The Southwestern College Sun

NEWS

Aug. 17 - Oct. 1, 2011 Vol. 55, Iss. 1

18

Prop. R: David Krogh and Rebecca Kelley replaced over summer

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Peraza: Setting goals and looking longterm, top priorities

Continued from Page 13

members intending to re-up. Cate said he does not believe that the lack of application was the real reason why Kelley was not reappointed. She has experience, he said. She was heavily involved in the committee, asked great questions, expressed concerns about where the program was going. Shes been working closely with us. We are heavily involved in oversight committees across the county. This is what we do. We have a set of best practices that all the districts with bond measures have adopted. We know what were doing. Adams, himself a builder, proudly declares himself as anti-union and is concerned about a possible Project Labor Agreement that the governing board would enter into with local unions. That would mean increased wages for the construction workers. Theyre going to get less bang for their buck, he said. The bottom line is that its going to cost money. They only have x amount of dollars to spend, period. How much are they going to get done with that x amount? Theyre going to get less done with the PLA than they are just going they way theyre going. Theyve got health benefits, theyve got retirement funds, theyve got training programs, and they make damn good hourly wages. What do you need a union for? Adams acknowledged that the board has not signed any agreements yet and has not even begun seeking outside opinions on the matter. That is a crucial detail, he said. Theyre talking about it, he said. We should be in on those meetings. I asked them once in writing and then the Taxpayers Association urged that I be put in, and that got ignored. The problem I have with it is that theyre making decisions and were not even getting filled in on it. Were the oversight committee. We should know whats going on. Nader said that the governing board has appointed a subcommittee to consider the pros and cons of the PLA, but its only in the earliest formative stage. The subcommittee consists of Trustee Terri Valladolid and me right now, he said. Prop R issues are a priority for the board. The board has had its hands full with a whole lot of issues, said Nader, and obviously this year the top concerns have been accreditation, the superintendent search and the budget. But Prop R is certainly up there among our concerns. Nader said the oversight committee is doing its best to serve the community, but wishes it were a little more accessible. Frankly, I hope the committee will consider scheduling its meetings to be not at the same time as our meetings so we can interact a little more readily. Stability can only improve the relationship between the board and the oversight committee, Nader said. I think that the entire Prop R project is in a state of flux, he said, or at least the corner lot project is, because staff has uncovered concerns. I think there may be a sense that not all the information that should have been provided to both the committee and the board was provided. Some of those were procedural issues, like bringing contracts to the board before they were approved. Some of them are substantive issues, like the specific programmatic uses of the buildings. But those all have something to do with the planning process, and the oversight committee is supposed to be part of making sure were getting out of this bond what the community should be getting well-spent money on uses that will benefit the college and community. Cate said that his group, as part of the committee or not, would continue to keep an eye on just that. Were going to monitor the fulfillment of the bond program to make sure its done on time, on budget, and that the projects are being completed at the price that was promised to voters, he said. Adams said there is nothing the oversight committee or anyone outside of the college can do regarding the projects financial standing until the end of the year. Were waiting on the [projects] second financial statement, which we should be getting the end of December or first of January, he said. Well compare it to the old one and be able to see if there any discrepancies there. Last year, there were a couple of things that were questioned. They said they were going to correct them. If they do, theres no problem. If they dont, thatll be an issue. Thats going to make it or break it. And then theres the union deal. Im going to insist we at least get representation in that group thats going to decide whether they go with the PLA or not. As far as Im concerned, those are the only issues.

taxpayers. They dont want to see waste. Right now I think that somebody like Bob Temple is doing the job. I really like what Ive seen in him. Hes somebody that you immediately trust. He knows what hes talking about. He has the background, he knows exactly what hes doing and I trust this president to do whats best and bring long-term benefits to this college. If there are things that we dont like we can tell the president that we dont support that. When I believe in something, Ill stand up for it. Ill fight for the community, Ill fight for what I think is best for this college. Sometimes well disagree. Will I be tough? Yeah, there are times when youll see me be tough. But I think its also about working together, its not just about being a cowboy and going out and doing something on your own. We have a system of shared governance. And that means working together with off campus constituency, including students and the administration to get things done. I told my wife when we first got married, Hey, youre going to have to share me because this is what I love to do, this is where my passion is, to serve the community. And its tough because you want to make sure that youre spending enough time with your kids to be a good dad. I think ultimately in life you want to be somebody who looks back and not necessarily say you were a great elected official. Id rather say that I was a great

Behind every great man

dad. I think thats what you really strive to be, a good dad and a good husband. So serving the community is something that is really important to me but I have to make sure that my familys okay all through that process. Ive got to be sure to make a lot more date nights, spend a lot more time with the kids, because youre missing a lot of things. When you make the decision that youre going I feel like to do this Ive walked kind of work, theres a price into this you pay. Its gigantic one thing to family and it actually say it and say, Oh, feels really you know, that good to feel may happen in the future. like theyve Once you accepted actually start doing it and me. you go home and your son is Humberto Peraza disappointed because you Board Trustee missed the big game with them or the big goalThats tough. Those are tough things to miss. But thats the price you pay to serve the community sometimes. And I dont always like it, but I understand you really have to work hard to represent the community. I want to make sure that Im a fit for this, that I really enjoy it and that my family is okay with it. Im going to wait a little while (before deciding to run for the position). I know everyone just expects it, but thats not the way I work. I need to sit down with my family and make that decision. But Im expecting by December or January during the current budget crisis is unreasonable. This way the new governing board member will be a part of the process in selecting a new superintendent and part of the discussion. That is an important element. It requires finding someone with community college experience and experience in working collegiately with all constituent groups. This is important criteria and I feel confident that the board will get a candidate that fits these criteria. I feel comfortable that I can now step down now and get the treatment that I need, knowing the college is on the right path. I was just fortunate to be a part of the community effort, because it took everyone. I could never have done any of this myself. I feel fortunate to be part of the reform team in having a new board, a critical key, committed in a way I have been trying to communicate. Without the communitys help in getting two new governing board members elected, we could still be where we were. I am thankful to the entire college community for giving me the opportunity and knowing that I have been a part of this change. Look forward to what a community college can be not how it has been in the past. Now, I am looking forward to coming back and hanging around, said Aguilar. But, this time, as a student.

Nodding to visions and predecessors.

well have made that decision. Theres no need to start campaigning if we dont have to right away. It takes away from everything else. I mean you really want to serve the community--you want to serve the college rather than be campaigning.

NEWS BRIEF

Looking long-term.

Its not just about my vision, its a shared vision for this college that we work together on. Its not one board member who decides, Hey, this is going be the vision. We come to it together the students, the faculty, the academic senate, the administration, the governing board. They work together with the vision for this college. We do this together. I love working with this board. So far I love working with this administration, faculty and constituency groups. I feel like Ive walked into this gigantic family and it feels really good to feel like theyve accepted me. Im just working really hard to live up to maybe some of the expectations that Nick Aguilar left. Nick is the one who really kind of brought a lot of things to light and really started pushing. Youve got to give him a lot of credit for whats gone on on this campus and for the change. There are leaders in a community that you follow that you couldnt possibly have done what you did if they had not been in those places before you. And I think he is somebody to truly look up to, someone who fought for his country, someone who really did a lot and led the way in the Latino community. I think hes a total trailblazer and I truly believe if it werent for people like him I wouldnt be where I am. Everybodys really back on the same page to do whats best for Southwestern College and Im just happy to be a part of that.

Crisis Team provides resources for students

By Mary York News Editor

Crimes, public disruptions and violations of school policy are handled by the Campus Police. For everything else there is the Crisis Response Team (CTR). A s s e m b l e d i n 2 0 0 7 , C RT representatives have already been employed several times since the semester started to help take care of students who are in situations that could balloon into traumatic events. CRT is composed of members from Disability Support Services, Counseling, Health, Campus Police and Higher Education Centers, as well as representatives from the Classified and Academic Senates. With the multi-disciplined approach that you can successfully solve these incidents we do the most good, said Robert Sanchez, acting chief of campus police. Sanchez said the CRT has two goals: to deal with student issues and to provide resources for students in crisis.

Aguilar: Former trustee tells of struggles with PTSD

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the campus and community. They are no longer limited to a tiny space in front of the cafeteria. That was an abusive setting as we saw with the suspension of the four faculty members. The decisions made then were later rescinded, and rightfully so. This is a positive outcome. It makes it clear to everyone they have the right to express their views without any retaliation, with the exception of disrupting the functioning of the college. You cant disrupt classes and teaching or go storming into the presidents office. I still feel reluctant in resigning but have come to the point of accepting that the college is now on the right path to provide a positive environment for everyone and the best student learning possible. It is a good time for me to step down. The college is now in good standing. This will give the governing board an opportunity to select a new superintendent. They have 60 days to fill the vacancy. Appointment of the new governing board member is the best way to go. The cost of an election

INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT/PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES

In a college-wide e-mail I recently sent, I failed to place in quotes or note the source for a sentence used in a reference to the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. No one, at any level, including the Superintendent/President, is exempt from providing the source for a statement taken from any document, and failure to do so could be interpreted as plagiarism. No matter what the circumstances surrounding this ommission, I hereby owe the students and the college community an apology for subjecting them to this embarrassment and error on my part. It is inexcusable. Respectfully submitted, Denise Whittaker Interim Superintendent/President

A new path.

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