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Teachers allege censorship of campus mail
COMETS SLIDEPAST GLENDALE
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Faculty, lfaff lash out at • tense meet1n1
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BJ Adam Marantz and Andrew Phelps
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lo r,rningboardshuts doors to about80 p1op/1 at its April8 m11ting
THETELESCOPE
To further complicate the growing dispute between Palomar staff and administration, faculty members are fuming over allegations that their e-mail messages and fliers are not being distributed through campus communication channels. The controversy began March 27. Behavioral sciences professor Katie Townsend-Merino sent a campus-wide email message addressing her disdain for the district's handling of the budget crisis. It was delivered via the Information Services help desk, which processes email to large groups of people. Within eight minutes, she said, the e-mail was recalled. "It took me two days to figure out who recalled it," Townsend-Merino said. "I learned it was (CollegePresident) Sherrill Amador who personally recalled my email," sm! said. Townsend-Merinosaid Amador recalled her e-mail message because it was opinion-based. She said she was told her message must be factual to be sent through the help desk. "I was told to speak with (Information Services employee) Kathy Davis for protocols," Townsend-Merino said. "I found out that there are no written protocols. The oral protocols have to do with if it is relat ed to college business," she said. Amador was unavailable for comment. Assistant Superintendent Jerry Patton, who oversees Information Services, said Townsend-Merino'smessage was accidentally distributed through the wrong mail-
By Sarah Strause
TITTi rmscOPE
More than 200 Palomar faculty and staff attended the April 8 governing board meeting to show their discontent with College Presid.ent Sherrill Amador. People crowded the room to capacity, some standing, lining the walls, others sitting on the floor. Campus police were present to control the crowd, keeping the doors closed to about 80 more people who swarmed the outside hall. Before the meeting be~an, those left outside pounded on the windows, shouting "Change your venue!" Some sitting inside the meeting clapped along to the beat. Once the meeting began, more than 30 faculty members and classified staff spoke regarding recent actions taken by Amador WAYNESHORT/ THETELESCOPEand the other board members. One of the issues addressed at the meeting were two recent votes of confidence in Amador taken by the faculty and the classified staff. Of the 300 faculty members to receive the fidence in the leadership style and man- poll, 220 responded. Of those 198 voted no agement skills of President Sherrill confidence. A week after the faculty poll was taken Amador?" Of the 300 faculty to receive the poll, the classified staff also took a vote of confidence in Amador. Out of those who partici220 responded. pated in the classified staff poll, 81 percent ''Never before have so many full-time faculty participated in any poll or elec- voted no confidence in Amador. Jack Quintero, chairman of the English tion," Quintero said at a recent governing ·
Faculty and staff vote 'no confidence' in collegepresident Br Sarah Strause
TH! TELESCOPE
In a recent poll, more than 60 percent of Palomar faculty voted "no confidence" in their president, Sherrill Amador. Jack Quintero, chairman of the English Department, spearheaded the poll. He distributed fliers asking the question, "As a full-time contract member of the ■ SEE MAIL, PACE13 Palomar College faculty, do you have con-
■ SEE CONF I DENCE , PAC E12
■ SEE BOARD, PACE 3
Student says board violates meetin g laws By Sarah Strause
THETELESCOPE
Palomar College's Governing Board relocated its April 22 meeting to D-10 after receiving complaints of violating meeting laws at its last meeting. Palomar student Neill Kovrig filed a complaint with the district attorney's office April 10, accusing the board of violating four areas of the Brown Act. At the April 8 meeting, the board failed to accommodate approximately 80 classified staff, faculty and community members. The Brown Act is a series of rules for regulat-
ing meeting laws. One of Kovrig's arguments against the board members is that they knew "well in advance" the meeting would draw a large crowd but chose not to change the venue to a larger room and did not have monitors set up outside for those who could not get in. "They were in blatant violation of the act," Kovrig said. Kovrig also argued that even if they did not prepare for the large crowd, "they could have taken steps to rectify the situation. They didn't." ■ SEE BROWN, PACE 2
WAYNESHORT/ Tl!E TELESCOPE
Com munity membe r Reb eccaFau bus bang s onthegoverning boar d roomwindow , chanting, "Chan ge your venue"Apri l 8 afterbeing shut out of themeeting.
FRESH FACES Olderwom,nshouldb, proudol th,ir wrinkl,s.
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Stud,ntsrolunt,,r lor th,ir tommunity.
LOCAL TALENT ■ PHE6
Palomar stud,nlsdisplay th,ir musitaltal,nts.
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