructing him to include negative remarks in the evaluations of those faculty who had been critical of him and the board—remarks that Dan regarded as unwarranted and unjustified.]

     In 2000, owing to President Mathur’s staunch support, Howard was appointed permanent Dean of Humanities and Library Services (and, later, of Fine Arts). The details of the appointment evidently raised concerns about “process”: 

  Three administrative appointments were approved in closed session on Monday…Howard Gensler was appointed dean of humanities and library services at Irvine Valley…[The other appointees] were appointed with unanimous votes, but Gensler was appointed on a split vote of 4-3, with trustees Lang, Marcia Milchiker and Don Wagner dissenting…“I personally haven’t heard anything negative about the guy himself, but there were questions raised about process that I didn’t get fully answered,” said Wagner. (Irvine World News, 6/22/00) 

Process problems notwithstanding, then-president Mathur exclaimed that Howard was his “first choice.”

     Howard and Raghu’s “top secret plan”: About a year ago, faculty began hearing about a massive project that would provide facilities for Fine Arts (and fish). The word was that Howard was developing the project with the blessing and encouragement of his mentor, president (now chancellor) Mathur.

     Howard eventually provided Chancellor Mathur with a “report” concerning the project on May 23, 2002. According to my sources, then, in early June, Howard and Raghu met with three Board Majoritarians, including Wagner, to discuss the project. (Ask Dot.) That’s about when the L.A. Times caught wind of it [gosh, I wonder how they found out?]. On June 15, the Times reported 

  Irvine Valley College officials are quietly trying to find investors for a private hotel, entertainment and office complex on campus that could cost as much as $800 million, officials confirmed this week…As described in recent meetings among campus officials, the project would include a hotel, a multistory parking structure, two 2,000-seat theaters, office buildings, a sound stage and a lake, replacing orange groves and an athletic field at the southern end of campus…The scope of the privately funded, for-profit project—whose cost estimates nearly double Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles—is believed to be unprecedented, not only for a community college, but for any public university in the state…The cost would be enough to build two community colleges, said Kirsten McIntyre, spokeswoman for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, which was unaware of the proposal…The project is a long way from reality and would have to be approved by trustees for the South Orange County Community College District, which includes Irvine Valley and Saddleback colleges. 

     According to the Times, some college employees had doubts about the project: “they don’t understand how the two-year college benefits from such a deal. ‘It would be a commercial enterprise that would not be a benefit to our students,’ said Jan Wyma, Irvine Valley’s choral director.” 

     The Times reported that Dean Gensler was the man behind the plan and that Mathur was aware of it. Glenn Roquemore, president of IVC, however, said that he hadn’t yet received a proposal. 

     The scope of the Gensler/Mathur venture was truly stunning: 

  The proposal has changed over the months, but the basic plan calls for construction on 25 to 35 acres…Several sources said Gensler was pitching the deal to investors as a 99-year lease, and that it would include a Hilton or Hyatt hotel with conference center facilities, restaurants, a four- or five-story parking structure, an office building of several stories, the theaters, an art museum, an observatory and a building with sound stages for TV and film…Also contemplated are a movie complex and soccer stadium. 

     Massive unbeknownstitude: City officials were miffed about all of this secret planning. The Times quoted an Irvine official who said: “Any construction not associated with the college’s educational mission must be approved by Irvine.” Nevertheless, “she had not heard of the proposal.” 

     Three days later, the Register weighed in with a story that presented Howard’s project—now described as involving a paltry $463 million—in a less sympathetic light: 

  Board members interviewed said they were surprised at the planning that has gone into Gensler’s vision and that they should have been informed about it earlier…“Apparently this was really being pursued by just a few people unbeknownst to other members of the board,” said trustee Dave Lang…One instructor described the project as “absurd” in that it “flies in the face of the college’s long-term planning.” During the Board Meeting of June 24th, trustees decided to pull the plug on the whole business: Irvine Valley College trustees got their first official look Monday night at a controversial proposal to develop a $463 million entertainment complex on campus–and decided they wanted no part of it… “The feeling was that the proposal that came to us did not sufficiently meet the needs of the college and the students,” said board president Don Wagner, who said trustees first learned of the project in the press…“It came to us as a take-it-or-leave-it proposal, and we are going to leave it.”…. (OC Register, June 25, 2002; my emphasis) 

    On the 25th, the Times quoted Dorothy “Dot” Fortune, who carped that the Gensler/Mathur project would give “away half the land at IVC.” Howard, however, defended his project; it would, he said, make IVC “one of the most important cultural centers in Southern California.” 

    Nonagenarian takes plan elsewhere: The Times eventually reported the proposed project’s builder:

  The complex was to be built by the Newport Financial Group of Newport Beach. One company figure is Charles Ross, 91, of Laguna Woods, who proposed a similar project at UC Riverside, without success, Fortune said…Ross said Monday he would not discuss the plan, but that if the district turned it down, he would take it elsewhere. 

    In an article for the Irvine World News on the 27th, Wagner is again reported as saying that “trustees first learned of the project after the top secret plan was leaked to the press.” Well, no, according to my sources, he and two other Board Majoritarians heard about the “top secret plan” two weeks before the Times report. 

     C’mon Don! 

     Some newspaper articles claimed that, on campus, the project was called “the Howard Hilton.” In truth, it had been dubbed “Howie World” by the Chevy Chase fans who have always dominated IVC. 

     “One has to wonder…” On the 30th, Times editorial writers offered a harshly critical perspective on “the Howard Hilton”: 

Irvine Valley College’s mission statement…[says that the] college exists to provide quality education for students…The document doesn’t say anything about leasing a huge chunk of the campus to a private developer for a $500 million entertainment and office complex…That’s why people were caught off-guard earlier this month when word surfaced that an IVC dean had been meeting with a developer who wanted to build a massive, for-profit venture. The trustees of the SOCCCD are to be commended for putting the educational purpose of the district first by rejecting the plan last week before it could gather more momentum…The proposal was out of sync with the city of Irvine’s general plan and existing zoning. The city envisioned the orange groves…as one day hosting recreational facilities and college-related construction—not hotels, parking garages and a Hollywood production lot. City officials hadn’t had a chance to review the proposal, and from what it suggested, many of the plan’s elements also clashed with zoning in the area…The proposal also was at odds with IVC’s own planning process. Community colleges are required to create a master plan that describe how they intend to grow. There’s nothing in IVC’s long-range planning that was even remotely close to the proposal that was submitted to the board by Howard Gensler…College deans have a lot of clout, but one has to wonder how this kind of major campus land-use negotiation got to the stage it did. It probably should have been handled in the first place at a higher level of administration…. 

    Hey, yeah! Then, on July 9, IVC issued an odd little press release. It announced plans to construct a modest “Performing Arts Building”: 

Irvine Valley College submitted plans to the state…for the construction of a 400-seat Performing Arts Building… The…Building has been long in development as part of Irvine Valley’s Educational and Facilities Master Plan to unify campus services and to meet a growing demand by students and the community. The Educational and Facilities Master Plan and, in particular, the Performing Arts Building, is wholly separate from a recent $450 million proposal made by Irvine Valley Humanities Dean, Howard Gensler, who worked with a private investor to develop a possible alternative campus building project…

     We at Dissent feel just awful about the unceremonious kiboshery of the “Howard Hilton.” I, for one, was really lookin’ forward to floatin’ around on that lake. Well, at least we can name Howard our “Administrator of the Year”! Congratulations Howard!

Fall Opening Session; Union Luncheon; Adam Probolsky; Tom Fuentes

[FROM DISSENT 50, 8/21/00]

Title: "Duck Crap and Rubber Bullets" by Chunk Wheeler (Roy Bauer)
Monday, August 14, 2000:

The Fall “Opening Session”:

I showed up at Saddleback’s Ronald McDonald Theatre at about 9:00 a.m., just as the last of the coffee and donuts crowd filed inside to take their seats at the back of the hall (presumably in hopes of avoiding the stink that emanated from the front). As we entered, we were handed a program filled mostly with the names of “service pin recipients,” a list a more meaningless than which cannot be conceived. The session promised to by gloomy, owing to the overwhelming pall of ruin that now pervades the district now that, essentially, idjits are in charge and nothin’ works.

Ticklin’ them ivories:

At about 9:05, Cedric “Liberace” Sampson, seated primly at a piano in a sparkly rhinestone jacket, got things started with a single C-chord, which echoed stupidly through the hall. “Last year,” he warbled nasally, as Mathur tapped his foot, “was a turn-around year.” Meanwhile, at stage right, about a dozen dignitaries, including three trustees, quietly snoozed in chairs that were arrayed across the big, empty Ronald McDonald stage. Trustee Williams—who, as a tyke, was the model for the Bob’s Big Boy statue—stoically chomped on a french fry.

A year ago, cooed Ced, the press produced lots of “unflattering news” about the district—but no longer! Besides, he added, we’re no longer on the fiscal watch list and, owing to a highly effective intimidation campaign, we’ve overcome our warning status with the Accrediting Commission! We’ve been “delivered” from these nuisances, he roared, breaking briefly into a daft rendition of “Chopsticks.”

No one was buying it and he knew it. Worried, Ced broke into a Grinch grin and then explained that, at Saddleback College, they’re about to demolish a building, an event, which, he assured us, is “symbolic.” (Everyone seemed to agree.) He continued: they’re also putting up a parking-lot! (“Where’s his pal Dot?” I wondered.)

The Chancellor, with his usual air of contempt, went on to recite recent personal achievements. Hadn’t he fixed the sewage system at Saddleback in his spare time? Hadn’t he taken the Accrediting Commission to task for applying unwritten subjective standards to the SOCCCD and not following its own goddamn rules? And hadn’t the Department of Education confirmed his charge that one of the Commissioners was biased? You bet!

Oddly, Ced neglected to mention that, according to the DOE, the Commissioner in question was biased, not against the college, but in favor of it. No matter: Ced is into sophistry. He launched clumsily into “Heart and Soul,” humming persistently and defiantly through his nose.

From my perch amid snoring colleagues, I amused myself by studying the fine array of stinkwater dignitaries below. Marcia and Dave held their noses. Raghu picked his, I think, threatening a total cranial collapse. Trustee John “Brown Boy” Williams, sporting an aspect of staunch harrumphitude, bitterly clutched an empty bag of fries as a lurid puddle of goo formed around his left shoe.

El Ced spoke of the Master Plan, which emphasizes growth and development, he said. Full-time faculty hiring, he declared, should proceed in accordance with the Plan. “Our goal,” noted the Chance, is to achieve an “internal consensus” regarding the direction of the district. Also, we should seek to regain a leadership role in the “community college movement.” Cleverly appealing to an old TV ad, he urged us to “just do it.” He briefly paused to take a bow.

More yawnage. Somebody belched. Raghu Mathur’s lower lip jutted upward hideously as he contemplated Board Policy 8000 and the tight relationship it posits between campus speech and lawn-care. One or two droplets of a ghastly brownish fluid dripped from the ceiling, bespeckling the rotting floor.

Ced pressed on, noting that, all over the state, districts have failed to adopt policies required by law, and our district is no exception. We have until November to correct the situation. He seemed to look forward to the process.

Utterly bored, I again studied the seated dignitaries, who stared blankly into space. The audience stared back. A relatively lively Tom Carol admired his Hawaiian shirt, while, immediately to his right, Mike Runyan’s head seemed to sink impossibly deeply into his body. Meanwhile, somewhere, Mr. McClendon was listening for extra-terrestrials while Mr. Walker practiced trouser-fastening.

Ced closed by promising, as he had done a year ago, that we will soon “convert” the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. The political machinations of the Feds and other school districts have delayed conversion, he noted peevishly. Finally, he simpered: “I look forward to working with you,” and slid testily off the piano bench and into the repulsive puddle of filth that encumbered the stage. The feeble sound of polite applause followed him to his chair.

“What’s that stink?” asked a new hire. Someone pointed downward, toward the stage, aghast.

Her first big kiss:

Next came the presentation of service pins. I do believe that I was the only person in the room who did not receive one. Dean Howard Gensler got a 10-year pin even though he was hired as a full-timer in 1999. “What could this mean?” I asked myself.

The ceremony would have been unrelievedly tedious were it not for two prodigious incidents. First: one of the recipients gave President Bullock a bear hug and then lifted her straight into the air, causing her to thrill and gasp, and, upon release, to stumble and squeal as though she had just received her first Big Kiss. Second: Kathie Hodge, despite not having been lifted into the air at all (not while I was lookin’), received a truly enormous round of applause, causing Ced to look up and feign magnanimity and joy. His pain was palpable. John, looking vaguely Hitlerian, strangled his empty bag of fries.

Eventually, Mr. Goo, radiating fumes from his sweaty suit, stood up, splashed through a stinkwater puddle, and made his way to the podium. The situation was not promising, for Mathur regularly punishes audiences with his trademark melange of New Age twaddle, educationist drivel, business-world blather, and stupefying malapropisms. Plus he owes me money.

“Good morning,” he sniffed imperiously, already employing the spiffy leadership techniques he learned this summer at Hah-vud. (On Tuesday, at IVC, he explained that, at the conference, he had read so darned much that it all started coming out of his ears!) The audience lamely responded with the same. Said the Gooster: “I think we can do better than that!” Not so, as it turned out.

Mathur then introduced new hires, a wholly tedious exercise, though, at one point, a comic book did fall out of Mr. Goo’s massive and fleshy left ear, injecting a welcome note of the bizarre. Bullock, who seems even more convinced than the rest of us that she has absolutely nothing to say, went through the same exercise. Everyone suffered horribly.

Crap slidage:

After a while, an inexplicably cheery Maureen Smith stepped up to the podium to shout, “Tom Selleck for president!” and then introduced the guest speaker, one Anne E. Mulder, Director of Development at the notorious Nova Southeastern University, the repository of, among other things, several X-files and Dr. Raghu Mathur’s doctoral Scantron answer sheet.

Mulder instructed all the new hires to get up and move to the front of the room, cuz it’s a drag to speak to a big empty space like she was doin’. (At the Ronald McDonald Theatre, people traditionally line the back wall in hopes of avoiding notice by Ronald.) This produced several minutes of chaos. The bespectacled Mulder gazed patiently upon the scene, wondering just what was wrong with us.

Nevertheless, Mulder soon expressed admiration for the quality of our new faculty and the “longevity” of other faculty, what with all the service pins and bald, shiny heads. She invited us to applaud ourselves, which we did. Then Mulder explained that she recently visited Tucson, where the average age was 112.

Mulder likes to tell jokes and stories, and she told a good one about “duck crap” (punchline: “We’ve been sliding into this building for years”). Looking briefly in the direction of the chancellor (or so it seemed to me), she deftly tied the crap theme to the notion of “responsibility,” as an oblivious El Ced polished a rhinestone with his hanky.

Mulder likes to string together lots of positive things, even if they don’t really add up to anything much. She announced that teachers are “wonderful” and that California is a “bellwether state.” She spoke of diversity and shared governance and how it really does rain in California. (“Man, it pours.”) She joked about the likes of Jimmy Hoffa (“I was nice to those guys”) and, finally, she noted WASC’s new standard, according to which faculty are supposed to take the lead in securing student “success,” etc., which is all part of the new “accountability” craze that’s sweeping the nation, like those damn Razors you can’t seem to get away from.

She lingered on that last point, her big “accountability” theme. We should not be threatened by this new accrediting “mandate,” she said. Rather, we should view it as an “opportunity” to invest in the future of students!

I found it necessary to snort.

Mulder is into lists. She spoke of five “powers” to produce change: the power of presence (that had something to do with being “entrepreneurial” and “showing up” for stuff), the power of imagination and intelligence (somethin’ about “kaleidoscopic thinking,” sacred cows, and dead faculty, I believe), the power of voice (“If you dream it and give voice to it, then you can do it”—Bleccch!), the power of partnering (some damned people, she said, think they’re in charge of everything!), and the power of motion, momentum, and persistence (“Middles are difficult,” said she, causing Old Guardsters in the center of the room to grimace and scratch their empty, balding heads).

Mulder made a few more scattershot points: we teachers have to take a leadership role; there are “five practices” that will help us (she listed them); teachers gotta experiment and take risks; my brother Fox is a flake; and so on. She quoted “Megatrends.”

Finally, Mulder returned to the theme of responsibility and duck crap: “We share responsibility,” she said with an air of self-satisfaction, “in creating the internal and external world.” That sounded like crap to me, but everybody else acted as though Agent Mulder had just handed ‘em a pearl.

That was about it, so we all got outa there fast. In the mad rush to leave, some people did get hurt—mostly, I think, owing to flying rubber cylinders and the frenzied feet of panicking Old Guardsters. Later that day, stinkwater broke through the walls and ceiling and drowned a coupla students. But, hey, life goes on.

The Faculty Association luncheon:

Not long after, I wandered over to the cafeteria, where the Faculty Association was holding its customary Flex-week luncheon/love-in.

People sure do like to tie on the feed bag, especially when they can do it for free. (“Hell,” said someone, “I’m goin’ for seconds on them lard chips, cuz I pay for ‘em with my dues.”) There was so much sloppy beef and cheese that people got happy just lookin’ at it all. Soon, everybody was chowin’ down and yuckin’ it up with abandon, inspiring Lee H to announce that he couldn’t remember when we’ve all had so much fun!

Adam Probolsky is a big fat idiot:

The GOP's Fuentes

While in line, I spoke with a prominent member of the union Old Guard, who explained why, at the July 12 special board meeting, she had spoken in support of the appointment of Tom Fuentes as a replacement for Frogue. I noted that, as the leader of the OC Republican Party and a partisan of its conservative wing, Fuentes is undeniably anti-union. Then I listed several actions—the poll-guard incident, the Mexican flag gambit, etc.—for which Fuentes is notorious. What about all that? I asked.

Well, said she, when she arrived on the 12th, Fuentes’ appointment was really already a done deal, and, when that’s the score, you’ve gotta go along and just get the best deal you can for yourself!

She was probably right about the “done deal” part. To many observers of the special meeting, Fuentes’ appointment seemed to be, well, highly orchestrated. Consider: of the three candidates who were interviewed on the 12th, only Fuentes showed up with written answers for each of the Board’s questions. Someone in the audience told me that the pro-Fuentes remarks offered that night by three Old Guard unionists were read from documents written in the same font as was displayed on Fuentes’ prepared answer sheets. Possibly this verbiage was provided by the remarkable Adam Probolsky, a fat man in a white shirt who kept running around the board room fixin’ things. Probolsky, one of Fuentes’ lieutenants, is a consultant for local right-wing politicos. His partner is the son of Lou Sheldon (of the “Traditional Values Coalition”). Essentially, Probolsky’s a big fat idiot.

Conspiracy fans, I’ve got two intriguing facts for you to chew on. (1) Six days before Fuentes’ coronation, a select group of OC Republicans partied at the Corona Del Mar home of Tom Phillips, a filthy-rich East Coast publisher who hopes to enter politics here in OC. The shindig was a gathering of the “Silver Circle,” an elite support group for the OC GOP. I’m told that George W’s nephew was among the special guests that day.

Guess who else attended this soiree? That would be Trustee Williams, Trustee Wagner, Board President Padberg–and Tom Fuentes.

(2) Intriguing factoid #2: Raghu Mathur met with Fuentes months prior to Frogue’s resignation (perhaps in May). –Ain’t it cool?

Don’t sweat the big stuff:

As I was saying, at the union feed lot, my Old Guard friend defended Mr. Fuentes, explaining that she is more impressed by little things about a person than that big dumb stuff she reads in the papers. That’s why she likes Frogue, despite all those pesky facts (legal declarations provided by former students, quotes in several newspapers) that seem to point to his being a Holocaust denier. Evidently, once during a conversation with the Froguester, he related how he killed a possum in his back yard. Boy did he feel bad about that. After all these years, he still grieves.

“That’s good enough for me,” she said.

“Oh,” I responded, as the “Twilight Zone” theme played in my head and “Mr. Bojangles” played in hers.

A Starship Enterprise:

Lots of people attended the luncheon, including some bigwigs: John Williams, Marcia Milchiker, the Chancellor, the President of the Community College Association, Laurence Oldewurtel. –Dazzling.

At about noon, Association president Lee H addressed the group. His election, he said, was a mandate to “right the course” and “steady the ship.” People didn’t want “business as usual.” Lee then introduced various Faculty Association officers and division representatives. They all seemed terribly pleased to be there.

This exercise made clear that the days of Old Guard domination are over, even though several Old Guardsters were in the room, sneerin’ and gossipin’ and runnin’ up for seconds, cuz they paid for the chow, goddam it.

Lee explained the need for everyone to “work together.” There’s nothing worse, he said, than a union that is not unified. “That’s a contradiction!” We need to go back to being “one of the Starship community colleges of the system,” offered the president. He announced an August 29 candidates forum and noted his regular and friendly visits with the Chancellor.

“Uh-oh,” I thought.

Hard to port!

Lee then asked the Chancellor to address the crowd.

The Chancellor? How odd, thought I. Here’s a guy who, on behalf of his corrupt board patrons (who fear union opposition in the next election), illegally blocked the collection of union PAC funds despite instructions from duly authorized union officials. And we’re lettin’ him speak? I don’t get it. “The ship’s a bit off course today, Lee,” thought I.

El Ced got up to repeat some of his blather about how last year was a “turn-around” time for the district. Then he picked up on Lee’s “working together” blarney. You’ve gotta have three things: a strong faculty, a strong board, and strong administration, he said. When the system works, it’s like three strong stool samples on somebody’s leg. (Or maybe it was three strong legs on a stool. Not sure.) Now, he added, the board is strong, but administration is weak, and, in recent years, the faculty have been weakened by divisiveness. So it’s like we’re on a broken sub on the bottom of the ocean or something.

Ced, who, I’m told, is seeking the union’s support in his effort to receive a lengthier contract and a big fat pay raise, threw Lee a kiss and then ended his remarks by inviting us to send thoughts and suggestions his way. Even hostile ones. “Anytime you have a hostile thought,” he said, “send it as an email.”

I wouldn’t recommend it.

Just then, the coffee maker made a deep bubbling sound. Someone whispered to me that we oughta rename the union the “Kursk.”

The president of CCA (I think) got up to speak. (Her name’s Dian Dolores Hasson.) She addressed the state budget. She noted that each district must come up with a five-year plan to reach a 75/25 ratio of full-time to part-time faculty. She condemned the voucher initiative (Prop 38), which, she insisted, isn’t just a K-12 issue. She’s a firm believer in public education, she said. “Everything we do must be for the students,” she added.

And that was about it.

Stupid and ruthless:

In the melee Monday night, police charged protesters with horses, fired “stinger rounds” at them and pushed them far away from Staples before allowing them to scatter. The opening moments of that push were rough, and amplified by the fact that the LAPD had cut off some natural routes of departure. That, according to many observers, made it hard for protesters who wanted to leave peacefully to do so without confronting the police. Instead, many were struck with batons or shot with stinger rounds.

On Friday, Police Chief Bernard C. Parks apologized to anyone who was struck or shot while trying to leave the area peacefully.

“We’re sorry if anyone was injured unnecessarily,” Parks said.
—LA Times, 8/19/00

Later that night, I got a call from a friend who was acting as a green-capped legal observer at the protests outside the Democratic Convention hall up in LA. She was on a “puppet truck,” she said, which drove away just minutes before a horrible clash erupted between protesters and cops. A mutual friend and fellow legal observer—a kingpin in efforts to support protesters’ rights—had been hit between the eyes with a rubber bullet which seemed to come from out of nowhere. (A few days later, the bruise left by the bullet had spread down her face, leaving her with two enormous black eyes.) Another legal observer—Carl Manheim, a respected educator—ended up in the hospital, owing to the effects of a rubber bullet or cylinder on his shoulder. These people were being peaceful and cooperative, she said, but that didn’t matter to the LAPD.

My green-capped friend was frightened. All the protesters now feared the police, she said, and that was plenty creepy. “These cops are insane. If you think those assholes at the district are stupid and ruthless, wait’ll you get a load of the LAPD!”

A few days later, she was back in OC and called me from her home. She was upset about LA and about the district. “Things suck,” she said.

And they do.

Oh, and, by the way, welcome back! —CW