TRUSTEE HUETER'S FAREWELL REMARKS: "AN EMBARASSMENT"

     The original “Board Majority” comprised Williams, Frogue, Fortune, and Lorch. The roughly unified “Board Minority” comprised Hueter, Lang, and Milchiker, until Hueter’s departure at the end of 1998.

     Hueter did not seek reelection owing to serious illness. Nevertheless, until the end of her term, when she was quite debilitated, she did whatever she could to oppose the BM's disastrous agenda. She is a very nice lady. 

 11/16?/98 

  Joan Hueter’s statement (on the occasion of announcing her retirement from the board): 

     “Recent decisions made by some of the trustees have resulted in dismantling of outstanding educational and administrative structures at Irvine Valley College and Saddleback College. Nearly all of the most talented managers have left the college district because of micromanagement and poor judgment by some trustees and their appointees. The state of California is closely examining financial, educational, legal and administrative actions taken—sometimes in secret. 

     “The newly elected trustees must be prepared to demand adherence to laws and established procedures in determining appointments, assignments and curricular decisions. They must work diligently to prevent further erosion of the reputation of the colleges and morale of the staff. 

     “It is an embarrassment that this $72 million district with its excellent, dedicated faculty, gifted administrators and able students could attract only nine applicants for the position of chancellor in a nationwide search. The public must pay closer attention to the candidates for election in November to make certain that the public interest and not special interests are represented by the board.”

ANTI-CHRISTIAN DISCRIMINATION? by Chunk Wheeler

     [Believe it or not, this article was cited by Chancellor Sampson in his attempt (at the urging of Raghu P. Mathur) to discipline me for allegedly violating the district’s anti-discrimination policy in some issues of Dissent/Vine. In particular, it was cited as evidence of my discriminating against CHRISTIANS. 

     [How so? By criticizing Mathur's praise of events associated with his faculty supporters and failure to praise events of Mathurian critics, I was thus understood as saying something negative about Gary Rybold, a person who seems to view himself as representing Christianity. 

     [You be the judge concerning this “discrimination” charge.] 

[From Dissent 11, 11/10/98] 

[Originally entitled:] DISTRICT EMAIL FROLICS 

by Chunk Wheeler 

     District email messages can be fun. 

     For instance, on the 9th, Dean Kenneth “Just let me teach!” Woodward sent out an email soliciting recommendations for the temporary Lariat advisory position for the spring. “Please pass the word around,” wrote Woodward, “that the position is open.” (Recently, Woodward predicted that the Lariat would be a fine paper again. I guess he knew then that Walker was about to retire.) 

     According to the message, Union Boy has been asked by President Bullock to “convene a committee to make a recommendation.” 

     Why are they going to all this trouble just to hire a temporary replacement? You’ll recall that the last Lariat advisor, the fine Kathleen Dorantes, was fired—not by her dean, but by the president—without warning or explanation. No “search committee” was involved in replacing her either. Lee “Lawsuit” Walker just bullied himself into the position. (That, of course, was the reason Dorantes, despite her quality and popularity, was dismissed.) The Lariat has since become a kiddie paper, one that emphasizes puff pieces, seldom covers real news, and often looks as though it were assembled by five-year-olds. As you know, students have blamed the situation on the remarkable Lee “Scratch” Walker. 

     Anyway, upon receiving the solicitation, I immediately emailed Ken the following message:

     KEN: Here’s a suggestion: how about Kathleen Dorantes? I seem to recall that she did a great job. 

     It turns out that others had the same idea and sent the same suggestion to the Kenster. No doubt Union Boy will take these suggestions very seriously. Hell, maybe, in the end, Dorantes will get back the permanent position, too. 

 * * * * * 

     Raghu “the Beav” Mathur is often at his most Mathurian in email messages. Take, for instance, this message we all received (at IVC) when we returned from the weekend [the 9th]:

TO: All Faculty, Staff and Administrators 

     I would like to share with you my pleasure and enthusiasm over two great events that I witnessed last Friday. 

     First, there was a great debate between the SOCCCD Forensics Team and the Chinese Forensics Team about the equality of the sexes in the Student Services Building at IVC. [Gee, I had no idea there was a problem with sexual equality over in SSB.] Kudos to Professors Gary Rybold (IVC) and Larry Radden (SC) for organizing this wonderful educational and international experience for our students, staff and the community members. The event was well attended. This event was co-sponsored by ASIVC and the IVC Chinese Cultural Association. Our sincere appreciation goes to the sponsors. 

     Second, my family and I thoroughly enjoyed the musical play, Fiorello, last Friday. It was a fantastic and most enjoyable production. No doubt the actors, actresses, musicians and support staff displayed their talents and professionalism of the highest order. Our kudos go to Professors Ron Ellison and Suzie DuVal, and Chief Technician, Jim Rynning. Go see the play if you get a chance. It runs through December 6, 1998. 

     [Here’s the best part:] 

     These are evidently two great examples of educators who truly care about the students, the college, and the profession. I know there are others in the college who are like them. It is indeed these and such educators who deserve our affection, support, respect and gratitude for jobs well done!    

     CONGRATLATIONS.  

 Raghu P. Mathur 

 President, Irvine Valley College 

     Undoubtedly, the educators Mathur praises in his email deserve commendation. But those who know the Goo know that the last paragraph of his message is intended as a comment. It is saying that there exist educators at IVC who don’t “deserve our affection, support, and gratitude” and don’t “care about the students, the college, and the profession.” 

     Do you doubt this? Just consider the facts: first, the two faculty mentioned prominently in Goo’s message—Rybold and Ellison—are “loyal” Mathurian cronies. 

     Second, oddly, faculty who have helped to bring about other successful and noteworthy events in recent days are not mentioned, not praised. Naturally, in every case, these faculty have been critical of the union-backed Goo. 

     For instance, former school chair (of Fine Arts) Steve Rochford, music instructor, recently put on a concert, a great success. He was not mentioned in Goo’s email. And, despite, radically reduced support, Lisa Alvarez recently published a fine edition of the Ear, the community journal sponsored by the fiercely independent School of Humanities and Languages. 

     She was not mentioned. 

     Alvarez and other Mathurian critics were involved in two MECHA-related events: a fine “Day of the Dead” celebration and a Hurricane Mitch relief drive, which was spearheaded by two MECHA students. (See Irvine World News.) These faculty were not mentioned. 

     Not long ago, two Mathurian “unfriendlies,” including Jan Horn of the Recall, were promoting a high-profile “cancer walk.” Naturally, Mathur refused to allow them to advertise for the event on campus or to make use of college email. 

     As I understand it, the students responsible for the hurricane drive, too, found the Gooster uncooperative when they sought his help in advertising. 

     It doesn’t get any uglier than that. —CW

   

     [Rybold was once called out for having his student debate teams engage in Christian prayer prior to debates.]

MATHUR CENSURED FOR LYING ('94) by Chunk Wheeler

[From Dissent 11, 11/10/98] 

[Originally entitled:] 

WHAT’S ALL THIS ABOUT RAGHU MATHUR BEING CENSURED FOR LYING? 

by Chunk Wheeler [Roy Bauer]

      It is often said that Irvine Valley College president Raghu Mathur is the “only person ever to have been censured for lying in the history of the college.” 

     That is correct, sir! On April 5, 1994, he was censured for lying to members of IVC’s Instructional Council on March 22, 1994 . 

     At a previous meeting, the membership of the IC had agreed not to go “outside the process” with respect to the choice of chair of the IVC presidential search committee, a choice to be made by Chancellor Lombardi, who, nevertheless, planned to base his choice on the recommendation of faculty. During an IC meeting on March 22, Raghu was asked whether, despite this agreement, he had presented a petition on behalf of a particular faculty member to the Chancellor. In fact, as he later acknowledged, he had. But, on the 22nd, he answered that he had “not forwarded” a petition to Lombardi or anyone. 

     Unfortunately for the Gooster, some members of the IC were familiar with his duplicitous ways and were not satisfied with his answer. After the meeting, they determined that, on the 21st, Raghu had indeed shown Lombardi a petition in support of his crony Craig Grossman. (Perhaps on that basis, Lombardi chose Grossman as one of two co-chairs.) 

     It was clear that Raghu had betrayed and then lied to the membership of the IC. 

     Raghu’s action was brought to light at the Instructional Council meeting of April 5. In his defense, he asserted that, though he did indeed show the petition to the chancellor, he did not “forward” it to him. Hence, he seemed to say, he did not actually lie. In legal circles, this is called making a “distinction without a difference.” Outside legal circles, it is called, “being a lying weasel,” which, of course, is unfair to weasels, who are, by all accounts, extremely direct and up-front in their dealings with others. They’re no hair-splitters. 

     Here are the relevant portions of the minutes for the April 5, 1994, IC meeting: 

INSTRUCTIONAL COUNCIL MINUTES, 

April 5,1994 

Present: Terry Burgess, Shu-Yung Chen, Bob Deegan, Pam Deegan, Ron Ellison, Dave Everett, Larry Kaufman, Kathy Paukstis, Nick Kremer, Wendy Phillips, Sue Long, Chris Riegle, Margie Luesebrink, Bob Urell, Mark McNeil, Leann Cribb [Secretary], Raghu Mathur 

INFORMATION AND REPORTS [Seven items are listed under this heading.] 

OLD BUSINESS 

[The first item concerns the “Marine Base Two Year Plan.”] 

[Second item:] Presidential Search Process: 

      Terry wrote a memo on March 23 to Chancellor Lombardi expressing the views given in Instructional Council at the March 22 meeting. He asked that the Council be given the opportunity to review the job announcement before it went out and recommended that a chair from IVC be appointed to convene the search Committee. 

     The Chancellor has since appointed Craig Grossman and Jerry Rudmann as co-chairs to convene the committee and they are in the process of setting up a meeting with the different governance groups to determine the composition of the committee. 

     Also, Terry passed around a copy of the published job announcement. The position is already being advertised and will close on May 20. 

     Wendy mentioned that she had met with Chancellor Lombardi on March 25 and he indicated to her that he had met with Raghu on Monday, March 21, and was aware of the petition Raghu had been circulating. [My emphasis.] 

     Many chairs expressed anger at hearing this because, at the Instructional Council meeting on Tuesday, March 22 [i.e., one day after Raghu’s meeting with Lombardi], Raghu had been questioned regarding this petition and had said that he had not forwarded [it] to anyone. [My emphasis.] 

     Instructional Council had agreed that no one will work outside of the IVC governance structure and agreed-upon processes. They felt that Raghu had lied to the Council because he had already spoken with the Chancellor [about the petition]. Working outside our process, by anyone, undermines all of the work the Council and the Senate does and makes IVC look bad [said members of the Council]. 

     It was generally felt that the co-chairs being appointed and the announcement going out before review by IVC is directly related to the fact that the administrators at the District think we are in chaos because people keep working outside the process. 

     Margie made a motion to censure Raghu Mathur for lying to the Instructional Council regarding the petition and the presidential search process and for misrepresenting not only Instructional Council, but also the faculty. Wendy Phillips seconded the motion. 

     Raghu stated that he did not lie to the Instructional Council. He said that he was asked if he had forwarded the petition to the Chancellor and he said he had not. He did admit, however, that he had shown the petition to Chancellor Lombardi prior to the last Instructional Council meeting. [My emphasis.] He still has the petition in his possession. 

     Raghu felt that the members of Instructional Council were making too big of a deal out of the situation. He also stated that he never said he was representing Instructional Council or the faculty; he was only representing himself and that he has every right to talk with the Chancellor. 

     Nick said that he was opposed to the motion on the floor because he did not feel this was the appropriate forum to deal with this issue. Ron also stated that he did not [see] the merit in this motion. He felt that Instructional Council was allowing this to pull the unit apart, which is exactly what we have been working against. He said that we needed to pull together and act as a unit. 

     Shu-Yung asked what it meant to censure Raghu. Margie responded by saying that she has been a long-time colleague of Raghu’s and has always treated him with respect, and hopes to continue such a relationship with him. However, this motion states that we are unhappy with his actions and wish to protest his misrepresentation of our faculty. 

     Bob Urell stated that he agreed with Raghu in that Raghu, or anyone else, does have the right to speak with the Chancellor, but that he did not agree with what Raghu had said to the Chancellor or his misrepresentation to the Council at its last meeting. 

     The question was called and the motion passed with 8 ayes, 3 noes, and 4 abstentions. [END OF QUOTATION] [My emphases throughout.] 

     Observe that, in order to conclude, regarding this episode, that Raghu lied (among other sins), one need only appeal to his own admissions. They are damning all by themselves. 

 * * * * * 

     Raghu is big on petitions. You’ll recall that it was one of Raghu’s petitions that caused the Gang of Four to appoint him IVC’s interim president in April of ’97—one month after the decision had been made to appoint then-Chancellor Lombardi to the position. Oddly, the signatories of the petition have never been made public. (Raghu’s gang of supporters are unfailingly cowardly.) —CW

"MAIM" (aka EMMA'S MODEST PROPOSAL) by Red Emma

I do believe I used a portion of this graphic to help illustrate. -RB

[From DISSENT 11, 11/10/98]

[Note: this article was cited in Sampson’s letter to Bauer in December of ’98. According to Sampson, this piece—not written by Bauer—illustrated Bauer’s violence and preoccupation with weaponry. Judge for yourself. Ultimately, several federal judges offered their opinion, and those opinions did not agree with Sampson.]

[Originally entitled:]

EMMA’S MODEST PROPOSAL by Red Emma

Sometimes, buried in my mailbox with President Mathur’s clever homages to corporate education, Red Emma discovers the odd Swiftian news report. First, academic updates from the Republic of Yugoslavia. Then, a modest proposal.

This month’s Lingua Franca reports disturbing developments from Serbia, these at the University of Belgrade. Passage of President Milosevic’s “Law on Universities” allows the government to appoint deans directly, along with members of the governing University Council, as well as “all managerial and supervisory boards at Serbian universities.” Deans and rectors, reports Lingua Franca, are now responsible for all future faculty appointments.

Sound familiar? Read on: “The text of the law was not obtained by the Serbian public until two weeks before parliament was to vote on it. Faculty and administrators at the University of Belgrade cried foul: They had been told that a new law was forthcoming but that it would be devised in collaboration with the universities. Their protests did nothing to halt the law’s progression through parliament and into effect. Approximately fifteen hundred students, professors and concerned citizens briefly took to the streets—only to be violently dispersed by police and para-police troops.”

Before I mention the Brown Act, our board’s favorite law, there’s more. Milosevic’s regime has focused its nationalist reforms on, of all places, the Philosophy Department. (I’m not making this up.) Targeted are faculty who express concern over omnicultural Serbian studies, who sign their names in English, not Cyrillic, and who demonstrated against the regime (and the war) in 1996-1997. Finally, reports Lingua Franca, “This fall, the only literature courses offered are on Slavic writers.”

Let’s see: Government interference in administration. Heavy-handed control of hiring policies. Unannounced meetings. Laws passed absent public input. Attacks on activist Philosophers. Personal vendettas against disloyal faculty. Messing with curriculum. Violating the Brown Act.

I certainly hope Raghu and Glenn are getting this down.

Finally, in the spirit of international cooperation, we at Dissent announce the founding of the Milosevic-Mathur Academic Integrity Matrix. (I couldn’t think of a more annoying business ed sounding type word than “matrix”; besides, it permits a satisfying acronym: MAIM.)

Beginning immediately, I’ll accept nominations here for candidates to an academic exchange program between IVC and University of Belgrade (home of the fighting Ethnic Cleansers!). Forward written nominations to Dissent c/o Red Emma. In the Dissent spirit of irony, efficiency and recycling, all nominations should be completed using the back of any of the recent Presidential Solicitation for Input forms. In fifty words or less, please argue why your nominated IVC administrator, trustee, or college president should be sent to Serbia and one of Milosevic’s henchpeople visit our divisive little campus in their place.

Pinochet update: It is, I am sure, no small comfort to the General, still lying flat on his back in custody, that the last lunch he ate as a free man was with Baroness Margaret Thatcher, who, along with Henry Kissinger, now limits her travels abroad. —RE

Andrew Tonkovich

Trustee race of '98

     ...Some friends had spoken of the possibility of an election party, but nothing ever materialized. But then, on this day, we heard that Pete Maddox had secured a room for the evening at the Holiday Inn on La Paz.
     Most of us realized that Maddox and [Leo] Galcher’s election chances were dicey, and so, not wishing to experience communal disappointment I suppose, some decided to monitor the election from the comfort of home. But I’d never been to this sort of party, and so, after going home and feeding my cats Buster and Sunny, I headed over to La Paz.
     The room at the Inn was set up in the usual way for such functions: tables and chairs, food, busy busboys, clinking glasses, a blaring TV displaying the vacant face of Jerry Dunphy. (Evidently, we couldn’t get OCN.) When I arrived, there were only five or six others, but soon, some 40 and 50 people were in the room.
     Later in the evening, someone said that, as you look around the room, you see the very best people of the district: people known for their integrity and decency. I could not help imagining the party for the other side: Mr. McClendon discoursing on democracy and unionism; Lee Walker in the corner, trying to think of the name of the Governor; Ken Woodward hissing and sneering and alerting others of his “Ph.D. in economics”; a bepolyestered Sherry bitching and moaning about her unparalleled labors at the Xerox machine; some of the “Scandalous Boys” leering and choking and turning red; Frogue and Mathur trading paranoid fantasies. In a room like that, no decent person could resist the urge to go postal.
     At about 9:00, we got news about the absentee votes. It wasn’t good. Pete assured us, however, that Maddox/Glacher had made their presence known at the end of the campaign, and the absentee ballots reflect the situation near the beginning of the campaign, when Padberg and Wagner had been busy sending mailers. People were reassured.
     I talked with lots of people while I nursed two over-priced beers. Eventually, I talked with Pete, who seemed hopeful but realistic about the situation. We agreed that the Maddox/Galcher team had put up a very good fight, and, if “we” lose, we will be able to hold our heads up high. I offered that you can’t really expect to compete against huge chunks of sewer money and the other side’s willingness to do whatever it takes to win, no matter how unseemly and unethical.
     One thing our union leadership and Padberg/Wagner have in common, it seems, is a willingness to embrace the notion, long discredited among civilized folk, that the “end justifies the means.” I remember challenging Sherry to acknowledge this aspect of her “leadership” at a forum shortly after the notorious ’96 campaign. (January 10, 1997.) On that occasion, she said that the leadership had to resort to unsavory campaign tactics in order to “preserve life as we know it.”
     “So,” I said, “you are saying that the end justifies the means.” “No,” she answered. “I am not saying that at all. I’m saying that we needed to take this action [using a homophobic flier] to protect life as we know it.” Oh. At the time, I got the distinct impression that the woman does not know what the phrase “end justifies the means” means.
     And Padberg and Wagner? They were a part of a larger effort by the right-winged Education Alliance to place proponents of “traditional values” and “school choice” on school boards.
     Isn’t honesty a traditional value? Well, yes, but it must take a back seat when victory for the righteous is at stake, apparently. There is, of course, no “tide of liberalism” sweeping through south county. And, as trustees, Padberg and Wagner will be able to do absolutely nothing to prevent the El Toro airport. Padberg and Wagner lied and deceived to get elected.
     Pete went to the phone and talked with a reporter at the Registrar of Voters. By then, the party was at its liveliest, but I could see that he was getting bad news.
     After a while, he walked up and turned down the TV. Everyone hushed. He explained that we had lost both races.
     He became eloquent. He spoke of the friends he had made and the quality of the people with whom he had worked during the campaign. He expressed genuine regret that we hadn’t done better.
     At one point, Pete, contradicting my philosophers, assured us that the bad guys only win in the short run; they always lose in the long run. This, of course, is false.
     Still, we can hope. Who knows? Perhaps someday Mr. P, overcome by one of his bilious thoughts, might lose control of his fancy Beemer, jump a curb, and ram the damn thing up Frogue’s a**. Williams, Fortune, Lorch, Mathur, and their sleazy union allies will then attend their hero’s funeral, where, mysteriously, they will be dispatched by a lurid gas emenating from the Great Man’s gaping mouth. After the vapors clear, peace will break out throughout the district. Once again, things will be right.

THE CHARACTER OF THE OPPOSITION by Big Bill

[This article is notable in that two of its elements—the “going postal” remark and the imaginary car crashes—were cited as evidence of my “violence” during that now-legendary meeting between me and the Chancellor (Dec. ’98). Do those elements suggest that I am violent? You be the judge.] 

[From Dissent 10, 11/9/98] [Originally entitled:] 

 

THINGS JUST KEEP ON SUCKING by Big Bill [Roy Bauer]

     Among philosophers, there have been many who, upon beholding the world, have declared it to be pretty rotten. Surely they are correct. We want to believe that Good always prevails and that Evil never ultimately triumphs, but facts keep getting in the way. 

     This insight has led some philosophers to take refuge in religion, which provides a larger picture—including God, the judge, and an afterlife. In this grand scheme, ultimately, justice and goodness emerge triumphant, though not in this life. 

     Me—I’d rather just face up to the fact that, often, things suck. They suck, and they keep on sucking. 

 * * * * * 

     On the morning of the election, I drove down to Saddleback College to distribute the latest edition of the Dissent. I started my rounds, as usual, with the 3rd floor of the library, where eager readers of the ‘Vine and the Dissent can always be found. I said hello to some friends and acquaintances. 

     I also ran into Pam “Same Sex” Zanelli, a non-friend, who regarded me blankly. We exchanged curt “hellos,” the kind that mean “f*ck you.” 

     When I headed back to my car—a Toyota—I noticed a stunning new European sports car schussing about in the parking lot. “Serious bucks,” I thought. “Wow.” As the car came nearer, I realized that it was driven by none other than Mr. “PF,” one of the more odious members of the union’s Old Guard. (I could be wrong; I only saw him for a moment.) He seemed to smirk at me as he drove past. 

     Mr. PF is a member of the most conspicuously abominable group within the union: the “Scandalous Boys” [Fine Arts Division]. These are deeply troubled men who regularly get into serious trouble on the job. (Can you say, “flagrante delicto”?) Naturally, the union leadership are always there to bail them out. 

     On several occasions, this particular Scand-Boy has left me messages in which, with a voice that simultaneously quakes and leers, he hurls insult after insult in an apparent uncontrollable frenzy. (I think he may be choking himself somehow. It’s pretty disgusting.) 

     Here’s what he said during one of these performances, which was preserved as voice-mail: 

      Hey Roy. [Mr. PF], Saddleback College. Just thought I’d congratulate you for being demoted [a reference to the recent abolition of School Chairs by the Board] and heading back to the classroom, which is what you’re supposed to be doing anyway. Weren’t you hired as a faculty member instead of going around pointing fingers at people? Yeah, I remember a meeting that I was at where you were pointing fingers using the word “that’s immoral.” I guess that’s what you philosophers feel you can do. You can make moral adjudications about other people’s behavior. Meanwhile, that’s OK for you—that’s OK for you to join a group of people who, uh, try to make a claim that a board member is anti-Semitic, but when someone decides to use political free speech by sending out a brochure [namely, the homophobic “same sex” flier]—and I didn’t even agree with the brochure—that’s immoral because it’s homophobic. 

     —Oh, that’s right, the other word you use is “logic.” That’s very logical, isn’t it? [Mr. PF begins to have trouble breathing.] Isn’t it interesting how philosophers always have the time to make moral judgments about other people’s behavior when they don’t look in their own backyard? Oh, that’s right. 

    That word “logic” comes up again. I just remembered: one of the reasons why you were on the other side is because you were a school chair and you were trying to protect your own backyard. [For the record: I began to criticize the union in November of ‘96, 6 months before becoming chair of my school—a job I had for less than two months.] That’s very logical. And then, when somebody stands up at another meeting and makes a racial slur [huh?], well, that’s very logical according to you. That’s what you said at the meeting. That was OK. That’s not immoral. That’s logical! Oh, I get it! [He breathes very heavily now.] Gee I’m learning about logic without even having to take your class! 

     Let’s move on. Uh, since I can’t find anybody on this campus to, a, stand up for what they believe in [Mr. P’s voice now quavers uncontrollably], since you seem to be able to do that, uh, why don’t you make an agreement with me to meet in a public debate over all of these issues? 

     It’s been five years of HELL, and it’s come to an end. And, ya know the final logical thing? [In a low, conspiratorial voice:] Here’s what it is [Mr. PF breathes harder]: IT’S CALLED SCOREBOARD!

     Good night now. 

     Wow. Anyway, it was, I think, this remarkable and theatrical fellow—Mr. PF—whom I saw, or thought I saw, driving the snazzy sports car. 

     “How perfect,” I thought. “A symbol of my union: a degenerate behind the wheel of a car that my yearly salary could barely pay for.” 

 * * * * * 

     Some friends had spoken of the possibility of an election party, but nothing ever materialized. But then, on this day, we heard that Pete Maddox had secured a room for the evening at the Holiday Inn on La Paz. 

     Most of us realized that Maddox and Galcher’s election chances were dicey, and so, not wishing to experience communal disappointment I suppose, some decided to monitor the election from the comfort of home. But I’d never been to this sort of party, and so, after going home and feeding my cats Buster and Sunny, I headed over to La Paz. 

     The room at the Inn was set up in the usual way for such functions: tables and chairs, food, busy busboys, clinking glasses, a blaring TV displaying the vacant face of Jerry Dunphy. (Evidently, we couldn’t get OCN.) When I arrived, there were only five or six others, but soon, some 40 and 50 people were in the room. 

     Later in the evening, someone said that, as you look around the room, you see the very best people of the district: people known for their integrity and decency. I could not help imagining the party for the other side: Mr. McClendon discoursing on democracy and unionism; Lee Walker in the corner, trying to think of the name of the Governor; Ken Woodward hissing and sneering and alerting others of his “Ph.D. in economics”; a bepolyestered Sherry bitching and moaning about her unparalleled labors at the Xerox machine; some of the “Scandalous Boys” leering and choking and turning red; Frogue and Mathur trading paranoid fantasies. In a room like that, no decent person could resist the urge to go postal. 

     At about 9:00, we got news about the absentee votes. It wasn’t good. Pete assured us, however, that Galcher and Maddox had made their presence known at the end of the campaign, and the absentee ballots reflect the situation near the beginning of the campaign, when Padberg and Wagner had been busy sending mailers. People were reassured. 

     I talked with lots of people while I nursed two over-priced beers. Eventually, I talked with Pete, who seemed hopeful but realistic about the situation. We agreed that the Maddox/Galcher team had put up a very good fight, and, if “we” lose, we will be able to hold our heads up high. I offered that you can’t really expect to compete against huge chunks of sewer money and the other side’s willingness to do whatever it takes to win, no matter how unseemly and unethical. 

     One thing our union leadership and Padberg/Wagner have in common, it seems, is a willingness to embrace the notion, long discredited among civilized folk, that the “end justifies the means.” I remember challenging Sherry to acknowledge this aspect of her “leadership” at a forum shortly after the notorious ’96 campaign. (January 10, 1997.) On that occasion, she said that the leadership had to resort to unsavory campaign tactics in order to “preserve life as we know it.” 

     “So,” I said, “you are saying that the end justifies the means.” “No,” she answered. “I am not saying that at all. I’m saying that we needed to take this action [using a homophobic flier] to protect life as we know it.” Oh. At the time, I got the distinct impression that the woman does not know what the phrase “end justifies the means” means. 

     And Padberg and Wagner? They were a part of a larger effort by the right-winged Education Alliance to place proponents of “traditional values” and “school choice” on school boards. 

     Isn’t honesty a traditional value? Well, yes, but it must take a back seat when victory for the righteous is at stake, apparently. There is, of course, no “tide of liberalism” sweeping through south county. And, as trustees, Padberg and Wagner will be able to do absolutely nothing to prevent the El Toro airport. Padberg and Wagner lied and deceived to get elected. 

     Pete went to the phone and talked with a reporter at the Registrar of Voters. By then, the party was at its liveliest, but I could see that he was getting bad news. 

     After a while, he walked up and turned down the TV. Everyone hushed. He explained that we had lost both races. 

     He became eloquent. He spoke of the friends he had made and the quality of the people with whom he had worked during the campaign. He expressed genuine regret that we hadn’t done better. 

     At one point, Pete, contradicting my philosophers, assured us that the bad guys only win in the short run; they always lose in the long run. This, of course, is false. 

     Still, we can hope. Who knows? Perhaps someday Mr. P, overcome by one of his bilious thoughts, might lose control of his fancy Beemer, jump a curb, and ram the damn thing up Frogue’s ass. Williams, Fortune, Lorch, Mathur, and their sleazy union allies will then attend their hero’s funeral, where, mysteriously, they will be dispatched by a lurid gas emenating from the Great Man’s gaping mouth. After the vapors clear, peace will break out throughout the district. Once again, things will be right. 

 * * * * * 

     The next morning, I happened to arrive at the parking lot outside A100 at IVC at the same time as three friends. After exchanging forlorn looks and discussing our miserable situation, three of us headed to the administration building to do some “victory laps.” As we walked, one friend told me of her husband’s habit of calling neighborhood children “rat bastards.” “Who’s at the door, honey?” “Oh, nobody. Just some o’ those rat bastards.” 

     Now, I may believe in animal rights, but I also believe in the power of language, and “rat bastards” is a great phrase. I was determined to use it ASAP. 

     As we did our victory laps inside, we noticed Bobbi Weiner, whose desk is just outside Raghu’s office. We walked over to her and talked. Just then, Raghu walked past—he was returning from a visit to the bathroom. He entered his lair. We decided to leave Bobbi to her work, but, on a whim, I told Bobbi that, before leaving, I wanted to say one thing. Thereupon, loudly, I said, “Rat Bastard!” Bobbi cringed. I assured her that I wasn’t talking about anyone in particular. 

     I went to my office. After a while, I got a nasty telephone call from some sneering, bleating lout—it was, I think, Mr. P! Three seconds into his harangue, I simply hung up on him. 

     I checked my email. Someone had sent me the following message: 

SUBJECT: THANKS A MILLION! 

DATE: Wed, 04 Nov 1998 

FROM: GUEST 

(GUEST@SM.SOCCCD.CC.CA.US) 

ORGANIZATION: 

South Orange County Community College District 

TO: rbauer@ivc.cc.ca.us 

 Roy, Thanks a million for all the help you gave us in wining [sic] the board elections. Without you and the Vine [sic], I beleive [sic] we would not have won. So thanks from the dark side of the campus.

     Members of the Sherlockian Society will note that the author of this message is both an illiterate and a coward. This we may deduce from his numerous misspellings, his poor grammar, and the fact that, in order to avoid detection, he actually went all the way to the library to send his message. 

     He may be an illiterate and a coward, but he’s a winner. —BB

THE CRISIS AT IRVINE VALLEY COLLEGE by Red Emma

[From Dissent 9, 11/2/98] 

Understanding the Crisis at Irvine Valley College 

by RED EMMA, instructor 

     Many IVC students and some faculty are still confused about the handmade signs posted on campus (“Recall Frogue” and “Mathur Must Go!”), recent news stories and letters to the editor regarding the recall of Trustee Frogue and the appointment of Raghu Mathur as president of this community college. There is reason for their confusion, in no small part resulting from the unwillingness of many to point to the unhappy direction suggested in the actions of the SOCCCD board, Mr. Frogue, the faculty union which elected and supports the board majority and their lackey, President Mathur. These, then, are my own complaints against this group, framed in a wider, national context which I see as a right-wing, corporate attack on public education by people who imagine that, yes, schools should be “run like businesses.” 

      1. They have attacked shared governance, the statewide policy of power sharing among students, faculty, staff and administration. Their attack sets a precedent for further undermining academic workplace self-government statewide. This is Frogue’s self-stated mission. 

      2. They have tolerated, even encouraged, anti-Semitism and homophobia in the auspices of an intellectual community. They have equated the value of a wacky seminar with intellectual discourse. It’s instructive to note the two minority groups targeted: gays and lesbians (by the teacher’s union) and Jews (by Mr. Frogue). Attacking the civil rights of politically weak homosexuals seems to fly in South Orange County, or at least Ms. Fortune and her colleagues thought it did. 

      3. They have successfully co-opted a labor union local. A small anti-democratic minority created a situation where labor colludes with management, prevents its own members from voting and funds candidates who pretend not to understand what’s going on, all the while lobbying for the perceived interests of a small power elite. 

      4. They have created a political opportunity, a testing ground for activism by far-right groups. The Christian Coalition sought to find a way into Orange County education politics and now has: Board members actually attended a meeting with Christian Coalition leadership, activists who oppose women’s rights, promote hate and anti-Semitism and homophobia, all in the name of establishing a religious state.

      5. They have promoted the corporatization and further privatization of the academy—changing IVC to IBM as it were, trying to transform public colleges into trade technical institutes “managed” to meet the perceived needs of industry. 

      6. They have championed the ghettoization of faculty. They have tried to turn full-time faculty into “employees,” exploited the slave labor of adjunct faculty and proposed turning real classrooms into so-called “distance-learning”; in other words, television shows. 

      7. They have marginalized students, turning them into political numbers valuable only as products to the corporations it is presumed (absent any evidence) will someday hire them. 

      8. They have limited expression, inquiry and engagement in the political process, designing rules suggesting a suburban homeowners association and not a dynamic college environment. 

      9. They have spent district money defending themselves against much of the above, including the recall and separate lawsuits brought by both students and faculty. 

      10. They have lied to the community which they claim to represent. They twice violated the Brown Act. Recently a mailer on behalf of two union-sponsored candidates bragged that they oppose the El Toro airport. In fact, these two have done nothing to oppose the airport and of course, their position on the airport has almost no relevance to the administration of SOCCCD. When asked on a recent OCN debate regarding their stands on the recall of Mr. Frogue, all either pretended not to know the problem or condemned intolerance in general terms. Similarly, IVC President Mathur, in a recent Irvine World News interview, questioned the well-document charges against Frogue. 

     What’s instructive here is that these actions together reflect a wider trend. Our district represents a microcosm of what’s happening across the state and the nation. Sadly, the crisis at SOCCCD has received almost no state or national media attention since Mr. Frogue’s proposed seminar. Why not? It is in fact because in its way, this crisis nearly perfectly represents all the coordinated attacks on public education: the attack on intellectual integrity, the attack on labor and student rights, the promotion of corporate hegemony and so on. 

     Because our crisis is in fact so wonderfully representative of a single, connected trend it’s easy to pretend not to see that Big Picture. It’s easy for media to pretend that its readers won’t get it. It’s easy for students and teachers not to understand that as it happens here, it is happening everywhere. 

     We can, of course, end it here. We can write letters, vote out Mr. Frogue, democratize a union, replace President Mathur, restore shared governance; in short, we can speak truth to power and put IVC on the map as a place where supporters of public education took on the privatizers...and won. —RE

Andrew Tonkovich