"Lurid" and "redolent" yellow barrier mysteriously appears on community college campus (w/ update)

....."I could smell it as I approached," said one student. "Smells almost like paint."
....."Yeah," plus it's kind of suggestive," offered another student.
.....Neither student wished to be identified. Both attend the college (Irvine Valley, in Irvine).
....."We're taking final exams," said one.



UPDATE:

.....I was just funnin'. Rebel Girl made me take the pics late yesterday. I never ask her why she tells me to do things. I just do 'em. It usually works out fine.
.....This morning, I figured, since it was a slow news day, well....
.....Hence the absurd post. I like absurd.

* * * * *

.....At school (IVC) today, I was told by several people that there had been an accident on campus this morning. Evidently, a maintenance worker ran into a pole with his golf cart, breaking the vehicle's axle. Paramedics were called to the scene, though I believe that the worker is OK. Not sure.
.....This afternoon, I asked around a bit. I figured the accident couldn't have involved my "absurd" barrier: I would have noticed evidence, residue. So I wandered over behind the Student Services Center, where I espied three new bright yellow posts across a concrete path. (See.) Two acquaintances who work in SSC happened to be nearby; they confirmed that I had found the scene of the accident.
.....Apparently, it had been decided by somebody to add these yellow post-barriers at certain points on campus, perhaps for reasons of "safety." My acquaintances speculated that the maintenance worker was accustomed to traveling along the path, unobstructed by safety barriers.
.....Hence, the accident.


.....I dunno about you, but if I were to paint a post, I'd paint it before I stuck it in a hole. But what do I know. I'm just a philosopher.

.....Since I had my camera, I decided to take a few pics. It's a beautiful campus, isn't it? Watch for the speeding golf carts, though. And the yellow safety posts.

If you force them, they will come

From this morning's Chronicle of Higher Ed: Should Furman U. Faculty Be Forced to Attend Bush's Commencement Speech?:

.....Furman University’s commencement speaker, President Bush, is drawing protests from faculty, student, and other critics who say he should not have been invited, and in response a group calling itself Conservative Students for a Better Tomorrow is urging the university to force faculty members to attend the ceremony, even if they would prefer to skip it.
.....More than 200 critics, including students and faculty and staff members, have signed a “we object” letter in response to the announcement that Mr. Bush would address the graduating class on May 31, according to The Greenville News.
.....On Monday the conservative-student group issued its own letter, signed by 500 people. The letter calls on Furman to “hold professors to their contractual agreement to attend commencement exercises” and to either remove the “we object” letter from its Web site or post the conservative response in an equally visible spot on the Web site.
.....The senior-class leadership unanimously approved the invitation to Mr. Bush, the News reported. Furman is one of two commencement speeches the president is delivering this spring. The other, at the U.S. Air Force Academy, is scheduled for May 28. —Beckie Supiano

Rebel Girl's Poetry Corner: "here on this bridge between/starshine and clay"

.
A poem by Lucille Clifton. A celebration.

won't you celebrate with me

won't you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.

Getting into the spirit of finals week!

.....That's right! Check out this ultra-violent, ultra-sexy, and ultra-anti-UCLA student film (USC) about an effort to stop Alexie from taking the final exam, acing it, and thereby messing up the goddam curve for everybody else. It’s pretty old, but it’ll be NEW to the likes of YOU.

P.S.: Yeah, I know. It isn't really sexy. Lied about that. Good luck with finals.

* * * * *
I'm told that Beth's son, Brandon, graduated today from Cal (Berkeley). Congratulations! Here, we see them both at IVC's 2006 Commencement. Beth must be very proud. And deservedly so!

Homemaker?

From this morning’s Inside Higher Ed:

SCHLAFLY: Hundreds of graduates and faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis turned their backs to the stage Friday when the university awarded an honorary doctorate to Phyllis Schlafly. Critics said it was inappropriate for a university that educates women for careers to honor a woman who had repeatedly denigrated women who hold jobs outside the home and questioned the need for bans on gender bias. Others questioned how a university with major biomedical research programs could honor a woman who tried to lobby against teaching evolution. Schlafly told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she was honored by the degree. She called those who protested “juvenile,” adding: “I’m not sure they’re mature enough to graduate.” Schlafly praised the university for sticking by the plan to honor her, despite intense criticism. But she said she was disappointed that in Chancellor Mark Wrighton’s speech, when he named some of the career paths new graduates were embarking on, he did not include homemaker. (See also Chronicle of Higher Ed.)

REPUBLICANS: A controversial search for a new president of Monroe Community College, in New York, ended Saturday in stagnation. The board deadlocked, 5 to 5, over two candidates — one a local businessman and one a local lawyer, both with Republican Party connections, The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported. Both of these individuals were finalists over the objections of faculty groups and the original search committee, which favored candidates with experience running community colleges….

RETALIATION? Two professors at West Virginia University have filed a grievance saying that they were informed their offices would be moved the day after one of them called for the resignation of Mike Garrison as president, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. University officials deny that retaliation was behind the move, but the grievance is the latest sign of faculty distrust of the administration due to a scandal over the the awarding of a degree she did not earn to the governor’s daughter….

In this morning’s OC Reg: Spy agency names UCI top foe of cyber attackers:

UC Irvine has become a leader in finding ways to protect the country’s most critical computer systems from attacks by hackers and other intruders, says the National Security Agency, the United State’s top guardian of information and intelligence. NSA and the Department of Homeland Security named UCI a National Center of Academic Excellence in the burgeoning field of Information Assurance, or IA — a designation shared by only 23 institutions across the nation....

From the New York Times: Michael Rossman, Who Fought for Campus Rights, Dies at 68:

Michael Rossman, an organizer of the Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley, who was later known for his books on politics, society and education, died May 12 at his home in Berkeley. He was 68….

FOR A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE ON P. SCHLAFLY:

1917 FASHION SHOW:

Will ATEP be home to the "Young Americans"?

.....As you know, our college district is run by morons—arrogant, autocratic morons who have zero respect for anybody, especially instructors. They're strictly "top-down."
.....For years now, behind closed doors, Chancellor Raghu “Goo” Mathur and his lieutenants have developed (or, more accurately, negotiated) the plan for our third campus, called the Advanced Technology and Educational Park (ATEP). ATEP already exists as 68 acres (a chunk of the former Tustin Marine Helicopter Station, abandoned by the Navy in the late 90s) and as an acre or two of classrooms. It offers a few courses to maybe three or four hundred part-time students.
.....But that’s just a stopgap. It’s clear that the trustees and the Chancellor have HUGE PLANS for ATEP. HUGE.
.....So, naturally, faculty (aka “discipline experts”), who are the only folks in the district legally authorized to develop programs and curricula, have been left entirely out of the loop during the negotiation (=development) process. Whatever ATEP will be, it will boil down to buildings plus lots of instruction. Faculty are responsible for the instruction. So far, as far as ATEP is concerned, faculty have been kept clueless regarding any of that. That's just great.
.....One of these days—within a few months, I think—faculty will suddenly be “informed” that they must start developing an impressive range of programs and courses, as per the SECRET PLAN that will at long last be revealed. Naturally, everything will happen in a big rush, like the recent attempt to hire 38 new faculty (caused by the Chancellor's failure to attend to the 50% Law). Judging by the latter effort, the ATEP whatchamacallit curricular/programatic initiative will be a rush-job, a fiasco.
.....No doubt, someone will be inspired to intone, "This is no way to develop programs and curricula."
.....—True, faculty are not entirely sans clue. We do know that “Camelot Entertainment” is in the entertainment industry: lights, cameras, action. We know that a nursing program (from CSUF) could be part of the package. (But doesn't Saddleback College already have a nursing program? Whose curriculum will be taught? And by whom?)

THE YOUNG AMERICANS:

.....Have you noticed that “Young Americans” continue to be listed under the ATEP heading for the monthly “closed” board sessions? (Go to Agenda Outlines.)
.....So I figured it might be a good idea to figure out what that part of ATEP might amount to. (We reported the Young Americans' presentation more than a year ago.)
.....We know this much: The Young Americans (YA) involves a group of about 200 young people who are trained and who sing and dance around the country and around the world. After nearly fifty years, the organization is looking for a permanent home.
.....According to Wikipedia, the “Young Americans is a non-profit organization and performing group based in Southern California.” They’ve been around since the early 60s. Bing Crosby once promoted them.
.....Check out YA’s Official Website. There, one learns that

Over four decades ago, The Young Americans® musical group was founded to reflect a positive and honest image of our nation's youth through music and dance. Today, that same idea is what makes this group of talented singers and dancers so appealing to audiences young and old. Members of The Young Americans® range in age from 15 to 24 years old and tour the world to promote understanding through educational initiatives and theatrical performances.

.....The YA have a dinner theater complex in Michigan, where they perform regularly. They’re scheduled to perform later this month at Big Bear's Performing Arts Center. They’ll be performing in Japan starting in June. Then they’re off to Europe.

THE “MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS”:

.....According to the YA website, “Young Americans® is an independent organization and is not connected with any religious or political agenda. Its purpose is simply to present youth as they are.” —As opposed to what? Is somebody getting it wrong somewhere? (Think Mod Squad.)
.....Seems harmless enough. Among their “productions” (see) is something called “The Magic of Christmas,” which will play at the La Mirada Theater in December.

In this special holiday production we will take you on a ride to a magical place. Christmas in the northern mountains, snow, and a small town. We will take you ice-skating, build a snowman, cut down a Christmas Tree, make snowballs, and snuggle by the fire. See a show within a show at our own "Holiday Inn," take a sleigh ride, ski the slopes, shop on a small-town main street and hear the special sounds of Christmas at a country church.

.....Holiday Inn, of course, was a silly wartime flick, starring Bing Crosby, that introduced the song “White Christmas.” Probably, like the movie, YA's “The Magic of Christmas” is about as religious as a friggin' snowball.

YA HAS CONTROVERSIAL IDEAS ABOUT EDUCATION?

.....Under “publishing,” the website features a book entitled Choices, written by Bill Brawley & Milton Anderson (the latter is YA’s founder). Choices is described as a “special publication outlining teaching methods of The Young Americans®. [The books presents] Our overall view of the teaching profession and educational techniques, many times controversial in content.”
.....I wonder what that’s all about? I Googled the title and got bupkis. The book is privately printed.

CALIFORNIA PACIFIC COLLEGE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS: proposed?

.....The website has a section called “campus,” where we are told about the “proposed campus and master plan”:

.....California Pacific College of the Performing Arts was [?] founded in 2002 by The Young Americans® as a 4-year degree-granting educational institution. California Pacific presents a refreshing, innovative approach to higher education. The college is designed to develop an individual's talent and ability enabling students to tour, teach and perform as a Young American.
.....Three proposed major courses of study:

• Bachelor of Fine Arts, Music
• Bachelor of Fine Arts, Dance
• Performance Diploma (2-year Program)
• A fourth major is being developed in the technical aspects of theater, radio, recording and television

.....The proposed campus will be developed as a safe-haven for our students. Registration is limited to 250 students.
.....Each year, the majority of states from our country are represented. In addition, many students come from countries abroad.

.....—OK, this is a bit confusing, at least to me. Something called the "California Pacific College of the Performing Arts" now operates in Corona (at 1128 Olympic Drive, Corona, CA 92881). That must be what is referred to above. So is the “proposed campus” already built?


.....Don’t think so. I came across an old (2002) Cypress Chronicle article that sheds a little light on the YA operation:

The five-year relationship between the Young Americans and Cypress College has ended…. ¶ Approximately 200 students will no longer be attending Cypress College classes taught by adjunct faculty…. ¶ According to Milton Anderson, founder of the Young Americans, a one-unit course to be taken at Cypress College was required of each Young American member by the Young Americans' organization…. ¶ Anderson has decided that after 40 years it was time that the Young Americans build their own school called the "California Pacific College of the Performing Arts." ¶ Anderson is currently looking to build in the area of inland Oceanside, or Escondido. They will be renting a building until they can build in a couple of years. Until then, he will stay in the area of Cypress, Yorba Linda, or Anaheim. Construction is tentatively scheduled for some time in 2005. ¶ Anderson said, "it was time for us to find a place of our own, and (we) would like to be more independent." ¶ According to [Cypress Dean Larry] Mercadante, the Young Americans operated independently, but needed to follow the California Rules and Regulations. ¶ According to Kat Leard, Young American's office manager, "instructors for the Young Americans were paid through the college." ¶ Mercadante said because instructors were adjunct faculty, "they must adhere to the same rules as other instructors."….According to Mercadante, "Corporate rules are different than educational rules." He said that the Young Americans will "be a loss to the college.”….

—It seems likely that YA is still wandering in the wilderness, looking for the promised land. Meanwhile, they've got some stopgap operation going on in Carona. It's hot there.


THE PROPOSAL FOR PARTNERSHIP:

.....I also came across a pdf document entitled SOCCCD: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR PARTNERSHIP AT THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY & EDUCATION PARK.
.....I perused the document and came across this: “Incorporated in 2005 as a sister corporation, California Pacific College of the Performing Arts has been conducting classes for Young American members for seven years. Although accreditation is still a work in process, full time classes continue to be given and credits are earned which have been accepted for transfer by other universities.” I bet.

* * * * *

.....Well, that’s all of I’ve got so far. It appears that YA is associated with some half-assed and unaccredited “college” in Corona, about which little can be found on the web. It seems that they want to move that stuff out to Tustin and then upgrade. The Chronicle article might raise red flags. Does YA have its own instructors?
.....And what’s that stuff about YA’s view of the “teaching profession and educational techniques” being “controversial in content”? YA seems to think it's "innovative." That usually means "incompetent."
.....Probably much ado about nothing. For all we know (and we don't know much, do we?), YA will have no role at ATEP.
.....But we’ll keep investigating, just in case.

There are lots of "Young Americans" videos to be found on YouTube. Here's one:

"In the Basement of the Ivory Tower"

.....Just in time for the end of the semester, the Atlantic Monthly publishes "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower," by one Professor X. The writer is a self-described adjunct instructor who teaches composition and literature in the evenings at a small private college and a community college.
.....His students? Remarkably like many of ours, or at least, remarkably like the ones about whom Rebel Girl spends a lot of time worrying:

....."For many of my students, college was not a goal they spent years preparing for, but a place they landed in. Those I teach don’t come up in the debates about adolescent overachievers and cutthroat college admissions. Mine are the students whose applications show indifferent grades and have blank spaces where the extracurricular activities would go. They chose their college based not on the U.S. News & World Report rankings but on MapQuest; in their ideal academic geometry, college is located at a convenient spot between work and home. I can relate, for it was exactly this line of thinking that dictated where I sent my teaching résumé.
.....Some of their high-school transcripts are newly minted, others decades old. Many of my students have returned to college after some manner of life interregnum: a year or two of post-high-school dissolution, or a large swath of simple middle-class existence, 20 years of the demands of home and family. They work during the day and come to class in the evenings. I teach young men who must amass a certain number of credits before they can become police officers or state troopers, lower-echelon health-care workers who need credits to qualify for raises, and municipal employees who require college-level certification to advance at work.
.....My students take English 101 and English 102 not because they want to but because they must. Both colleges I teach at require that all students, no matter what their majors or career objectives, pass these two courses. For many of my students, this is difficult."

.....The trouble? Professor X writes: Remarkably few of my students can do well in these classes. Students routinely fail; some fail multiple times, and some will never pass, because they cannot write a coherent sentence.

.....He fears that the institution will condemn him but what happens is this:

....."What actually happens is that nothing happens. I feel no pressure from the colleges in either direction. My department chairpersons, on those rare occasions when I see them, are friendly, even warm. They don’t mention all those students who have failed my courses, and I don’t bring them up. There seems, as is often the case in colleges, to be a huge gulf between academia and reality. No one is thinking about the larger implications, let alone the morality, of admitting so many students to classes they cannot possibly pass. The colleges and the students and I are bobbing up and down in a great wave of societal forces—social optimism on a large scale, the sense of college as both a universal right and a need, financial necessity on the part of the colleges and the students alike, the desire to maintain high academic standards while admitting marginal students—that have coalesced into a mini-tsunami of difficulty. No one has drawn up the flowchart and seen that, although more-widespread college admission is a bonanza for the colleges and nice for the students and makes the entire United States of America feel rather pleased with itself, there is one point of irreconcilable conflict in the system, and that is the moment when the adjunct instructor, who by the nature of his job teaches the worst students, must ink the F on that first writing assignment."

And later:

....."America, ever-idealistic, seems wary of the vocational-education track. We are not comfortable limiting anyone’s options. Telling someone that college is not for him seems harsh and classist and British, as though we were sentencing him to a life in the coal mines. I sympathize with this stance; I subscribe to the American ideal. Unfortunately, it is with me and my red pen that that ideal crashes and burns.
.....Sending everyone under the sun to college is a noble initiative. Academia is all for it, naturally. Industry is all for it; some companies even help with tuition costs. Government is all for it; the truly needy have lots of opportunities for financial aid. The media applauds it—try to imagine someone speaking out against the idea. To oppose such a scheme of inclusion would be positively churlish. But one piece of the puzzle hasn’t been figured into the equation, to use the sort of phrase I encounter in the papers submitted by my English 101 students. The zeitgeist of academic possibility is a great inverted pyramid, and its rather sharp point is poking, uncomfortably, a spot just about midway between my shoulder blades. "

.....While Rebel Girl doesn't agree with all his points or conclusions, and has serious reservations about the curriculum as described, Professor X brings up enough good points that she recommends the piece in its entirety. It's available online by clicking here.

.....Hat tip to IVC's own Professor Z for pointing this one out.