Ahearn watch

• For what it’s worth, I found a semi-interesting article about the Amy Ahearn situation on a Florida-based online publication called TheSOP. Check it out. Or not. (The article doesn't really tell us anything new, I'm afraid.)

• On the Amy Ahearn Missing Facebook page, the administrator (no doubt Amy’s sister) asks the following:

I have a favor to ask everyone who has been looking, praying, and hoping to find Amy. Will you take a moment to send an email to Kathie Allen our Private Investigator to thank her? She has been doing TONS of work for us for FREE and we are ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL to her and would like her to know how much we love and appreciate her. You can email her at allenmorrispi@yahoo.com.

Sat morning, 1:00 a.m., baby now you do

I like. I like very much. —LYRICS

Common courtesy

Letter to the Editor: A Vote for Courtesy (The Capistrano Dispatch)

     I echo Councilman Larry Kramer’s call for “the highest standard of morality” and “common courtesy” by city council members in his response to Councilman Derek Reeve’s unnecessary and tasteless comments regarding the naming of his dog Muhammad.
     Mr. Reeve’s remarks seemed designed to be insulting to Muslims, regardless of his right to speak them freely. I am not Muslim, but his words, and his behavior since he uttered them, offend me as Christian and a citizen of San Juan Capistrano. I expect my City Council members to respect the interests of all the residents of San Juan Capistrano, regardless of race, religion or creed. Mr. Reeves, however, used his right to free speech, and his position on the council dais, to demonstrate contempt for the interests of a particular religious group. Although Mr. Reeve claims that he respects “the many honorable members of that faith” and denies that he intended insult, he refused to apologize for his comments, which makes me worry that this councilman lacks honesty, good manners, and/or good sense.
     I applaud Councilman Kramer and Mayor Allevato for calling Mr. Reeves to task over this incident, which embarrasses the council and shames the city.

—Susan Eberhardt, San Juan Capistrano

Wall Street Journal

Well, that explains a lot

From today's Chronicle of Higher Education:
Intellectual Curiosity Predicts Academic Success, Study Finds
     Intellectual curiosity is a strong predictor of future academic performance, says an article in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science. That conclusion was based on a meta-analysis of 200 previous studies of students who rated their own intellectual curiosity, among other factors. Intellectual curiosity has as large an effect on academic performance as conscientiousness, though not as much as intelligence, the article says. That finding lends credence to the idea that “a ‘hungry mind’ is a core determinant of individual differences in academic achievement,” write Sophie von Stumm of the University of Edinburgh and two co-authors. Universities should encourage more curiosity among their students and pay greater attention to the trait when making admissions decisions, the authors suggest.

The VC with the extra 'e', back in OC

     I just came upon an Oct. 7 Coast Community College District press release entitled “Coast District Trustees Select [Andreea] Serban to head Educational Services and Technology divisions for Multi‐College District.”
     You’ll recall that, a few years ago, Serban served as Vice Chancellor of Technology and Learning Services at our own district (2006-2008).
     After that, Serban put in a tumultuous stint as President of Santa Barbara City College. (She made some decisions that pissed off the oldsters of her community.)
     According to the press release, “Dr. Andreea Serban [was] appointed Interim Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Technology.”
     Though she hails from Transylvania, there is no evidence that she is a zombie or a vampire, though, vampire-wise, it has been said that "she certainly does have the voice."

Serban Appointed to Interim Position for Coast Community College District in Orange County, Noozhawk (Santa Barbara) Oct. 21

More clarity on Reeve and Concordia

     This morning, I came across an article in the Concordia University (of Irvine) school newspaper, the Courier, regarding controversial San Juan Capistrano City Councilman and Saddleback College Political Science instructor Derek Reeve's departure from CU. (See Adjunct prof. no longer employed at Concordia; Concordia Courier, Oct. 11; by Stephen Puls, editor-in-chief.)
     As you know, Reeve has been accused of serial plagiarism but has denied the charge, despite overwhelming evidence that he did in fact present work that was written by others as if it were his own.
     Though it is nearly two weeks old, the article provides clarifying details concerning Reeve’s departure from Concordia that have not been reported in the (non-Concordia) press.
     (Note: the subsequent edition [Oct. 25] of the Courier makes no mention of the Reeve affair.)
     The article explains that “Reeve was serving as the instructor for both American Government and Comparative Political Systems [at Concordia] this fall. Doctors Adam Francisco and Daniel van Voorhis, Professors of History, will assume leadership of these classes for the remainder of the semester.”
     It reports (or opines) that “Concordia holds strong to its policy of academic honesty as a means to push students towards independent thinking and resourcefulness. It specifically states that students, as well as faculty, are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity, holding true to commands regarding honesty in Scripture.”
     Further, it quotes a statement released by Dr. Mary Scott, Provost: “The university expects all members of the campus community to follow accepted, legal policies in matters of academic honesty.” The Courier implies that Scott's statement was released re Reeve's departure in particular.
     Assuming the Concordia Courier is reporting accurately, it seems clear that Mr. Reeve’s adventures in plagiarism (or perhaps his refusal to acknowledge that his posting of others' writings as his own [on Patch] constituted plagiarism) are indeed the cause of his departure from Concordia.
     Reporter Stephen Puls also reports that “University policy regarding academic integrity is placed at the beginning of the syllabus for every course.”
     MEANWHILE, the evidence suggests that Saddleback College has taken no action with regard to Reeve's plagiarism, despite Reeve's apparent failure to understand the concept of plagiarism combined with his obligation, as an instructor at Saddleback, to uphold the college's prohibition against student plagiarism in his classes.
     His name continues to appear on the Schedule of Classes for the Spring semester. As far as I know, he continues to teach at Saddleback this (fall) semester.
     As far as I know, there is no truth whatsoever to the rumor that Saddleback College has issued a press release regarding the Reeve affair, declaring that “Saddleback College doesn’t really care if all members of the campus community follow accepted, legal policies in matters of academic honesty.”

The Justice file

     For what it's worth, 96% (i.e. 29 out of 30) of those who participated in our "confidence/no confidence" poll re IVC VPI Craig Justice voted "no confidence."
     It is, I think, remarkable that only one person was willing to vote "confidence" in the fellow. One wonders how an actual vote among IVC faculty would go. Not so well, I suspect. Not for Justice.