LPC layoffs create transfer problems

Bekka Wiedenmeyer
STAFF WRITER

A budget cut of $1.5 million to Las Positas College this semester was the reason for the elimination of five classified positions, including both the Work-Based Learning Coordinator and the Career and Transfer Center Coordinator.

Board of Trustees member Carlo Vecchiarelli lamented that the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District is facing the worst financial crisis in his entire 44 years with the District. On June 12, the Chabot-Las Positas Board of Trustees decided to turn to employee lay-offs as a means of dealing with the state of California budget crisis.

The negative impact on LPC students has already begun.

“There were three hours of public testimony of why these programs were important,” said Leslie Gravino, the previous Work-Based Learning Coordinator and current adjunct faculty member at LPC. “I went and came up with several ideas to save money for this program, but they were rejected.”

The program Gravino refers to is called Work-Based Learning. It was built for students who were in the CalWORKs program, which was designed to help single mothers develop information technology skills. Gravino eventually brought the program to LPC and turned it into a student-run organization that repaired computers for other students, faculty members and people all over the community.

It additionally provided students with the opportunity to explore internships in the job fields they were interested in. Because of Gravino’s elimination,
however, students’ internship opportunities are now severely restricted.

“Before I could spend time helping them explore what fields they were interested in and then find employers who were interested in them and have them be part of the internship program. Now I can just help those students who already have an internship,” Gravino said.

“We know that internships are the main way to get a job these days, and if we can’t provide stu- dents the internships, then I don’t know. It’s going to greatly affect their ability to compete for very competitive jobs.”

Internships are not the only setbacks for students at LPC. With the loss of Scheanelle Green, pre- vious Career and Transfer Center Coordinator, comes an even more complex transfer process than before.

“The budget is making this process difficult in many different ways for everyone,” said Barbara Morrissey, interim Transfer Director and school counselor. “Transferring has become very complex.”

Because it is fall semester and many students are preparing to transfer, career activities have been put on the back burner in place of transfer activities.
“Basically, as Interim Transfer Director, I am covering some of (Green’s) transfer duties only, not the career activities,” Morrissey said. “It is not an ideal situation.”

“I believe the Career/ Employment opportunities are minimal at this time, but the College is trying to find a way to offer at least some of the services,” Morrissey said. “The elimination of her position means that all the services that she provided might also be eliminated.”

Staff writer William Charuhas contributed to this article.

Las Positas to bring fireworks back to Livermore

Nick DeRenzi
Editor-in-Chief

A broken 28 year tradition will soon be revived at Las Positas College.

Livermore’s annual Fourth of July firework celebration, cancelled indefinitely in 2010 because of budget cuts by the City and the Livermore Area Recreation Parks District, will be held this summer at LPC. In addition to renewing a popular Livermore event, the fireworks show will raise revenue for the school itself.

“It’s a great opportunity to serve our community,” Walthers said, “and to invite our neighbors up to use the incredible facilities that they generously voted for.”

In April the committee and the Chabot Las Positas Board of Trustees settled on allowing LPC to become this year’s location. The track and soccer field are designated viewing location.

“So long as attendees use blankets and not chairs,” LPC President Kevin Walthers said.

Along with providing location and some parking for the event, LPC made a deal to be approved by the CLPCCD Board and the Livermore City Council that the college will make $8,000 based on ticket sales, according to Walthers. Along with organizing fundraiser and finding sponsors the committee had to find a new location due to limited space at the old location, Robertson Park.
The event was also canceled in part because of the high cost involved in holding it. The LARPD and city of Livermore reported that the cost of the celebration in 2010 alone was $100,000.

A group of community organizers created the Livermore Fireworks Committee this last January to raise the needed money to fund the whole celebration. As of May 9 the LFC had $28,000 in donations.

The LFC in their committee meeting minutes for April 25, is expecting “a crowd of 10,000 to 15,000 maximum”.

“We are still trying to work out a sharing arrangement on concessions” said Walthers. “We anticipate that being done in June”.

LPC faculty is not expected to provide services for the event.

“We do not anticipate that public safety or maintenance and operations will be needed for the event,” Walthers said. “The City of Livermore is providing police coverage and the volunteer group is working diligently to ensure that all clean-up is done with volunteers. Any additional services provided by the college will be funded through the event revenue”.

The LFC has already made a down payment to Pyro Spectaculars with a fifty percent deposit of $11,250, the full balance is due July 5.

President Walthers on May 11 also signed the permit which was sent to the city of Livermore. Walthers expressed his hopes to make this an annual event at LPC.

Vice-Chancellor leaves: becomes President at College of the Desert

Jacob McGrath
STAFF WRITER

Las Positas College has seen a lot of changes this year, including a high degree of faculty turnover. If the latest development is a clear indication, the changes are still coming.

Joel Kinnamon, who has served as Chancellor of Las Positas for the past five years, has accepted the position of President of College of the Desert in Palm Springs. While at LPC, Kinnamon was responsible for supporting 24,000 students’ education goals each year, providing every student with the facilities and utilities needed to succeed.

“It is an honor to be selected by the Board to lead College of the Desert,” said Dr. Kinnamon on the COD website. “I look forward to working with the community to build upon the good work that has already been done.”

When he assumes the Presidency of College of the Desert, Kinnamon’s new duties will include dis-
playing exceptional sensitivity to the diverse academic, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds of the students. He will also be expected to work effectively with the Board of Trustees in the implementation of District policies.

“I’m proud of the selection committee’s dedication and commitment to the entire process that has resulted in the selection of the new Superintendent/ President,” stated Michael O’Neill, selection committee chair and Board of Trustees member on the College of the Desert website. “The Superintendent/President search and selection process was an inclusive one comprised of stu- dents, administrators, faculty, staff and community members who worked tirelessly to find the best leader.”

His colleagues at Las Positas have expressed the opinion that Kinnamon’s departure is primarily a lifestyle choice.

A replacement Chancellor has not yet been selected.

Board of Trustees holds off on lay-offs…For Now

Jason Leskiw, Features Editor

Pleasanton, Calif.- As members of the Las Positas-Chabot College District Board of Trustees waited, more than one-hundred concerned onlookers filed into a meeting room, in which classified faculty within  the district worried heavily about the outcome.  Minutes before the meeting began, there was a queasy, awkward silence, briefly muffled by a spectator saying “I will have some respect, very little.”

This meeting held multiple purposes, one being the proposed closure of the child development center, but none more pressing than the prospect of classified staff losing their jobs.  Amidst a barrage of budget cuts, groups of faculty and the public initiated a plea to the board for their jobs.  Ultimately, those classified staff will retain their jobs for the time being, while the board of trustees draws up alternate plans for balancing the budget.

The processes of layoffs within the district were explained during the meeting “as some that were not properly funded and some that had no funding whatsoever,” as stated by Lorenzo Legaspi, vice chancellor of business services.

“We have suspended the process of fulfilling positions,” said Dr. Susan Sperling, Chabot President.  “I have had to cut the jobs of some that I know,” she continued.  Sperling also encouraged the people within the room to take their voice to the state capitol during the March in March, an annual protest against budget cuts.

The public voices that were allowed to speak were also heard with great emotion, some speakers bursting into tears as they spoke.   Las Positas faculty member Greg Johns was one of those voices.

“Without (the positions that are being cut) the dean’s administrative assistants will be forced to do two jobs at once and services to faculty, administration and students will greatly suffer,” said Johns as he openly wept.  “The termination of these positions will cause undue hardship for our administrators, faculty, classified staff and students.”

Las Positas College President Kevin Walthers noted a figure of budget cuts that “for us, represents nearly 5 percent of the entire budget.”  Walthers continued to propose alternate cuts that could be made, although he shied away from taking on administrative or cuts of the board members.  “Our students offered to give up 10 percent of their budget.  Students really stepped up and showed leadership,” said Walthers. He went on to speak about cutting the child service center, a part of Las Positas that was opened a mere seven months ago.

Not only were the public speakers emotional regarding the current deficit and cuts to faculty and staff, trustee Arnulfo Cedillo showed emotion when discussing his children, one of whom was recently laid off from James Logan High School in Union City, CA.

“Don’t think for a second that we have no emotion towards these cuts, because we certainly do,” said Cedillo

Another member of the public, Begoña Cirera, was interrupted by applause as she spoke.

“How is it that in a crisis, they have a chancellor that is being paid over $300,000 per year and a vice-chancellor that makes over $200,000?”  Cirera asked, “Today we now know that Gov. Jerry Brown took another pay cut and earns $165,000 per year.”

She was clearly not alone in her sentiment as many other speakers echoed her statements and guest speaker John Brookfield suggested that the administration take pay cuts of anywhere from one percent to five percent.

As the meeting wrapped up, the members of the board gave their final thoughts, one stating that he did not appreciate threats of constituency rallying against them in an upcoming election.  Board member Marshall Mitzman described himself as “a businessman coming from community college” and proposed that the district look outside government to accrue funds.

The final decision of the board was unanimous, to hold off until more proposals to balance the budget could be considered.