At their April 22 meeting, multiple members of PCC’s College Council expressed their frustration with new guidelines from the federal Department of Education (ED) regarding the disbursement of federal stimulus money. “Let me just go on record: Betsy DeVos is a pain in the ass,” said Dr. Michael Bush, assistant superintendent and vice president of business and college services. “The legislature passed this really neat thing for higher education and then the Department of Education got a hold of it.” PCC has received $15.2 million …
Editorial: Administration continues to fail at transparency
It’s been more than a year since Superintendent-President Vurdien replaced the former president Rocha and a cloud of legal trouble settled over campus, yet it seems PCC still has more trouble in the forecast, not only following the law, but also being transparent to its students and faculty.
College Council dumps Brown Act
The College Coordinating Council, a shared governance committee represented by various constituency groups college-wide, approved a motion to exempt themselves from the Brown Act, but open government advocates question the legality of the move as the council is a committee created by a legislative body.
Senate proceeds with survey despite administration objections
The Academic Senate approved a campus survey to guide the spring town hall meeting at its February 24 meeting despite objections from the administration.
Colleges move towards more online classes
Three grants, all under the student success initiative and California statewide initiatives of distance education, are going to be put into place over the next three years and were discussed during a presentation at the College Council meeting last week by Interim Director of Distance Education, Leslie Tirapelle.
EDITORIAL: A third party consultant is desperately needed
If anyone has been on this campus long enough, then you understand the hostile climate is crippling its functions.
Senate expresses concerns about third-party consultant
The Academic Senate voiced its concerns about PCC’s consideration of hiring a third-party consultant as recommended by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).
Avid protestor now VP for Sustainability
The Associated Students filled its last vacant vice president position after starting off the school year with three unexpected vacancies, selecting a firebrand known for clashing with the administration for the final open seat.
Panel recommends mediator to improve combative campus climate
The college plans to hire an outside mediator to try to repair the fractured relationship between administration, student and faculty groups to ward off potential problems when accreditation begins in 2015.