The business model

Chomsky: How America's Great University System Is Getting Destroyed (AlterNet)

     …So when Alan Greenspan was testifying before Congress in 1997 on the marvels of the economy he was running, he said straight out that one of the bases for its economic success was imposing what he called “greater worker insecurity.” If workers are more insecure, that’s very “healthy” for the society, because if workers are insecure they won’t ask for wages, they won’t go on strike, they won’t call for benefits; they’ll serve the masters gladly and passively. And that’s optimal for corporations’ economic health. At the time, everyone regarded Greenspan’s comment as very reasonable, judging by the lack of reaction and the great acclaim he enjoyed....
     That’s one aspect, but there are other aspects which are also quite familiar from private industry, namely a large increase in layers of administration and bureaucracy. If you have to control people, you have to have an administrative force that does it. So in US industry even more than elsewhere, there’s layer after layer of management—a kind of economic waste, but useful for control and domination. And the same is true in universities. In the past 30 or 40 years, there’s been a very sharp increase in the proportion of administrators to faculty and students; faculty and students levels have stayed fairly level relative to one another, but the proportion of administrators have gone way up. There’s a very good book on it by a well-known sociologist, Benjamin Ginsberg, called The Fall of the Faculty: The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why It Matters (Oxford University Press, 2011), which describes in detail the business style of massive administration and levels of administration—and of course, very highly-paid administrators. This includes professional administrators like deans, for example, who used to be faculty members who took off for a couple of years to serve in an administrative capacity and then go back to the faculty; now they’re mostly professionals, who then have to hire sub-deans, and secretaries, and so on and so forth, a whole proliferation of structure that goes along with administrators. All of that is another aspect of the business model….

A fine eucalyptus moment

     It’s been a beautiful day. Somehow, I had a great, if abbreviated, ethics class this afternoon. Left early to make my doctor’s appointment at 1:45. Made that on time, and it went well. I left somehow elated, my state made better still by the music I was playing in the car, as Saddleback loomed before me, growing ever closer.
     Rolling towards those hills, I had a fleeting, but fine, “eucalyptus” moment: a brief memory of some childhood scene, smelling and hearing and feeling the stands of eucalyptus trees along Santiago Boulevard, aware of the golden hills (circa 1963) around Villa Park with a child’s eyes, lovely music playing in my head. It somehow combined with thoughts of young Teddy, whose name came up in my conversation with Boerlin.
     “How are things going with your cat, Teddy?” he asked. He smiled, thinking of the oddness, but cleverness, of that question, but I flat answered it: “Well, he’s turned out to be a great cat. He’s maybe the sweetest cat I’ve ever known, and I’ve known a shitload of cats.”
     Boerlin liked that; plus he liked something (he said) I said once about the difficulty of approaching the increasing wackitude of certain declining progenitorial individuals with a balance between respect and humoring. I think Boerlin was playing me a bit, cuz he was fixin’ to charge me for two meetings ($300!), owing to my having missed my appointment last week. My chief complaint, of course, qua patient, was an increase in my own wackitude in the form of worse, though not debilitating, memory lapses—such as the odd lapse that allowed me to lose track of the little card informing me of my meeting with Dr. B last week. So I emphasized that symptom, hoping it would for once inspire B, that tightwad, to charge me for one meeting, not two. But no.

     But, yes, my fine eucalyptus moment did somehow combine with a Teddy moment—they are similar moments these days, so high is my esteem for the rotund little fellow. I explained to Boerlin that Young Teddy is covered in some magic sauce when it comes to women, cuz there’s no woman who has passed through Teddy’s orbit who hasn’t become a devoted satellite. “My mom visits the guy nearly every day; my friend Kathie comes around every other week just to see him; even my goddam cleaning lady is playing with him right now instead of working!” All true.
     When I finally got home, I found Beverly working, more or less, but it was obvious that she had spent some time playing with the Boy, too. And just before she headed out, Teddy came between us and started rolling around on his back on the floor—a clear indication that he was very comfortable being around that lunatic Beverly. I don’t mind. I’m glad she and Teddy are pals.
     But I’m getting ahead of myself. Beverly came later.
     “I try not to hold it against him,” I told Boerlin, bringing my account of Teddy nearly to a close. But I did add that Teddy is mighty sweet, a kind of miraculous being, impossible not to adore. “I am fortunate,” I said, “catwise.”
     I stopped by Ma and Pa’s—Annie was there—since I hate to arrive at my place while Beverly is working (or playing or drinking or showering). Pa was “working” on taxes over at the sunroom table (an absurdly neurotic spectacle). Ma and Annie, however, were blathering sweet & sour nothings about their upcoming trip (with Pa, that hater of travel, that great pretender) to Vegas to see Villy Nelson. I took the opportunity to get Annie on the laptop to snatch up three tickets (on my card), the best ones available (if I were to leave the matter to my folks, they'd get cheap seats up in the rafters), but that ran into a snag, ‘cuz we had to print out the tickets ourselves (or else), but—I was told—“the printer is out of ink.” Oh. Naturally, Pa overheard this and wandered over, muttering something about printers and ink. “Please forget about it,” I told him. “Just forget about it; we’ve got it covered.” But no. He muttered something about how, no, there’s plenty of ink, and then he wandered in the direction of his office, where, of course, the printer (and the fax machine) are located.
     “Good grief,” I said, as he turned the corner.

The Boy

     Predictably, he later wandered back in, with two boxes under his arms. They were ink cartridges for the fax/copier. "Voila," said his body language. Naturally, Ma and Annie took turns explaining to him that we weren’t talking about the fax machine but the printer. Pa just stared into space as the information, a foreign army, slowly crawled up his pants legs, moving generally toward his brain, at a snail’s pace—probably so slowly that they would soon start marching, like ants, in the other direction and then off to another neighborhood entirely. It was like watching paint dry on a humid day. (It is an odd journey to be on, to see this sort of thing happening to one's parents, irregularly but surely.)
     That was it for me; I announced that I would be back in a half hour with the ink. I walked past ‘em all, including my still bewildered dad, and climbed into my trusty Chrysler 300, storming away like I do.
     Naturally, the Office Depot (or Staples?) that I always go to up on Portola was empty: out of business. Sheesh. So I headed back on Portola toward Rancho Santa Margarita. I got stuck in the right lane and, as I crossed Glenn Ranch Road, the lane started to disappear (it was traffic time); but, in a flash, I spotted an opportunity to merge to the left, but it wasn’t really an opportunity—I mean, no sane person would regard it as an opportunity. It was an opportunity only to death-wishing race car drivers and me. Off I went, evidently stomping on the gas (I don’t recall that, but I do remember smoke), and perfectly slipping into the just-barely space at the left, utterly pissing off the guy behind me in a PT Cruiser. Immediately, I acted as though everything were perfectly normal, and it was, aside from the pissed off guy, who seemed to be on his cell phone. Well, whatever.
     I finally got to the Staples in RSM and found the two ink cartridges (colored and B&W)—the pair cost something over $110, if you can believe that. Well, again, whatever. So I headed toward Trabuco Creek, encountering, naturally, some fool in a tiny car called a Kia Shit (I think that was the name), tooting and putting incredibly slowly through the hairpin turns (there’s a couple of those just before the creek) and the straightaways too. “No, no, no,” I told myself, a reminder that I had already tested fate with that recent lunatic PT Cruiser maneuver, which will come back to haunt me yet. Luckily, the fool in the Kia Shit turned off the road before crazy things happened, leaving me behind a fairly cool Mazda 3, traveling at a stately and respectable speed. I played it cool, again enjoying the weather and music, which triggered a series of near Eucalyptoid moments. It was Desmond Dekker’s “Fu Manchu” (1968), which is way spooky:

It make no sense at all to say where you used to work

It make no sense at all to say how much you used to earn

It make no sense at all to say what you used to do


This is the face of Fu Manchu... 



     —What does it mean? I dunno, but it sure is cool and somehow it was perfectly suited to the moment. So there I was, groovin’ to a cool 60s spooky reggae vibe about, I dunno, things people say that make no sense and the general spookiness and beauty of the cosmos when you're driving through the golden hills and mighty oaks and the air that feels good.
     I dropped off the ink cartridges—it was a pit stop—and then headed up to my place to see Beverly off and say hello to the Boy. That went well, and off she went, and the Boy was a miracle yet again, being his wonderful self and climbing all over me for reassurances. I gave 'em.
     After a bit, a bird somehow got caught inside the house, and, natch, the Boy was totally wired, feeling somehow that THIS WAS IT, WHAT EVERY CAT LIVES FOR, but probably having no idea quite what to do. But I liked this bird and wasn’t about to let it get eaten or ripped by Teddy, despite the latter’s (otherwisular) miraculous perfection and goodness. So I opened all the doors and attempted to encourage Mr. Bird to head outdoors, but you know how it is. Birds aren’t good at taking directions or hints. But I liked how I could keep the doors totally open and not worry about Teddy, cuz the Boy was seriously focused on that bird and there was no way he was gonna wonder off into the hills. Not now.
     Eventually, Mr. Bird found his way out the front door—Boo Boo (aka Teddy) managed not to see that, so, boy was he disappointed and perturbed when the whole crazy bird episode seemed to come to a stop for reasons (to him) unknown. But he dealt with it OK, and, pretty soon, there we were, sitting together on the couch on a kinda hot but beautiful evening while, probably, Annie and Ma got those Villy tickets printed (but who knows) and, near as I could tell, all was well in our little canyon.
     A good day, I think.

Folks at Saddleback College hope that their new stadium—likely to cost more than $10 million—will be impressive. It's, like, #15 on the new 5 Year Construction Plan. (Above: my graphic "interpretation." Heehee.)

Former trustee Wagner

Assemblyman Confuses Reagan’s Actual Record Against Stated Policies: a recent liberal blog post about Don Wagner’s curious appreciation of Saint Ronald.
     Evidently, Dandy Don has had occasion to hang with the likes of Halle Berry (from his Facebook page).
     (Just a reminder: Don got an "A" from the NRA. I think that means he's either packing heat or he routinely brandishes a gun during debates with "liberal busybodies.")

Report from Idaho: Guns on Campus

In today's New York Times, Boise State professor of biology and criminal justice Greg Hampikian pens a letter to the Idaho State Legislature about pending legislation which would permit guns on the the state's college and university campuses.  The bill faces likely approval.

When May I Shoot a Student?

TO the chief counsel of the Idaho State Legislature:

In light of the bill permitting guns on our state’s college and university campuses, which is likely to be approved by the state House of Representatives in the coming days, I have a matter of practical concern that I hope you can help with: When may I shoot a student?

I am a biology professor, not a lawyer, and I had never considered bringing a gun to work until now. But since many of my students are likely to be armed, I thought it would be a good idea to even the playing field.

I have had encounters with disgruntled students over the years, some of whom seemed quite upset, but I always assumed that when they reached into their backpacks they were going for a pencil. Since I carry a pen to lecture, I did not feel outgunned; and because there are no working sharpeners in the lecture hall, the most they could get off is a single point. But now that we’ll all be packing heat, I would like legal instruction in the rules of classroom engagement.

At present, the harshest penalty available here at Boise State is expulsion, used only for the most heinous crimes, like cheating on Scantron exams. But now that lethal force is an option, I need to know which infractions may be treated as de facto capital crimes.

I assume that if a student shoots first, I am allowed to empty my clip; but given the velocity of firearms, and my aging reflexes, I’d like to be proactive. For example, if I am working out a long equation on the board and several students try to correct me using their laser sights, am I allowed to fire a warning shot?

If two armed students are arguing over who should be served next at the coffee bar and I sense escalating hostility, should I aim for the legs and remind them of the campus Shared-Values Statement (which reads, in part, “Boise State strives to provide a culture of civility and success where all feel safe and free from discrimination, harassment, threats or intimidation”)?

While our city police chief has expressed grave concerns about allowing guns on campus, I would point out that he already has one. I’m glad that you were not intimidated by him, and did not allow him to speak at the public hearing on the bill (though I really enjoyed the 40 minutes you gave to the National Rifle Association spokesman).

Knee-jerk reactions from law enforcement officials and university presidents are best set aside. Ignore, for example, the lame argument that some drunken frat boys will fire their weapons in violation of best practices. This view is based on stereotypical depictions of drunken frat boys, a group whose dignity no one seems willing to defend....

To read the rest - and you should - click here. 

Is Wendy Gabriella’s loutish and callow opponent, Jesse Petrilla, up sh*t creek?

10 shots at vehicles. "I
was just a...dumb kid."

     A month ago, one of the local Patch publications reported that 73rd Assembly candidate Jesse Petrilla, a Republican, had once been convicted of a felony involving a gun. Oddly, the OC Register has been quiet about the whole thing.
     Until today:

Does a criminal conviction matter in an election? (OC Reg) Rancho Santa Margarita Councilman Jesse Petrilla was convicted of assault with a firearm when he was 17.

     Republican Assembly candidate Jesse Petrilla, who is running to replace Diane Harkey in the 73rd District in November, said voters should not judge him based on his conviction as a minor on two felony counts of assault with a firearm.
     In 2001, authorities accused Petrilla of shooting a 22-caliber rifle at a group of people who had gathered for a fight. Although he was 17 years old at the time, Petrilla was charged as an adult because of seriousness of the accusations.
     “I regret the incident,” Petrilla, 30, now a Rancho Santa Margarita councilman, said. “There were a lot of things that I could have done to get out of it before it escalated to that point, but I was just a young, dumb kid.”
. . .
     Petrilla fired as many as 10 shots before people fled and contacted authorities, according to the news report. The shots didn’t hit anyone, but struck vehicles. One person heard a bullet whiz overhead, according to the report.
. . .

Other Repub: Bryson favors
teachers and other employees
bringing guns to school

     Petrilla was charged with 12 felony counts, including assault with a firearm, shooting at an occupied vehicle, dissuading a witness from testifying and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, according to a criminal complaint. He also was charged with a misdemeanor count of drawing and exhibiting a firearm and another misdemeanor count of exhibiting a deadly weapon.
     Prosecutors offered a plea deal to drop all but two felony counts of assault with a firearm, which Petrilla accepted on Aug. 10, 2001, according to court documents.
     Petrilla pleaded no contest to the two felony counts and admitted to a gun use enhancement allegation. He was sentenced to 240 days in jail and five years of probation.
     Petrilla had spent 159 days in custody to that point. He was credited with time served and released.
. . .
     The court ended his probation after three years. Petrilla emphasized that his felony conviction was later reduced to misdemeanors and his record was expunged in 2006.
. . .
     Fredric D. Woocher, an election law attorney at Strumwasser & Woocher LLP in Los Angeles, said no laws compel Petrilla to disclose to voters his conviction in city or state elections.
     The expungement allows Petrilla to answer on many job applications that he hasn’t been convicted. However, it doesn’t relieve him of the obligation to disclose the conviction “in response to any direct question contained in any questionnaire or application for public offices,” according to his court order.
     In Rancho Santa Margarita City Council elections, candidates are asked if they are qualified to hold office, but not if they have a conviction, City Clerk Molly McLaughlin said.
. . .
     Thad Kousser, associate professor of political science at UC San Diego, said Petrilla’s conviction clouds his candidacy for the Assembly race but doesn’t doom it, especially because the conviction happened when he was a juvenile.
. . .
     But two things could hurt Petrilla, Kousser said.
     First, voters received news of the conviction from a source other than Petrilla – a local online-only news site published an article about the conviction in January. That, Kousser said, could raise questions about Petrilla’s honesty.
     Second, the information came out before the June 3 primary rather than between the primary and the November general election. For the primary, Republican voters who are considering voting for Petrilla can change their mind and choose from other Republican candidates.
     If the information had come out after the primary and Petrilla were to win it, there’s a chance he would face a Democratic candidate in the general election, and Republican voters might decide they would have no choice but to vote for him, Kousser said.
     The other Republican candidates in the Assembly race are Capistrano Unified School District trustee Anna Bryson, Dana Point Councilman Bill Brough and former Laguna Niguel Mayor Paul Glaab. Wendy Gabriella, a constitutional lawyer and anthropology professor at Irvine Valley College, is the only Democrat in the race….

The February meeting of the SOCCCD Board of Trustees: Saddlebackians want a new stadium and it's all that matters!

     [Please see Tere's Board Meeting Highlights].
     It's 5:59 p.m., and it looks like the board is about to boardize. Stay tuned.
     No boardifications just yet. Everybody's here but Marcia Milchiker.
     It begins! (Just after 6:00.)
     Actions taken in closed session: Nancy reads: 6/0 vote, approved 3 mo leave of absence; 6/0 vote, board approved recommendation to transfer manager from one college to another, I think; 6/0 vote approved non-renewal of 2 probationary faculty members (one per college); 6/0 denied appeal of administration termination based on discrimination.
     No recognitions tonight. Slow month, I guess.
     Public comments: three requests.

Glenn

     Jim Petkin(?): been at SC since 1968. Watched Saint Ronald turn over the dirt. 5-year construction program for the stadium. (He seems to be referring to agenda item 6.5: new 5-year construction list. See below.) Thanks for putting the stadium on the list. It's now #15 or so, so pleased. "I'm talkin' about what SC has done for me" and many other players. Brought us farther into our lives. I have long supported SC football and other programs. Wanted to let you know, this vision brought by first administrators—it will be continued...that field is a perfect location to help So Cal to produce additional income for this college, etc.
     Charles Wright(?): class of '95. We're very excited, appreciative for your elevating this potential project. The stadium. Magnitude of importance.... The community benefits. A great opportunity to generate revenue. Will serve the community. I'm an alum. Tells his history: briefly pro-ball, got masters at Stanford, blah, blah, blah. Goes back to stadium. Will benefit, a tremendous opportunity. (Why do these guy all seem to have swallowed the same lexicon?)
     Jan Duquette: Kinesiology chair? What Jim said. There've been many master plans, many changes. Our athletic stadium has remained the same. Been here 35 years. We've had national championships, but same stadium. "Heartbreaking." "We're still having to deal with" this old stadium. Bad for recruitment. Blah, blah, blah. Oughta have an adequate facility.

Board Reports:

     Bill Jay: backs up what Jan and the two gentlemen said. It's time to get a new stadium. Looks like we'll finally get it.
     Tim Jemal: I too support a stadium. Hope it comes to fruition during my tenure. Sorry that Marcia's not here tonight. Her husband is "a little ill." We miss her. On my mind: the for-profit colleges and universities. I try to keep in mind, we are doing our part to ensure that current and prospective students know the value of our community colleges. Don't want to contribute to path of debt for students. This issue has gotten some national attention. It's a concern, on my mind. We're paying attention to it. [Good Lord, it's about time. We've been talking about it here at DtB for YEARS.]
     Nancy Padberg: reiterates our getting a stadium. "I'm a big athletic supporter." (No one laughs.) Students have a way to engage with each other (while they're wearing athletic supporters?). Blah, blah, blah. We are one of the only CC districts in county that does not have a decent football stadium. It's really time; we have to get off the dime. I'm sure we can. Attended Freedom Foundation Aware luncheon. Student honored. Eagle Scout project. (Yeah, I did one of those.)

     TJ Prendergast: school board dinner. Presenter from Gallup polling. One finding: 2 main factors for success: "someone who cared about you" and "hope." Hope?
     James Wright: attended IVC homecoming basketball game. IVC vs. Santa Ana College. IVC has a good basketball record.... Also attended the dinner. Brandon (something) was the Gallup guy. Hope is a stronger predictor of success than GPA, etc. Teachers demonstrating caring is important. Congrats both colleges: US Dept of Energy: Solar Decathlon. Team Orange. We'll hear more about this. Accreds gave us a pass. "Wonderful." Last: spent a day and a half at a hospital; two of the three nurses were from Saddleback. They recognized me, said chirpy things about SC training.
     Dave Lang: very much interested in the item concerning capital improvement projects. I want all of them done. Want to hear more about the football stadium, the foundation's goals, etc. Shout out to Irvine Unified SD, recent achievements. Ranked so highly in "excellence in ed" awards. These schools make Irvine one of the most attractive places to live in the goshdarned country.
     David Robinson, student trustee: Emeritus Institute lectures, blah blah blah. Support and echo comments about facility improvements.
     Chancellor Gary Poertner: Item 6.16 - granting tenure to 22 probationary faculty. We'll move this up to be the first on agenda. We want to recognize them. I want to congratulate these faculty. District software development team, blah blah blah.
     The room is pretty full. Could these be the 22 faculty and supporters?
     (For IVC:) Craig Justice filling in for Glenn Roquemore: blah blah blah. Speech and debate team has won Point Loma tournament. 13 students took awards. One student won a $3k scholarship. Team ranked 3rd in conference.
     For Saddleback College: Tod Burnett mentions some things already noted. Decathlon, etc. other exciting things: Ashley Wagner, Olympic skater from Saddleback. (U.S. team captured the Bronze.) A great year in basketball for our teams. Kickoff luncheon: social entrepreneurship. [Social entrepreneurship?] Blah blah blah.
     Kid went through list of activities on behalf of ASIVC. The kid's sneakers glowed green. Really.
 

Look! It's another SOCCCD "completion agenda" presentation!

Next: advanced 6.16 - newly tenured faculty:
     Burnett: Faculty: full tenure status. Introduces each of them (at SC). He goes through the names. Big yells, applause. WTF? It's not unlike a sports event: foolishness prevails. This continues with each name called. I don't recall this much hoopla in the past. Good grief. They all line up against the wall. Photo op. Confusion. Stupidity. Ridiculousness. Snap. Over. --No, one more round of applause as everyone walks back to their seats. Hail the conquering heroes.
     Now that they got their recognition, half of the room walks out. Some board members suggest it might be nice (i.e., polite) if they stuck around for the actual vote--and for the reading of IVC's tenured faculty. But no. The crowd continues its joyful egress.
     Craig Justice comes up to read names of IVC faculty. The three not here tonight are in class. Others come up. More applause, though pretty thin. OK though. Craig mentions Jeff's baby girl. Photo op. Much less confusion. Click. That's it. At least they didn't get ribbons and shit.

Newly tenured IVC faculty

Newly tenured SC faculty

Item 4.1: SC: a new vision for student success at SC
     (Prendergast briefly mentions a requested report. Then they move on to "vision" stuff.)
     Burnett: we make lots of presentations here at the district. But really proud of this one. It's about student success. Not new to us, no sir. Completion agenda is national, state and local priority. Always a recommendation: need to have an entire college-wide effort. We all play a role. Starts with faculty, but all the other segments, blah blah blah. Now SC's turn: what we're doing for student success. Introduces three people: Bruce Gilman, Patty Skaff?, Shay Sharp?  Gilman comes up: change is afoot. Under the name of student success. He reminds us of events leading up to this. Pathways to Success. Blah, blah, blah. Fall 2012: something happened, SB1456 maybe. Blah blah blah. (This goes on, usual thing. I'm tuning out, checking my email.)
     ...We need to rethink everything...Shows a slide of "student success." What a lot of hooey.
     Bright and perky and blonde is next. Pretty damned chirpy. Shows organizational chart of student success. More utter hooey. Big smiles. "Pretty exciting" that we've got this huge group on the case. (Um, no.)

     [I dream of a world without endless piles of horseshit dotting the landscape, blocking my view. I especially dream of a world without the endless, mindless saluting of said horseshit. "Yes sir, right away sir!" This gal sounds like a cheerleader. She doesn't seem to be saying anything. Things will be developed. Success will be pursued. Completion too. Pedagogy, man. --Um, I routinely get nearly whole rooms of students just blowing off assignments. If you ask them to read a chapter of a book between classes, they groan; then they blow it off. Why don't we address that? But no. Their standards are lower than a barefoot snake. What about that? Half my students seem unable to write a coherent sentence. Anybody gonna bring that up? OF COURSE NOT.... Save me from horseshit. --The chirpy gal is still chirping. Gosh she's enthusiastic, pleased as punch. Probably a great person, but please. She holds up a shirt that says, "Ask me!" How cute. How pleasant and nice. What horseshit. C'mon. What about SLOs? They're a collosal waste of time and money. The chirp persists. She turns the whole shebang over to young Ms. Sharp, the student. She says she's also in student government. Seems like a great kid. She reports on a survey of student opinion about all this shit: what does it mean to be a successful student? She lists the predictably ridiculous student answers: "it's when you succeed a lot." They also asked students what role faculty should have. (Why do they bother with this?) "They should be role models," said one kid. "They determine my mood" said another. "They make the world of a difference," said another. Isn't that ungrammatical? WTF? How can faculty improve their connection with students? Answer: "Engage with students more." --Is anyone ever gonna talk about what STUDENTS could/should do? Hell no. And everybody with half a brain knows that's where the problem is, if it's anywhere. We encourage them to think they can have a social life, a job, and take six classes. NO WAY. --OK, I'm seriously thinking of just going home. --The gal is done. Gilman comes up and mentions the "RP group" and their research. (I've looked into the RP people; worthless shite. People with Ed.D. degrees should be banned from all colleges and universities.*) Now he's blathering about "tranformative change." Is this a TV show? Will he be offering valuable cash prizes? Any questions? Surely someone wants to poke at this pile of horseshit, knock it over. But no: Wright declares that it was a "wonderful" presentation. Don't think so, Old Dude. They start blathering about the ABOT program. "It's just wonderful." Not likely.

2007

     Jemal: how does this new vision relate to counseling? More chirps. "We are leading the state, guys!" We're implementing all the new mandates. "No one can touch us." SHERPA, etc. Lots of noise, little substance. --OK, I'm tuning out again. She continues... This will take lots of counselors....Why, of course it will! They're so very valuable!
     Robinson: refers to student survey. Mentions a buzzword: mentorship. (F*ck me.) Is concerned that students be involved on these committees addressing completion and so on. Chirpy answers. Gilman comes up and speaks forcefully about the definition of success that they came up with. (It's pure blarney.) Good Lord it was important to get that defined! (You've got to be kidding.) I think this guy is serious. Yes, students must be at the center of the effort. (You mean on these committees? Why?) More committees, more students, more shirts, more blather! Behold the spectacle!
     Padberg: it's really rewarding to see how enthused you all are. (Nancy, it's horseshit. They're enthused about horseshit.) How do we ensure that it will continue? Chirpy answers: there'll be updates. Two committees, right out of the chute. (So proud!) Then 8 workgroups! (Is she kidding? Is she f*cking with me?) Yeah, let's create more committees. Maybe we can produce another illiterate and clueless list of barriers," followed by the joyful emulation of suicidal rodents. Gilman now talks about a "silo mentality." "You can feel the spirit in the room, and the camaraderie." Applause.
     OK, I'm dying. I've had about all I can take.

Yes, athletics brings out the best in people

Consent calendar: 5.4 pulled.

5.4 Jemal pulled this item, ATEP development master planning services. Will this inhibit going forward with a collaborative partner who suddenly comes along? I understand the need for master planning. We do lots of planning for ATEP. I get it. But at some point we need to stop planning and start implementing.
     Um, YEAH!
     Fitzsimmons: partner inquiries will be processed as per usual if they come along. Jemal: If a firm comes along and wants to go forward quickly--do we have to wait? Fitz: blah, blah, blah. Reassuring blatherings. Passes.

General action items:

6.1 Energy Service Contract, IVC.  Fitz presents. Blah, blah, blah. Public hearing is opened. Public may speak. Natch, none. Closes public hearing. (It's democracy in action.) Discussion? Of course not.

6.2 - energy service agreement, IVC. They vote: unanimous.
6.3 - Air handling...  Unanimous vote.
6.4 - Marian Bergeson Award Nomination. Lang: nominates Marcia Milchiker. He says she's interested in, um, getting this award, I guess. Happy to nominate her. Unanimous.

6.5 - 5 year construction plan. Fitz asks Brandye to come up. Mentions priority of stadium--moved up to #15. #8: new baseball/restroom/concession stands at IVC. Fine Arts restoration went from 23 to 22. Quad landscape renovation, etc. --Unanimous. Prendergast "jokes" that the pool is missing from the list. (He's into swimming at his high school, I guess.) Lang: what's the thought process behind the reordering? Brandye: 5 year plan takes two lists, one per college (prioritized), and then there's the state chancellor's office....--identify how we want to fund projects in the future. Gateway Bldg. at SC. Fine Arts at IVC. Waiting for matching funding from state. Lang: that we downgrade a project: does that jeopardize state funding? B: No, we've been careful. We're very aware. Lang: I'm supportive of the football stadium. Much popular sentiment for that. Athletics is important. BUT it is very expensive. There was lots of Foundation support. Where does that stand? Burnett: Foundation did feasibility study. Frankly, our community is not ready to raise the necessary amount of money. $500k commitment by Foundation. But it's got a $10 mil price tag! Half a mil is chump change. So there's that. Burnett talks about complexities in pursuing building. Prioritization. Lang: asks about "occupy date." Three, four years, says Burnett. Not so long. Could be finished by 2017, even 2016. .... Lang: has this gone through shared governance? Supported by other groups? Burnett: it has gone through our college wide process. ... Wright notes that the money (for stadium) will have to come from basic aid. Wright worries: Science/Math building (renovation) way down on list. Brandye: yes, we're concerned. Jemal: Any other commitments, beyond Foundation's $500K? Burnett: yes and no. Two high schools rent our facility. We don't get as much high school usage because we have substandard facilities. If we have the facilities, we'll accrue more revenue. Robinson: Is the college open to naming rights; that sort of thing to defray costs? [This student trustee seems to be more or less on the ball, unlike some of his predecessors.] Burnett seems to like the idea of pursuing that. We certainly would entertain proposals for that. --Passes unanimously.

6.6 - Academic Calendar. Wright: problems with the Spring semester. Four fewer instruction days. Craig Justice: always short in Spring because of holidays. This calendar has the correct totals. Wright: but are more instructional days in Fall. Craig: that's an issue. Wright: was this considered? Craig: yes. Monday night classes: fifteen minutes added, etc. Wright has a bee in his bonnet. He keeps buzzing. Wright declares that this hasn't been a problem every year. SC Ac Senate Prez speaks up: yes, it is a problem. Hard to equalize days. We've tried to improve the situation. IVC Ac Senate Prez (Schmeidler): we had put this calendar to bed. Next year's calendar, we've tried many things. Tried to even out semester. Several years ago, holidays were not as much as a problem as now. We're certainly aware of the problems. --Unanimous approval.
6.7 - Board policies. Unanimous.
6.8 - Strata Info Group. Fitz addresses. The $500K isn't going to one person, no. Jemal asks a question.... Unanimous.
6.9 - Life Sciences, IVC. Lang: contract has more than doubled since original. Brandye: first contractor went bankrupt. Unanimous.
6.10 - IVC, ATEP swing space. Fitz: mentions substitution page. Revised rec. --Unanimous.
6.11 - SC, Tech & Applied Sciences Building Renovation. --Unanimous.
6.12 - Academic personnel actions. --Unanimous.
6.13 - Classified personnel actions. --Unanimous.
6.14 - 92 faculty. 1st year probationary faculty. Two year contracts. --Unanimous.
6.15 - 2nd year. --Unanimous.
6.16 -- we've done.
6.17 - Human resources management reorganization. Unanimous.

Reports:

7.1 - no comments
7.2 - no comments
7.3 - no comments
7.4 - no comments
7.5 - no comments
7.6 - no comments
7.7 - Lang: Retiree Trust Fund. Wants report. Lots of press recently, different entities have mangaged their resources. In the Register. UC Foundations. Important that our board understand how the investment committee works. Benchmarks, etc. Should have a discussion about this. Need to learn more. OK.

Reports from administrative and governance groups:

SC Ac. Senate Dan Walsh: blah blah blah
Faculty Association (union): blah blah blah.
IVC Ac. Senate: Echoes what Dan Walsh said about Decathlon. IVC has no plans to have a football stadium (laughter)--so there's  another benighted college. Mentions that we do well in what everyone else in the world calls "football" and we call soccer.
Peebles, et al.
I'm outa here. It's 7:45

*Please excuse my exaggeration. I do know decent and intelligent people with such degrees. Yes, of course. But they seem to prevail, as decent colleagues, despite their "training."