(This) Adjunct is Dead (Inside Higher Ed)

     …Fincke says in his post that he’d wanted to be a professor since he was 17 years old. But recently, after earning his Ph.D. and spending three years on the full-time academic job market with no breaks, he’d mentally prepared himself for being someone who “used” to teach college. He loved the work, but teaching seven to nine courses per semester – enough to make a decent living – ultimately wasn’t sustainable.
     He also says that he was enabling what he calls higher education’s exploitative labor system, and that it affected him deeply. "I also realize that by continuing to allow universities to take advantage of my labor at a discounted rate, I was helping to perpetuate a pernicious system that was harming my peers and me,” he wrote….

A sad tale indeed

Is Orange County Proud Of Not Guilty Verdicts In Kelly Thomas Murder Trial? (NavelGazing; R. Scott Moxley)

     …Now, from what transpired inside Judge William R. Froeberg's 10th floor, Santa Ana courtroom, it isn't hyperbole to say that OC juries will let thug cops get away with murder--even when such attacks are captured on video surveillance cameras.
. . .
     The defense lawyers know the quickest way to Orange County jurors' hearts is to remind them, as Barnett continuously did, that the defendants patrolled the--don't laugh--"mean streets of Fullerton," kept the public safe from hoodlums and didn't deserve to be second-guessed on "split second decisions" made about using deadly force.
. . .
     Is it okay for six veteran cops to claim they couldn't figure out how to control the limbs of a smaller, weaker subject already on the ground and needed to kick, punch and stomp the unarmed man to death?....

Impacts of Thomas Case Go Beyond Jury's Verdict (Voice of OC)

     …In the Thomas case, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas had even better evidence -- both video and audio of the beating at the Fullerton bus depot on July 5, 2011. Included is video and audio of officer Manuel Ramos telling Thomas, a homeless man who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, that he was getting ready to "f*** you up."
     Based on this evidence and more, Rackauckas charged Ramos with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter; and charged officer Jay Cicinelli with involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force.
     But, some experts say, more important than the evidence itself is where it was presented -- conservative Orange County, where juries want to support police.
. . .
     And like the in King case, the FBI’s Civil Rights division now will conduct its own investigation of what the officers did that night in the Fullerton bus depot parking lot….

FLEX WEEK: a lawyer will teach us to be a community, GIFs will convey Aristotle, and laughter will become unhinged

The Clueless One knows his January symbolism

     1-13-14
     Oh my God, it’s flex week at the South Orange County Community College District!
     One thing—among others—I’ll say for Chancellor Gary Poertner: he knew enough to downsize the Chancellor’s Opening Session to a mere once-a-year affair, in August. So there’ll be no district PR extravaganza this week. No Elvis impersonators, no ambitious political wannabes. No glowering Nancy. No parade of oldsters getting pins.
     But that won't stop the two college Presidents from putting on their shows, complete with skits, inspirational speeches, and show tunes.
     IVC’s Glenn Roquemore has put together the usual: something entirely devoid of merit but that will look good on paper for the Accreds:

"Jaunary"?

     You can find the above (if, that is, you know the secret handshake) at the IVC website: Faculty Professional Development Week (schedule).
     According to the flex schedule, “Following a brief welcome, Glenn Roquemore…will provide an update on campus activities and accomplishments.” It's sure to be snooze-worthy. And bull-shitty.
     The “Keynote speaker” will be Barbara Ginsberg, Esq.
     Lawyer Ginsberg, we're told, will present “methods to bolster our knowledge.” Which methods do you suppose she or they have in mind? —None, I’m sure. These people write like, well, my students.
     She’ll also present “methods…to provide practical application on how to rebuild trust and support civility in a collegial campus environment.”
     That sentence gets a D-. Good grief.
     And just who is this Babs Ginsberg, and who is she to advise any of us on rebuilding trust and inspiring civility at the college?
     —She’s nobody, that’s who. You’ll recall that the district loves to employ attorneys, and one of its favorite firms is Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo. They’ve got 85 attorneys. Ginsberg is one of ‘em:

Barbara J. Ginsberg

Seems nice

Barbara J. Ginsberg
Senior Associate
Practice Areas:
School Districts
Community College Districts
Labor & Employment Law

     Barbara J. Ginsberg is a senior associate in the Cerritos and Irvine offices. She represents school and community college districts in all aspects of labor and employment matters and education law. She is experienced in the areas of: employee discipline; statutory leaves; investigating charges of harassment and discrimination; drafting board policies; PERB, EEOC, OCR and OAH matters, litigation, and negotiations. She regularly provides training to Districts. 

Prior to joining AALRR, Ms. Ginsberg spent seven years as a legal advocate for public and private employee unions and eight years as an advocate for school and community college districts. She additionally served as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Victorville.

     Leave it to Glenn to suppose that an expert on "employment law" is just the person to come to us to teach community. Next, he'll invite Fullerton cops to teach classroom etiquette. Or Cesar Millan to teach the proper care and feeding of classified.
     I gather from perusing the schedule that the rest of the week comprises such things as: encouraging faculty to teach “distance ed,” an update on the budget and the college’s “mission and goals,” yet another overview of plans to build ATEP, a dazzling presentation on “regulatory changes affecting pre-enrollment activities,” how to use “cloud” computing tools, etc.
     An apparent highlight is a presentation by the district's Bob Bramucci, who will ask,

[H]ave you stopped to think about why students will spend hours transfixed on a video game when they can’t pay attention in class for more than a few minutes? What is it about the gaming world that captures their attention and can we harness it to help our students succeed? Please join us for the fun and games!

     I've gotta say: this doesn't sound promising. No doubt he'll advise keeping my Aristotle unit down to 30 seconds or less.
     The ever-popular Brammuci will again be on hand on Friday for a

One day retreat for full and part-time faculty and staff of the School of Guidance and Counseling. Presentations will include Dr. Bramucci on “Creative Destruction as applies to Counseling”, CPR/AED certification, and stress relief techniques.

     Also on hand for this event will be yet another guy, “The Laughter Yoga Guy.”
     I don’t know who Laughing Boy is, so I looked him up. According to Wikipedia:

     ...Laughter yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Laughter yoga is done in groups, with eye contact and playfulness between participants. Forced laughter soon turns into real and contagious laughter. Laughter yoga does not involve humor or comedy.
. . .
     Laughter yoga was made popular as an exercise routine developed by Indian physician Madan Kataria, who writes about the practice in his 2002 book Laugh For No Reason.
     In the mid-1990s, laughter yoga was practiced in the early mornings in open parks, primarily by groups of older people. Later, a more formal version was created and popularized as "Laughter Clubs". Kataria's first Laughter Yoga Club began on 13 March 1995 in Mumbai, with five people in a local public park.[citation needed] The concept rapidly spread worldwide, and as of 2011, there were more than 8,000 Laughter Clubs in 65 countries.[citation needed] Each group is run by a "Laugh Captain" and operates independently.

     Perfect.
     Are we to assume that the counselors are on board with this "laughter yoga"? To paraphrase a certain censorship-resisting writer of the 90s: at a meeting like the one described above, no reasonable person could resist the urge to go postal.

     Meanwhile, at Saddleback College, Flex week commences with a “panel”:

Excellence in Teaching and Learning: Faculty Mentor Program Panel
     To gain greater insights into how faculty can help faculty with best teaching practices, please join us for the panel discussion on the Saddleback College Faculty Mentor Program. Experienced faculty mentors will share what they have learned from their experiences as mentors, including some key tips on how to improve classroom instruction and design. This panel will discuss the benefits of participating in the mentoring program and how you might get involved either as a faculty mentor or mentee for Spring 2014.

     Well, that sounds pretty good, I guess.
     The panel is followed by a concert or sorts: “Joey Sellers and Jazz Studies students perform jazz and American standards and demonstrate the difference between “free” and structured improvisation.”
     I might actually enjoy something like that.
     On the other hand, at noon on Tuesday, there’ll be a presentation on the “active shooter.”
     Right.
     It will include a “general discussion of distressed, disruptive or threatening students, procedures and protocol.” That could be useful. At IVC, when you encounter threatening students, you’re basically SOL.
     Later in the day, there’ll be a presentation on “Responding to Distressed, Disruptive, or Threatening Students: A Faculty Guide.”
     Thursday brings the “Presidents’ Faculty Breakfast”:

     Come to enjoy a hearty breakfast and learn what’s in store for the new semester. College President Dr. Tod A. Burnett and Academic Senate President Dan Walsh will provide a comprehensive update and discuss key issues impacting the college over the coming year. All full time and part-time faculty are invited, and encouraged to attend this breakfast!

     I’ve gotta say: Saddleback’s Flex Week looks way better than ours at IVC. Go to the website (no secret handshake necessary) to see what I mean. It's subtle, but there are signs of intelligence throughout. Not like IVC. At IVC, intelligence has been scared off, stamped out, choked, starved, bashed upside the head and left to die.

* * *

     At IVC, no one wants to do anything anymore. People and activities of quality are not recognized. Shit is endlessly elevated and celebrated. Lies and distortions are routinely promulgated. And so when the call goes out for Flex Week activities, there’s virtual silence.
     Under the leadership of Captain Dunderhead, we bob lifelessly in the deep doo-doo of our shallow non-valley, where we apprehend our future perfectly. More of the same, as far as the eye can see.

Agran's corruption (residual Fuentes)

     If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that Larry Agran, once one of OC’s handful of leftist heroes, has become a flaming self-serving asshole.
     I started to worry about Agran when I heard that he was working with notorious OC GOP kingpin Tom Fuentes on the opposition to the El Toro Airport. That was maybe 15 years ago.
     Long story short, Agran became a good pal of longtime Fuentes crony Arnold Forde, the man who helped bring hardball ugliness into the world of political campaigning and financing in Orange County—and then beyond.
     Here’s the latest chapter in the story from R. Scott Moxley:

Independent Audit Proves Massive Larry Agran Corruption At The Orange County Great Park (R. Scott Moxley, NavelGazing)

Early model Forde

     …That gross situation—reporters uncovering government malfeasance and Agran nonetheless perfecting the art of political thievery—existed for 12 years until 2013, when Republicans finally took control of Irvine.
     Over the high-pitched squeals of Agran and his robotic council sidekick, Beth Krom, the new majority ordered an independent audit to answer a question the Democratic political machine didn't want answered: How did Agran spend more than $200 million in Great Park funds, but yet after more than eight years of alleged planning there was (and is) no park?
     Late yesterday, the well-respected financial forensics team at Hagen, Streiff, Newton & Oshiro Accountants (HSNO) issued a scathing, 50-page audit report that should be Agran's political obituary.
. . .
     Page after page of the audit reveals how Agran, Krom and their bureaucrats shamelessly treated hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds as their own money. They repeatedly botched park planning, hid spending from other elected officials, hired cronies, doctored public records, concocted shell games, inflated sweetheart deals, lied to the public about the success of park planning and wasted tens of millions of dollars through sheer incompetence. Perhaps most troubling, they essentially used the park piggy bank as their re-election treasuries.
     We previously knew Agran handed Arnold Forde—his private political adviser and, by the way, a Rackauckas pal—a $100,000 a month, no bid contract to perform public relations for a park that didn't exist.
     Thanks to the audit we now also know that Agran funneled another $50,000 a month deal as well as a third lucrative contract to Forde.
. . .
     Let's do the shocking math: When in control of the city and the Great Park, Agran was giving at least $174,500 a month in taxpayer funds to his own political operatives….

Previously posted:

OC's "win at any cost" political ethic: Butcher-Forde, Tom Fuentes, & James Lacy (July 15, 2012):

     “Some of these consultants regard a campaign as the equivalent of warfare, in which anything goes, short of overt violations of the law. Deceptions and misrepresentations, especially unleashed at the last minute through computerized mailings, seem to have become, for some, a standard campaign technique.”

—Orange County Citizens' Direction

     ...You’ll recall that, in the past, I have noted that OC has been on the cutting edge of political methods, including sleazy and dishonest campaign tactics. One entity that figures importantly in that story is the consulting firm “Butcher-Forde,” which early on (c. 1970) exploited computer-assisted campaigning and direct-mail approaches. Butcher-Forde definitely wasn’t into the “truth” or "honesty" thing; they plainly adopted an “end justifies means,” win-at-any-cost approach.
     Such language has been used to describe Tom Fuentes' approach as chairman of the OC GOP. Tom, of course, worked with Butcher-Forde and people close to the firm during its beginning….
. . .
     Finding Commission report, 1978 "When Butcher and Forde brought professional management and a fierce competitive drive to Orange County campaigning, they were challenging decades of friendly, folksy clannishness. They have been called amoral and their campaign tactics deceptive. And the accusations have not been hurled exclusively by their candidates’ opponents."

— "Butcher and Forde, wizards of the computer letter," California Journal, May 1979.

Writing OC history: the Bold and the Ruthless (July 19, 2012):

     IT'S BECOMING CLEAR…that, at least in our benighted county, the phenomenon, in politics, of brazenly deceptive but highly effective “smear” campaign tactics—including last minute … attack mailers—was seized upon and perfected by the one-time consulting firm of Butcher-Forde—and by Butcher and Forde considered independently, both before and after that firm. That is, insofar as one dons one’s historian’s cap and approaches the last half-century of OC political campaigning, asking: How did we get here?—well, that answer, more or less, is these guys, William Butcher (now William Lord-Butcher) and Arnold Forde.
. . .
    But this kind of campaigning, to be effective in transforming the landscape, takes sustained money. Starting around 1970, developers provided that key ingredient. The combo of big developer money and no-holds-barred campaigning was the new animal that metamorphosed Orange County into the hyper-developed and politically nasty place that it is.
     …[I]t appears that one will not go too far wrong in starting with the 1969-1970 campaign of Ron Caspers to challenge and replace 5th District Supervisor and Republican Alton Allen. At least as far as the Republican establishment was concerned, Caspers seemed to come from out of nowhere. But he had money. More specifically, he had “Dick and Doc” money. And he had the talents (the ruthless and clever methods) of Arnold Forde (and later Butcher-Forde) plus the uncommon energy and ambition of young Tom Fuentes. Most importantly—and here, I believe, Fred Harber is the crucial figure—Caspers had a vision of how county government should operate. That vision was actualized after his 1970 election, when “Caspers made the contacts and set the ground rules for developer participation in the grand scheme of patronage carried to an exponential degree” (Tom Rogers).

No-bidsville: same old same old (Dec. 31, 2012)

     You’ll recall that the “Forde” of F&M is the dirty trickster and Super Crony so intimately involved in the rise of Ron Caspers to political office (Board of Supervisors) in 1970. A young Tom Fuentes ran Caspers’ ugly campaign and soon became Caspers’ chief assistant at the county and even an employee at his S&L. In 1974, Caspers perished in a mysterious boating accident off the coast of Baja. Fuentes was slated for Caspers’ replacement until a residency requirement nixed the deal.
     Fuentes was supposed to be on that ill-fated boat trip but ultimately declined the invitation, though he did provide a cooler full of goodies for his boss.

A Day of Reckoning for Critics of Great Park PR Contract (Voice of OC) (January 7, 2013):

     A new Republican Irvine City Council-majority is poised to terminate the Forde & Mollrich and Townsend Public Affairs government lobbying contracts. The council will also consider a forensic audit of the park’s contracts.
     Those challenging the park’s leadership often ask – what exactly was Forde & Mollrich accomplishing as it collected $100,000 per month?

Irvine council OKs Great Park audit, ends contracts, cuts board (OC Reg) (January 9, 2013):

     On a night when there was little if any consensus among two factions of Irvine's City Council, the last vote at 1:34 a.m. Wednesday was unanimous –all five council members voted in favor of seeking proposals from auditors to take a closer look at the Great Park's books since 2005, a motion made by returning Councilwoman Christina Shea.

Rutan & Tucker are out (in Irvine) (March 24, 2013):

     These [Irvine City Council] Repubs, like most of the rest of us, think that Agran and Co were up to no good. You'll recall that, during the battle over the fate of the El Toro Marine Base (which ended in 2002), Agran formed an alliance with Tom Fuentes, who died in May. Oddly, when Agran presided over the Great Park board, he hired a public relations firm headed by Fuentes' old pal Arnold Forde, a fellow as crafty and unprincipled as you'll ever find. Forde's firm made millions on that contract, but nobody seems able to explain what that big money bought. 

More money, no tuition hikes for state colleges and universities (EdSource)

     Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal boosts funding by more than a billion dollars for all three public university and college systems, although that’s not as much as California State University and the University of California had hoped for.
. . .
     But that money comes with conditions. In exchange, Brown expects the colleges and universities to show measurable evidence of improved student success and a promise not to raise student fees. Between 2007-08, when the economy began to tank, CSU raised tuition by $2,700 to its current level of $5,472 for California residents. UC undergraduates pay $12,192, more than double the amount from five years ago. During that same period, community college fees jumped from $26 to $46 a unit.
     Community College Chancellor Brice Harris called the budget welcome news “after years of budget cuts forced us to turn away hundreds of thousands of students.”
     The community college system will receive a 11.4 percent increase, for a total state allocation of $11.6 billion next year. That includes an additional $200 million from Proposition 98, the voter-approved school-funding guarantee. The money must be used for programs to help boost the success rates of underrepresented students by strengthening and expanding counseling, orientation and other programs and support services.
     “I would say that we’re encouraged by the proposal because it reflects the work that the colleges are doing to restore access and improve student success, and address the population that often seems to fall through the cracks,” said Beth Smith, president of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges….

He had some doozies

California Governor Seeks More Money for Higher Ed (Inside Higher Ed)

     California Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, will present his 2014-15 budget plan today, and a leaked copy suggests a continued recovery in state support for higher education -- especially for community colleges. The University of California and California State University systems would each receive a 5 percent increase, contingent on continued adherence to a deal with the state to freeze tuition rates. State funds for community colleges would increase by more than 11 percent….

Antimicrobial remediation in progress

 Rebel Girl sent me these phone pics today from the hallway of building A200 at Irvine Valley College.
They document the recent activities of a secretive crew informally known as the IVC "Day-Late-and-Dollar-Short" Squad (DLDSS).
They tend to show up, um, a few months after you really need 'em.

 As you can imagine, faculty avoid campus like the plague during the period between Fall and Spring semesters. No doubt the Reb was there to take care of English Dept. business (she's one of two chairs).

It appears that part of the hallway next to my and Reb's office is sealed with, um, paper. The zone includes the office door of our next door neighbors, two Spanish instructors. They found some little mold monsters in that office a month or two ago. (See Hallway Blather.)

 That's the office door of the Film and Humanities instructors at right, I think. Pretty intense, man.
About two months ago, the college Maintenance guy (JE) held a meeting just down the hall about remedial efforts to deal with the building's new "mold" issues. During the meeting, I noted the "dilapidation" of the wall and doorway at the end of this hall, which opens up to the outdoors.
The wall behind this paper wall had weasel shit (or something) piled up at its base. —No, it was cricket shit. Yeah.
One day, a month or so ago, the Reb found one of the three bolts that held the outside door. It had somehow popped out of its hinge and it lay on the grass. The Reb contacted Maintenance about the problem; she said she'd keep the bolt in our office, but the maintenance dudes never came around to fetch the dang thing. I guess they figure two out of three (working hinges) ain't bad.
UPDATE: Rebel Girl writes: "Roy - FYI: A nice fella did come out and pick up the bolt and fixed the door. But a few days later when light panels fell out of a lighting fixture in the quad and pierced the lawn, I picked them up and called the incident in, - however no one came and picked them up. They are still in our office."

That's our (Roy and Reb's) office door at right. It's just what you'd expect, I guess.
Spaceballs?
--I take it back. That's the film/humanities office door. Yeah, there's nothing about spaceballs on our door. We've got slogans about justice and shit.