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Southwestern faculty questions college’s education plan
Lack of reliable and valid data has been an issue at SWC for years. SWCs past Superintendent/President, Raj Chopra, dismantled the research department and fired the person running it. When Interim Superintendent/President Denise Whittaker took Chopra's place, she immediately reinstated the research department. Why? Because the generation of accurate valid and reliable data is required by the CA Chancellor's Office and SWCs accreditors. No college can be accredited without a research unit. SWCs research unit only has one researcher; it had two, but one recently left. Even the smallest colleges in CA have at least 3 researchers on staff. When requesting more researchers, the answer is no. We are not even allowed to use the high salary from the researcher who left to hire a less expensive researcher (or two). Why so little support to generate and supply the community with accurate data? Could one reason be that without data administrators can make decisions based on anecdote rather than evidence? Without data and evidence, administrators can cut where they see fit as opposed to where it is proven necessary. The result of this lack-of-data has been $24,000 raises for top administrators, cuts in pay and benefits for employees, and the hacking instructional programs and services. It is heartbreaking.— February 27, 2013 8:16 a.m.
Southwestern College may trim faculty to reduce costs
Personally, I think the answer is no. However, some feel differently than I. The way the system is set up makes it so the Superintendent/President has unlimited access to discuss issues with Board Members, but staff and faculty are primarily regulated to 3-minute spurts during Oral Communication at monthly Board Meetings. It may be that some good people are receiving one-sided/lopsided information. He/she who controls the information flow maintains the upper hand, yes? I think things would work differently if classified professional and faculty leaders had the same privilege of hours-long meetings with the Board from which a Superintendent/President benefits. As the system is set up, they don't. Hence, staff and faculty have to gather in large numbers to be heard. With very limited direct access to discuss issues with Board Members, they are left to rely on blogs, news articles and demonstrations.— February 22, 2013 10:32 a.m.
Southwestern College may trim faculty to reduce costs
The SWC District has not provided any evidence, data or clear justification for pay cuts, lay-offs or concessions other than,"because we say so." For well over a decade, classified professionals and faculty have asked for the District to disclose budget allocations and various financial records (information that is commonly and regularly provided at other institutions). The District simply does not provide it. At the last Governing Board meeting, Board Member William Stewart requested that the information be forwarded. To this day, the campus community has not received it.— February 22, 2013 9:27 a.m.