A civility policy—at a college?

     With the Accreds breathing down our necks, the Chancellor and at least one of our college presidents have been anxious to pass some sort of board policy regarding our embrace of “civility.” The problem, of course, is that such a policy could turn into a platform for disciplining faculty. Not good.
     That’s why the first draft of the proposed “civility policy” was nixed by, first, the IVC Academic Senate, and then the SC Academic Senate.
     It remains to be seen whether the new and improved draft will pass muster.
     In the meantime, there’s this:

Requiring Civility (Inside Higher Ed)

Excerpts:

…The university [or Oregon] statement mentions civility twice in a section on faculty responsibilities, including that faculty are responsible for treating "students, staff, colleagues and the public fairly and civilly in discharging his or her duties and in accordance with this agreement." Civility clauses have long been of concern to advocates for professors. While it's hard to find people who are anti-civility, many academics note that requiring civility can become a tool for punishing those professors who speak out against their bosses or who push unpopular positions.
. . .
     Bill Harbaugh, professor of economics and moderator of the "UO Matters" blog, which is frequently critical of university policy, said decoupling academic freedom from free speech left room for administrators to punish those faculty – like him – who say things administrators don't like. He also objected to the idea that administrators would be the ones deciding what qualifies as "civil."
     The university has previously publicly accused Harbaugh of including “consistently anti-university” statements on his blog.
     “The university is place of higher learning,” warranting explicit protections of free speech, Harbaugh said. “The new policy takes out all the pro-free speech stuff and instead includes many restrictive rules about how faculty can be engaged in free speech. It’s aimed in part at limiting the critical faculty right to criticize the administration outside of [the formal university setting].”
     Michael Mauer, an AAUP senior labor adviser involved in contract negotiations, said the university’s counterproposal gutted union language that protects faculty free speech, in light of Garcetti.
     “It limits that to whatever the courts currently say is protected by the First Amendment, and we think it should be broader than that,” Mauer said, particularly as the counterproposal also rejects some union language guaranteeing faculty members the right to engage in criticism of institutional policy.
     And while there’s nothing wrong with an “aspirational” mention of civility, he said, including it as a “faculty responsibility” opens the door to potential disciplinary action for words that should be accepted within the "scope of vigorous debate."….

California Corporate College is coming!

     This (entitled "Logistics for California Corporate College Training") just in from DO of the IVC President's Office:

Dear Colleagues,  

     We wanted to share with you this important information: The upcoming event for the California Corporate College will be held from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm on September 17 [next Tuesday]. This is a new group of attendees and changes have been implemented to reduce the impact to the college, especially to parking and the cafeteria.  Below is the logistics update:  

➢  PARKING: On Tuesday, September 17, 2013, IVC will host a training session provided by the California Corporate College in the Performing Arts Center. Approximately 300 attendees are expected. Attendees will be directed to park in Parking Lot 8 and walk to the PAC. Please plan your day at IVC accordingly to ensure you can find a space. Staff Parking is also generally available in Parking Lot 9. 

➢  CAFETERIA: This is a new group of participants. They will  purchase a box lunch and eat in and near PAC for lunch (11:50-1:00). It is expected that there will be minimal impact on cafeteria and coffee carts. However, be advised that attendees may visit the cafeteria or the cart. Please share this information and to let your staff and students know of the impact on parking and (possibly) food services to help us minimize the impact of this event.

     We at Dissent are doing our part to disseminate information as directed. We are happy that there is indeed information to disseminate and assume that this is the same group that descended upon campus unannounced to the hoi-polloi a week ago. (300 parking spaces!) 

     What is California Corporate College,* you might ask?

     The frighteningly surreal image above (Pink Floyd album cover reject, no doubt) can be found at their website along with this descriptor:

California Corporate College - A new road to prosperity

     Community by community, California employers have been partnering with California's Community Colleges in building their workforce talent for generations. California corporations, governmental agencies, associations and non-profits can find no better workforce development partner than their local community college.

     But what if your organization has workforce development needs that reach beyond your local community? What if your employees in Sacramento, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego need training in Hazardous Materials Handling or Spanish as a Second Language?

     There's something about the juxtaposition of Hazardous Materials Handling with Spanish as a Second Language that makes La Rebel Girl exclaim Muy Toxico! 

     *Learn more about California Corporate College here. "The California Corporate College ... provides a single point of contact for businesses, governmental agencies, associations, and organizations to access training and workforce preparation services throughout California. It is created as a cooperative venture of all of California’s Community Colleges."

P.S.:

     I poked around and found a page of the IVC Master Calendar (for 8/30/13 to 9/29/13).
     It includes two events for the “California Corporate College”: one on Wednesday, September 4 (i.e., last week) in the PAC Lobby (from 8:30 a.m. to 4:29 p.m.) and one on Tuesday, September 17 (i.e., next week) again in the PAC Lobby (again from 8:30 – 4:29).

     So last week's parking fiasco was indeed caused by the CCC event.

Enrollment Rebounds at California Community Colleges (Inside Higher Ed)

     After several years of declines, California community colleges are seeing enrollment increases this year. Data released Wednesday by the community college system's chancellor's office indicated that the median percentage increase in enrollment is 2.5 percent, and a 5 percent increase in the number of sections. In contrast, last year at this time, the colleges were seeing an enrollment decline of 4.8 percent and a section reduction of 3.3 percent. College budgets are healthier in part due to a tax measure pushed by Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, approved by voters in November.

Bugsy nine one one

     We finally got Bugsy home from the hospital at about 8:30 this evening. After three transfusions and I-don't-know-what-else, he’s feeling good. He's happy and so are his mom and dad.
     We still don’t know the cause of his blood problem—the feline leukemia test is still pending. (That disease is the likely culprit, I'm afraid.) Other tests have been problematical. I won’t go into the details.
     So we’ll see how it goes. At least for now, for this moment, all is well in the world of Bugsy and those who love him.
     Meow, baby.

We get a map—and a helicopter? 9-11, IVC style

Yes, a chopper, courtesy the Sheriff's Dept. I guess Glenn's pal Mike can still pull strings—er, wings.

     "Nothing says '9-11' like a helicopter landing on your campus." So said an unnamed source.
     150 spaces of parking lot 5 will be reserved for today's 9-11 hoopla.
     Administration sent us this graphic. "See, there." Lot 5 is in front of the PAC, I think.
     Why is this event scheduled for prime time? Just who is in charge around here?

     Good luck with parking, everybody. And, no, we're not being invaded from the sky—I guess. The source didn't explain why the chopper is landing here. Maybe it's the return of IVC "Hometown Hero" Mike Carona.
     Headline: "Roquemore's 'Pen Pal' to make a special surprise helicopter appearance for 9-11 Fest at IVC!"

"And now, via helicopter, straight from Federal Correctional Institution,
Englewood, Colorado, IVC Hometown Hero Mike Carona!"
With that, the 150 guests, still bitter from the parking snafu, stood up to cheer.
Yes, there were balloons, but they were black. Former SOCCCD trustee
Tom Fuentes, who remains dead, also made a brief appearance.
"Dear Heavenly Father," he said.

Some "rumer," eh?

MORE PHOTOS:

Students took great interest in the helicopter. Certain employees, however,
were told in advance to stay away from the thing.
Some students, seeing the various emergency vehicles, were concerned
that some sort of accident or incident had occurred. As usual, there was
a fair amount of confusion.

Those 150 parking spaces? Well, by 11:45, few had been taken for the 9-11 event.
Did anyone attend the ceremony? Was it poorly attended? Who showed?

A very lonely place, parking lot 5. Meanwhile, students and faculty (et al.) scrambled for parking.
Is anyone in charge at IVC?

From IVC's Facebook page

State Chancellor: Community college enrollments

     According to a “media advisory” from the State Chancellor’s Office, “California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris will hold a teleconference [at 1 p.m.] to discuss fall enrollment numbers for most of the state’s 112 community colleges. Other community college leaders from across the state are expected to join Chancellor Harris on the call.”

Bugsy update

     Have nothing new to report about young Bugsy. Visited him at about 3:00 today—stayed with him for about an hour. Sweet kid. He was very nervous, responding to every sound in the damned place, including jet noise (the hospital is under the JW Airport flightpath). I got him to relax and sleep in my arms.
     Talked to a vet who explained that we still haven’t received results from the recent test. Later tonight, they’ll check his red blood cell count, and hopefully it will be up.
     More tomorrow.

     UPDATE (Tuesday): it's been a frustrating day. Played telephone tag with the doctor all day. Finally, I just went to the hospital to talk to the doctor, but she was unavailable. So I visited with Bugsy for an hour and a half. I got him to relax, sleep. That's about as good as it gets, I figure. No worries, Little Man. Just sleep.
     For Bugsy, these fine sessions are sandwiched, naturally, by journeys between his intensive care cage and the visiting room, a gauntlet guaranteed to induce fear and trembling in tiny creatures.
     Late tonight, I finally heard from the doctor, who rattled off complex points about inconclusive tests and offered some alarming and difficult mutterings about the Bugster's bone marrow failing completely to produce what it needs to produce. Maybe. Or maybe not.
     Somehow, the upshot of it all was the suggestion that, if his numbers remain stable tomorrow morning, he'll be sent home.
     Could this be?!
     Just now, a nurse called explaining again that, if, tomorrow, Bugsy's numbers remain stable (he's slipped down from 19 to 17, whatever that means, but never mind that), he'll be sent home in the morning.
     Whatever else is true, I do hope that happens. A hospital is no place for a sweet, tiny, hornless unicorn. Such creatures need to be home and free, even if their time is short.