Once again there is no quorum. Public comments overall were similar to those in recent weeks.
Glenn Hansen, President COD Faculty Association
Last month after the release of the HLC findings, the Association with the help of IEA staff issued a press release. Our statement was simple and clear. We want to assure everyone that there is no question about the quality of the educational opportunities we provide or the credit you will earn at College of DuPage.
Monday, we return to our classrooms and begin another semester of outstanding opportunities for anyone who enrolls in our classes. We close the doors to our rooms and all the noise goes away. There is tremendous sound proofing in our teaching facilities, what happens or doesn’t happen in the board room or administrative offices is gone. I want to thank everyone who makes that possible.
As for tonight, there isn’t much more to say that hasn’t been said. The misguided boycotting is not fixing anything. But, it is actually hurting many things, some of which will effect students soon. I have a suggestion from the halls, and I suspect you may have suggested it already, if so please let me add our endorsement.
After a conversation with a manager and administrator we would like to suggest to the absent Trustees that a meeting be held to only do the business of the College that must be approved. For the issues you don’t agree on, leave them off the agenda. If anything is on the agenda you can’t support vote 3 to 3 and call it a night. That’s a better result than not having a meeting, you will have served the students, employees, and the district but not lost on your issues.
Soon someone will be appointed who will decide everything for you.
Richard Jarman, VP COD Faculty Association.
Last week I committed a grievous error by preparing my remarks expecting a full turnout for at least one of the meetings. Silly me. And then I was left to ad lib, a process I have never been comfortable with. So tonight I took the opposite tack, with the fairly confident expectation that the Boycott Three would be umm boycotting. Again. Yes again.
This makes either the fourth or the fifth time depending how you count last week’s one or two meetings. Well at least we only have one agenda. We are meant to believe that not one of the three could be available this night, even through the technology of the telephone. Just what implausibly low probability is that?
I believe it is not a stretch for me to state that the entire community is appalled by these antics. And by entire community I mean faculty and staff at COD (we had the joint letter last week initiated by CODAA; Perhaps those three have yet to read it), as well as the larger community. Am I wrong here? I have yet to hear resounding support for their position, except maybe from a couple of internet trolls.
Some might want to argue that it’s two groups of three with cases of equal merit. I disagree. One group has followed the letter of the law and shows up ready to work, even willing to entertain an agenda presented by the other group, which is apparently unwilling even to show up for that.
I don’t need to point out again the harm that is being done, the money that is being spent (there is some irony in the money being wasted on having lawyers show up for closed sessions that never occur because trustees who vent to the newspapers about money spent on lawyers don’t appear), the academic programs that are not being advanced for approval, the personnel decisions.
Of course it will all end with the selection of Trustee Number Seven. Here again, the Boycott Three have demonstrated contempt for the process and disdain for the applicants by refusing to participate. With weeks to go they are acting outside the process openly sending letters to ICCB saying they will have to choose. Is that what anyone associated with this college really wants? I can only hope that this gambit backfires massively. We shall learn soon enough but not soon enough.
And all the while the HLC is watching. I am not sure that the Boycott Three understand this?