Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Southwestern College appoints new board member

Trust continues to be a major issue on campus

April 29 the Southwestern Board of Trustees selected Nora Vargas to fill the position vacated by former trustee William Stewart. In March, only a few months into his term, Stewart resigned from the board. His resignation alluded to the "alleged financial improprieties by past officials of the college [which] have contributed to a genuine erosion of trust on the part of citizens of the community and employees..." Stewart said he was not provided with "real numbers or accurate paperwork" from the district and therefore was unable to do "legitimate planning."

The alleged financial improprieties at Southwestern alluded to by Stewart have resulted in numerous charges against the former superintendent, Raj Chopra, former vice-president of business affairs, Nicholas Alioto, former trustee Yolanda Salcido, and former business operations and facilities manager, John Wilson. They have all pleaded innocent to the pay-to-play corruption charges linked to Southwestern's 2008 Proposition R bond.

Vargas, who was sworn in on April 29, was an alumna of Southwestern according to her application. She is currently the vice-president of Community Engagement for Planned Parenthood of Pacific Southwest.

Vargas steps in at a difficult time. During negotiations earlier this year two campus groups, California School Employee Association and Southwestern Community College Administrators Association accepted what amounts to a 5% pay cut.

Faculty did not a agree to this concession. Eric Maag, president of the Southwestern College Education Association said that further bargaining is contingent on additional information from the state including the "May revise."

Maag wrote in an April 30 email that Southwestern's vice-president of fiscal affairs, Steve Crow, has gotten us some information regarding current year savings which has been helpful to our understanding of the budget and supports the position we have been taking all along. About two weeks ago he [Crow] reported that we currently (as of February) are about $2.7 million ahead of schedule in terms of what we projected in our budget and what we have actually spent. That's great news. On the other hand, the district at large is still claiming the same $5.8 million deficit projection which is clearly outdated."

Maag added that "in the wake of Bill's (former trustee William Stewart) departure, there have been some positive conversations about shared governance and the budget in the SCC (Shared Consultation Committee) and budget committee, but we have a long way to go as trust continues to be a major problem for all constituency groups on campus."

On the appointment of Vargas, Maag offered the personal opinion that "Vargas was a fine choice." He said, "She has experience working with big budgets at Planned Parenthood, she is very outspoken and seems to be an independent thinker...I believe she is really going to be looking after the students first and foremost."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

The Digital Currency Wave Hits the Shores of San Diego

Next Article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach

April 29 the Southwestern Board of Trustees selected Nora Vargas to fill the position vacated by former trustee William Stewart. In March, only a few months into his term, Stewart resigned from the board. His resignation alluded to the "alleged financial improprieties by past officials of the college [which] have contributed to a genuine erosion of trust on the part of citizens of the community and employees..." Stewart said he was not provided with "real numbers or accurate paperwork" from the district and therefore was unable to do "legitimate planning."

The alleged financial improprieties at Southwestern alluded to by Stewart have resulted in numerous charges against the former superintendent, Raj Chopra, former vice-president of business affairs, Nicholas Alioto, former trustee Yolanda Salcido, and former business operations and facilities manager, John Wilson. They have all pleaded innocent to the pay-to-play corruption charges linked to Southwestern's 2008 Proposition R bond.

Vargas, who was sworn in on April 29, was an alumna of Southwestern according to her application. She is currently the vice-president of Community Engagement for Planned Parenthood of Pacific Southwest.

Vargas steps in at a difficult time. During negotiations earlier this year two campus groups, California School Employee Association and Southwestern Community College Administrators Association accepted what amounts to a 5% pay cut.

Faculty did not a agree to this concession. Eric Maag, president of the Southwestern College Education Association said that further bargaining is contingent on additional information from the state including the "May revise."

Maag wrote in an April 30 email that Southwestern's vice-president of fiscal affairs, Steve Crow, has gotten us some information regarding current year savings which has been helpful to our understanding of the budget and supports the position we have been taking all along. About two weeks ago he [Crow] reported that we currently (as of February) are about $2.7 million ahead of schedule in terms of what we projected in our budget and what we have actually spent. That's great news. On the other hand, the district at large is still claiming the same $5.8 million deficit projection which is clearly outdated."

Maag added that "in the wake of Bill's (former trustee William Stewart) departure, there have been some positive conversations about shared governance and the budget in the SCC (Shared Consultation Committee) and budget committee, but we have a long way to go as trust continues to be a major problem for all constituency groups on campus."

On the appointment of Vargas, Maag offered the personal opinion that "Vargas was a fine choice." He said, "She has experience working with big budgets at Planned Parenthood, she is very outspoken and seems to be an independent thinker...I believe she is really going to be looking after the students first and foremost."

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.