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Renegades march toward state title
OPINION
Ohlone may outsource bookstore
SPORTS
NEWS
FEATURES
Students’ art in office of president
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Fremont, California
Vol. XLI No. 6
Oscar gowns: Red faces on the red carpet
March 11, 2010
Board and concerned faculty and staff face off as trustees debate whether to lay off three counselors.
Photo by Amy Kent
Trustees vote no on layoffs John Weed is only vote to lay off faculty By Kyle Stephens Co-Editor-in-Chief After three hours of emotional testimony Wednesday night, the Ohlone College Board of Trustees voted 7-1 against the firing of three counselors. Only Trustee John Weed voted in favor of the layoffs. The counselors were facing layoffs due to a $2.6 million budget shortfall. Ohlone Faculty Senate President Bob Bradshaw was among the first to speak in protest to the proposed layoffs, citing three points: one, that layoffs were “premature,” a term used throughout the evening, two, that layoffs would create anxiety and
trauma for the counselors fired and the rest of the staff as well, and three, with an upcoming bond proposal, the board would need all the political mettle it could use. Bradshaw also said that it would be difficult for the average voter to take account of the complexities of a college budget, and that the firing of three staff members, an event highly publicized when it last occurred at Ohlone, would be seen as moneysaving measure enough, and that the proposed bond would thereby be seen as unnecessary. Bradshaw affirmed the faculty’s resolve to help out and get through the problem. Wayne Takakuwa, a counselor of 20 years, spoke of the serious impact losing three counselors would have on students. He explained that counseling in the summer and winter breaks would be gone, and that these were major times when
Photos by Amy Kent
Above, Trustees Garrett Yee, left, and John Weed. At right, Counselors Diane Cheney and Jesse MacEwan await decision on layoffs.
counseling was sought to plan for classes and transferring. Evening and online counseling, and high school outreach partnerships would be gone as well. Takakuwa also said that one of the slated counselors, Diane Cheney, was the only person ‘ It’s an honor at school to work at who was Ohlone...’ certified to administer -- Jesse disabilities MacEwan assessment tests, without which students with learning disabilities cannot receive assistance. Further, Takakuwa said moving counselors around to fill the void of duties would take away from counseling to athletes, probation and international students among
others. Takakuwa finished by telling the board they had a “responsibility to provide quality education.” Jesse MacEwan, one of the three counselors who faced possible layoff notification, told trustees of his three-year history at Ohlone, and how the school had invested much in him and vice versa, deeming it “an honor to work at Ohlone,” that it was “our passion,” referring to all the counselors. Many students, including ASOC President Kevin Feliciano and Vice President Ngan Vu spoke of the value of Ohlone counselors, calling them adoptive family and the reason students were able to succeed in college. Enough speakers were in line that the board voted to indefinitely extend the normal half-hour window of time for people to address the board with their concerns. Professor Alan Kirshner, at the behest of Ohlone philosophy and
ethics professor Wayne Yuen, who was unable to attend, read a letter to the board citing moral reasons to keep the counselors on board, “to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering,” and to minimize that when no other option was available. Faculty members, including counselors, must be given notice of possible layoff by March 15, making Wednesday’s meeting the only opportunity for the board to approve the proposal. President Gari Browning acknowledged the value of counselors, citing students who worked with counseling had higher GPAs and retention rates, and that more than 5,000 counseling appointments were made each semester. Browning and vice president of Administrative Services Mike Calegari both described problems of relying heavily on the state’s changing budget, or lack thereof.