I resigned from the Portland Community College Board
I wouldn't normally share something like this, but I feel very close to many of you and wanted to spill my guts, so to speak. I spent 7.5 years as a College Board member of PCC, and like any role, there were time when things were going well and of course there were times where things didn't go well. In general, I rolled with the punches because I felt the overall good being provided by the Board and by the College outweighed the political BS that came with the role. Early in 2016, I (and the Board as a whole) was blindsided by an effort on the part of the College to support a "grassroots" effort to put on a "Whiteness History Month" event (more here: https://www.pcc.edu/about/diversity/c... ). Silly me, I felt that the purpose of an institution of higher education was to educate students, not to indoctrinate them. Fast forward to November 2016. Another "grassroots" effort on the part of "the students" came forth to demand (not request) that the College be deemed a "Sanctuary College". While there is no legal definition of that term, it clearly carries a political meaning that I do not personally subscribe to nor could I get behind. The Board consists of seven members, and from my conversations I knew there were four members in support of this request, so this was going to pass no matter what. If there is some comic relief to be had from the Board's vote to affirm that declaration, it was that the Students in attendance at the Board Meeting were angry that the Board didn't go far enough for their liking. https://www.pcc.edu/about/administrat...
The College is making two major mistakes, in my opinion: (1) they are perceiving the voice of the students to be the voice of the majority, but instead it is the voice of a very vocal minority of students; and (2) they feel that the student, as the customer of the College, is always right, but as we know the customer is NOT always right.
Below is the letter of resignation I sent to the President and College Board on December 20:
President Mitsui and Board members,
I have spoken to each of you, so it should not be a surprise that I was not aligned with the College's decision to deem itself a "sanctuary college". As I've shared with you, I felt that the decision to use the term "sanctuary college" politicizes the college, places risk on the backs of the 40+ percent of the college's students that receive Pell grant monies (and ultimately on the college's Federal funding), and alienates a percentage of voters as we approach the college's next bond campaign. From my Intel career, I understand and have embraced the importance of "disagree and commit" in order to provide a one-voice on matters. However, on this issue I cannot commit. For that reason, I am resigning my position as Board Chair and as Board Member serving Zone 6.
I wish the Board and the College well.
Best regards,
Your_Name_Goes_Here (smile)
The College is making two major mistakes, in my opinion: (1) they are perceiving the voice of the students to be the voice of the majority, but instead it is the voice of a very vocal minority of students; and (2) they feel that the student, as the customer of the College, is always right, but as we know the customer is NOT always right.
Below is the letter of resignation I sent to the President and College Board on December 20:
President Mitsui and Board members,
I have spoken to each of you, so it should not be a surprise that I was not aligned with the College's decision to deem itself a "sanctuary college". As I've shared with you, I felt that the decision to use the term "sanctuary college" politicizes the college, places risk on the backs of the 40+ percent of the college's students that receive Pell grant monies (and ultimately on the college's Federal funding), and alienates a percentage of voters as we approach the college's next bond campaign. From my Intel career, I understand and have embraced the importance of "disagree and commit" in order to provide a one-voice on matters. However, on this issue I cannot commit. For that reason, I am resigning my position as Board Chair and as Board Member serving Zone 6.
I wish the Board and the College well.
Best regards,
Your_Name_Goes_Here (smile)
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It made me relate to this from Prager University:
https://www.prageru.com/courses/life-...
Congratulations!
Actually I am at peace with the decision. As long as I felt that I could be a positive influence in College policies, I was able to remain engaged and endure the BS one expects in academia. When the College bypassed the Board with the Whiteness History Month, and when the Board ultimately agreed to the student "demand" to declare PCC a "Sanctuary College", I recognized that being positive influence was no longer possible. So rather than having the environment eat away at my soul, I chose the path of resignation.
When I see the CRT as a pillar of the foundation the integrity is gone. You as a voice of reason likely felt you could make a difference. They have taken reason out of the equation.
Total alignment with you on CRT - what a crock of shite! The same people who tell me that we shouldn't judge people on the basis of our skin color (and I agree with that) just put an asterisk on that statement. Their rationale is that we have a higher percentage of black males imprisoned because of white culture. Really? What about because they made poor life choices and chose to violate the law? But I digress...
Honestly, my initial feeling on the resignation was mixed. A part of me was just pi$$ed that the College would adopt such a position, and a part of me felt that I was giving up. As I've reflected on it more over the past couple of weeks, I've come to the same conclusion as you - RUN! :)
I wish to congratulate you for your action. BTW the link doesn't work. I did snoop a little on the adoption ofTake5 strategic plan initiated in 2014
as part of the business plan and policy-making. My thought is run from that place don't walk.
PCC take 5 as follows
1. The centrality and intersectionality of race and racism.
----- CRT asserts that racism is a permanent component of American life.
2.The challenge to dominant ideology.
----CRT challenges the claims of neutrality, objectivity , colorblindness , and meritocracy in society.
3.the commitment to social justice.
-----CRT is a frame work that is committed to a social justice agenda to eliminate all forms of subordination of people.
4. The centrality of Experiential knowledge.
----CRT asserts that the Experiential knowledge of people of color is appropriate , legitimate and an integral part to analyzing and understanding racial inequality.
My addition :Experiential knowledge is a knowledge of particular things gained by perception.
5.The Interdisciplinary perspective.
-----CRT challenges ahistoricism and the unidisciplinary focuses of most analyses and insists that race and racism be placed in both a contemporary and historical context using interdisciplinary methods.
What a crock of sh-t