Compton Community College (CCC) Trustee Nicole Jones wants to set the record straight. 2UrbanGirls published a Q&A with Ms. Jones that was met with harsh words from a member of the Faculty of CCC. The faculty brought an issue related to a grievance filed by this faculty members colleague who was terminated and the Board upheld the decision.
I find it interesting that only a personnel issue was given as the reason for not supporting my candidacy. Personnel issues are never to be publicly discussed and I have no direct response to that specific allegation.
What I find interesting is what she didn’t say: nothing about regaining accreditation, nothing about the return of local control, or nothing about the college’s increased graduation rates. With so much we have accomplished, it is clear their decision is not based on what’s good for the college and the thousands of students we serve, but what’s good for one employee and that is unacceptable to me.
6 Comments
Ms. Calhoun, Will be much better for our Compton College than Ms. Jones. She is from Compton and knows what is going on here. I stand with Ms.Macon with the election for Ms. Calhoun.
What is clear is your deliberate attempt to mischaracterize the comments of the faculty member as being one isolated instance of a “disgruntled” employee when it was simply provided as one example of why the campus does not support your return to office. What is also clear is the three unions on campus do not support the incumbent board and you have bypassed and tried to dismiss this fact entirely when there are multiple other incidents the faculty member could have also referenced and listed which caused the rift. What is also clear is you were appointed when local control and the return of accreditation had been fundamentally already achieved so why you divert and attempt to take credit has been misleading from the beginning to the community. Your deliberate manipulation to make the union’s vice president’s comments reduced to a “disgruntled” employee is to dismiss and minimize the seriousness of the allegations being levied. If this be your operating methodology no wonder all three unions on the campus are not in support of incumbents being returned to office. What also amazes me and others is that you would be immediately be given a forum for addressing a comment found in the comment section. How does that happen?
The full comment was sent to Ms. Jones. NOTHING was removed and/or distorted from the faculty members comment. Here is the FULL comment that was sent to Ms Jones from Dr. Juarez.
Hello 2UrbanGirls thank you for reaching out. When reading through your article I was surprise that the question as to why Jones lacked support from the faculty union was asked. After all, the response given would be myopic, one sided, and uninformed. I currently serve as the Union vice president and have been a faculty member for 19 years and employed at Compton, full-time, since 2011. When I arrived I was hopeful of the change, creativity, an innovation that was possible; after all, the institution was seeking to be reaccredited. And while things have not always been perfect (as nothing is perfect at any institution of higher education) I became incredibly dismayed with the Board’s oversight in 2017/2018. Per the definition of a Board of Trustees “trustees make all legal and fiduciary decisions”. As a full-time, tenured, faculty member one of my non-teaching resposibilities is to serve as a committee member on the evaluation committees for tenure-track faculty. This position requires me to use my ability to assess the quality of instruction of my fellow faculty. In 2017 I evaluated a tenure-track faculty. I, and the other members of the committee, found the faculty member to be sound. According to the evaluation form agreed to by the union and the district I (and the committee) found the faculty member to “meet expectations”. On the day of our evaluation meeting with the overseeing Dean (Elizabeth Martinez) Elizabeth informed us that she would not consider my evaluation of my colleague and that she would be moving forward with terminating our colleague. At this point I did not think that my colleague would be terminated since there is a contract between the district and union employees (agreed to by both entities) that, even though found to be “lacking” by the dean, provided a process for improvement, development, and mentoring for the employee. To my surprise and the following board meeting the termination was set to be approved. Even though the employee grieved (as is the process at the college) at every step she was denied her grievance and no reliable and verifiable evidence for her termination was provided. Mind you, at this point we, as faculty, were aware of the facts of the evaluation. As a reason for our colleagues termination, our current VP of Human Resources said, “when faculty are incompetent in their ability to evaluate one another the Dean is allowed to circumvent the evaluation process” No evidence as to my, and the committee members’ incompetence has been provided. The denial of my colleague’s grievance was board approved. My colleague’s termination was board supported. Ignoring the union contract, a legal document that binds the district and faculty, was board approved. Fiduciary decisions that faculty have right to are ignore by the board. The board of trustees is not functioning in the best interest of the institution as a whole, but serving in the best interest of an amoral administration. Students who voice their concern are instead of being provided with information as to how they can engage in dialogue and use their constitutional rights to engage in discourse are bullied and intimidated. THESE are the type of actions that the Board of Trustees (Nicole Jones and all) are supporting when they do not hold individuals in the administration accountable. Leadership is the totality of someone’s actions. Leadership isn’t just posing for a publicity photo, or shaking hands at community events. Leadership requires an individual to ethically and morally serve others; even when the times are not ideal. What I have experienced at Compton has been corrupt, prejudice, discriminatory, and maddening. I have heard students tell me stories about their encounters with admin on campus who attempt to bully them. I mention all this because, per the guidelines of what a Board is responsible for they must work through the “good and the bad”. When Nicole Jones reached out to meet she failed to mention to you that she did so over the summer months. Note, faculty are 10-month employees and ALL union activities cease during the summer and winter intersessions. Now, I am just one faculty member and what I have share with you is my lived experience. There are many individuals on campus who can share their lived experience with you as well; positive and negative. When it comes to the Board of Trustee I want/need individuals who put the good of students first. Because when students are put first, all other things follow; shared governance (in action, not just policy) respects, the creation and innovation of student-based programs (in action not just policy), an appreciation for staff and faculty rather than consistently being told by administration that we are replaceable (because we actually interact with students). Feel free to reach out. In fact, I would invite you to reach out to faculty, staff, and students (past and present). Please let me know if you have further questions.
“Having personally been in the fight to return accreditation, local governance, and the name of the College since 2016, I find your (Nicole Jones) misrepresentation these achievements occurred due your leadership to be misleading to our entire community.
The battle was enjoined and on its way to being won by time you were even appointed in 2016. I find it also interesting there is no mention of the statewide movement that directly led to the early return of accreditation in 2019. Otherwise we would still be laboring to come back given President Keith Curry announced at one point the year of return would be 2024 or even 2030 and seemed in no rush!
I also find it interesting given the sheer breadth and multitude of complaints levied by the entire Compton College campus across the years that you would concentrate on one item and person instead of addressing and seemingly dismissing why all three unions on campus are not in support of the incumbent Board of Trustees.
I also find it interesting you were appointed and have not received one single vote yet from any resident of the Compton Community College district yet you have served two years and now are our Trustee board President. Where else does something like this occur except for in Compton?
Your capacity to speak now loudly is not reflected in the solid wall of silence and lack of response the unions and community activists have logged and reported from this trustee board to their direct requests for resolution of multiple grievances and concerns. This is the problem.
No one saw you for the two years you served, publicly eliciting input from our citizens. We have people speaking for us in Compton who were no where to be found wen the battle was raging and that no one elected or selected.
Your pithy dismissive tone in this article is another reason the faculty, union, students, employees and many college activists have elected to support new candidates.
Or am I to assume they be all wrong and the person from the 5% of Trustee Area 2 in Los Angeles but representing 95% of Compton has it right.
Bottom line. Vote for Barbara Calhoun. She is actually from Compton, showed up for years and actually did fight for Compton College, and has the support of the campus. It is time for real not “given” local representation.
Having personally been in the fight to return accreditation, local governance, and the name of the College since 2006, I find your misrepresentation these achievements occurred due your leadership to be misleading to our entire community. The battle was enjoined and on its way to being won by time you were even appointed in 2006. I find it also interesting there is no mention of the statewide movement that directly led to the early return of accreditation in 2019. Otherwise we would still be laboring to come back given President Keith Curry announced at one point the year of return would be 2024 or even 2030 and was in no rush! I also find it interesting given the sheer breadth and multitude of complaints levied by the entire Compton College campus across the years that you would concentrate on one item and person instead of addressing and seemingly dismissing why all three unions on campus are not in support of the incumbent Board of Trustees. I also find it interesting you were appointed and have not received one single vote yet from any resident of the Compton Community College district yet you have served two years and now are our Trustee board President. Where else does something like this occur except for in Compton? Your capacity to speak now loudly is not reflected in the solid wall of silence and lack of response the unions and community activists have logged and reported from this trustee board to their direct requests for resolution of multiple grievances and concerns. This is the problem. No one saw you for the two years you served publicly eliciting input from our citizens. We have people speaking for us in Compton who were no where to be found wen the battle was raging and that no one elected. Your pithy dismissive tone in this article is another reason the faculty, union, students, employees and many college activists have elected to support new candidates. Or am I to assume they be all wrong and the person from the 5% of Trustee Area 2 in Los Angeles but represents 95% of Compton has it right. Bottom line. Vote for Barbara Calhoun. She is actually from Compton, showed up for years and actually did fight for Compton College, and has the support of the campus. It is time for real not “given” local representation.
Your Facebook posts on the Compton Community College unions views on the current boards leadership was posted on this blog and prompted Ms. Jones to reach out to us to give her side of the story. After it was published I was contacted by Barbara Calhoun who wanted to share thoughts as well. Questions were sent to Ms. Calhoun and she has yet to return her responses as to why she should be given another opportunity to serve Compton residents, after they rejected her candidacy to represent on the Compton School Board of Trustees. Voters also soundly rejected Mr. Hayes candidacy for Mayor.