R ANGER
An independent forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926 and the Alamo Colleges since 1945 Volume 92 • Issue 6
THE oct. 30,
2 0 1 7 Journalism-photography program at San Antonio College
www.theranger.org
SAFETY TIPS
Halloween has arrived, and with it, a variety of potential conundrums. Here are a few tips Janae Johnson, coordinator of college risk management, recommends you follow: • Wear reflective materials on your costume so passing cars can see you. • It’s dangerous to go out alone, so bring a friend.
• Make sure you can easily reach your ID. Should you be stopped by a police officer, its availability will be important. • Check your candy. Knowing what you’re consuming can help you avoid potentially life-threatening incidents. • Don’t go trick-or-treating in unfamiliar neighborhoods. You don’t want to get lost. Austin P. Taylor
Chancellor to retire after collecting incentive bonus Board has been anticipating the chancellor’s retirement for “some time.” By Zachary-Taylor Wright zwright9@student.alamo.edu
The chancellor announced at the Oct. 23 board meeting at Killen Center he will be retiring one month after he is set to receive an incentive bonus. He entered a new three-year employment contract two months ago. Chancellor Bruce Leslie announced his plans to retire on Sept. 30 after
a roughly 30-minute executive session with the board of trustees. Leslie entered a three-year employment contract at the Aug. 28 board meeting that includes a $12,094 salary increase and a new clause allowing the chancellor to earn up to a $45,000 bonus. In an interview Oct. 24, District 1 trustee Joe Alderete said Leslie’s pay is prorated, and he will only be compensated for the nine months he plans to work in the district. This means, after the chancellor’s pay raise Jan. 1, he will earn $34,601
per month of employment and a total salary of $311,412 for the nine months he plans to work in the district in 2018. According to the contract, the incentive bonus amount to be determined by the board is to be paid to Leslie Aug. 31, exactly one month before his planned retirement. Alderete said Leslie mentioned retiring while District 3 trustee Ana Bustamante was the board chair. In an interview Oct. 24, District 8 trustee Clint Kingsbery acknowledged some people may be glad to see Leslie go.
“Some people are happy Leslie is leaving, and I get that,” Kingsbery said. “He did frustrate a lot of people, as any person in a position of leadership is prone to do.” There are several articles published by The Ranger detailing student, community and faculty disapproval for Leslie’s actions. On Sept. 15, 2016, Northwest Vista faculty re-affirmed a vote of no confidence in Leslie’s leadership from a no-confidence vote in 2009 by faculty at Northwest Vista, Palo Alto
College, St. Philip’s and this college. At the board meeting March 24, 2015, 200 students, faculty and staff protested Leslie, carrying signs saying “Cut Bruce Loose.” Twenty-six meeting attendees spoke against Leslie during the citizens-tobe-heard portion of the meeting. At the Jan. 17 board meeting, Ricardo Martinez, United Public Workers of Texas chair and social worker, brought a sign with an enlarged photo of Leslie texting at the Palo Alto College
See RETIREMENT, Page 2
Board defends closed session interviews Board members say they represent Bexar County, not their districts. By Zachary-Taylor Wright zwright9@student.alamo.edu
Criminal justice freshman Kelcea Hawkins kayaks the last chute of a 2-mile kayaking excursion Oct. 21 at Espada Park. Hawkins was one of the few students to navigate her way through the chute without assistance. V. Finster
Outdoor river adventure College hosts its first kayak event at Espada Park. By J. Del Valle
Jdelvalle1@alamo.student.com
The office of student life hosted a Saturday kayaking excursion on the South Side that started at Espada Park. Two-miles downstream, the San Antonio River gave students insight into the area’s history. Twenty-five students signed up and 15 students participated in the event. The tour started at VFW Boulevard bridge and finished at the south entrance to Espada Park, 1750 SE Military Drive. “I try to look for events that students can explore San Antonio and venture out,” Marisa Martinez, senior specialist of student success, said. “Some students did not know that Espada
Park even existed.” The tour lasted two hours and included two water chutes and a scenic route. “I had so much fun that I’m exhausted, Kristan Salinas, business administration freshman, said. “I think it’s cool that the river won an award for being one of the cleanest on the planet.” Jim Lawson, tour and kayak guide for Mission Adventure Tours, informed the students Sept. 19 that the San Antonio River won an international award, the 2017 Thiess International River Prize in Brisbane, Australia. “I looked for kayaking in the area since we don’t have vehicles to take a bunch of students, and it was here right in our backyard,” Martinez said. The cost of the kayak event was $660. For more information on Mission Adventure Tours, log in to www.missionadventuretours.com.
In an interview Oct. 25, District 1 trustee Joe Alderete said he was not aware the interviews would be in closed session, comparing the District 9 trustee appointment to the appointment of a student trustee. In an interview Oct. 24, District 8 trustee Clint Kingsbery said, although the student trustee interviews were public, the District 9 interviews will be in closed session for the privacy of the “adults.” Kingsbery said the board will come out of closed session and discuss the interviews before appointing the interim trustee. He said the public discussions aren’t typically “super thorough,” but board members may discuss their preferred candidate. However, Kingsbery said the board doesn’t usually say anything because they want to keep their vote “close to their heart.” When asked if a person running for public office should be prepared for public interviews and discussions to represent constituents of District 9, Sprague drew a comparison to faculty interviews, saying this practice was not a means to avoid public scrutiny but to be fair and confidential in the interview process. In an interview Oct. 24, Kingsbery said any person interested in the trustee position can make a public statement of their own. Kingsbery suggested The Ranger file an information request for the applications. The Ranger asked board liaison Sandra Mora for all applications submitted. She said to submit a public information request to public relations. The Ranger submitted a public information request for all candidate submissions Oct. 19. When asked if the weight of responsibility of District 9, housing two of the five Alamo Colleges, warrants transparency in the process, Sprague said the process is transparent because the board publicly advertised for the position. Sprague could not say how else the process is transparent. During his retirement announcement at the Oct. 23 board meeting, Chancellor Bruce Leslie applauded the district’s integrity, saying “Everything is transparent. Anytime anybody wants information about anything, it’s right there in front of us. There’s never been hiding anything here.” Sprague said the board develops the same questions for all candidates but did not have any questions developed yet because the board is unsure how many candidates there will be. He said the board asks questions about how the candidate would act as a trustee, saying a
board trustees the
of
Board members defended the district’s plan to conduct interviews for the District 9 vacancy in closed session, saying the board wants to protect the candidates from liability associated with personal statements. In an interview Oct. 23, District 6 trustee Gene Sprague said the board is looking for an interim trustee committed to student success policies for all the colleges as an agenda, rather than any political agenda. He said the interview will be in closed session because it falls under personnel, and the board does not want to jeopardize any of the candidates’ reputations. However, the trustees are not employees of the district; they are elected public officials. Interviews will be Nov. 7, board Chair Yvonne Katz, District 7 trustee, said. District general counsel Ross Laughead said the board would call a special board meeting to interview trustee candidates and to appoint an interim District 9 trustee. He said the interviews will probably be conducted in closed session, but the appointment must be in open session. District 9 is one of three districts that encompass Northeast Bexar County. Two of the five Alamo Colleges, Northeast Lakeview College and this college, are in District 9. The other two districts in the northeastern part of Bexar County are Districts 8 and 2. When asked how the public’s right to know where the candidates stand on issues would be satisfied, Sprague said he was sure the appointed trustee would be glad to answer questions. He said the board does not conduct the interviews in public to avoid the candidates’ accountability for personal statements made in the process.
District 9 is shown above in red. Courtesy of Alamo Colleges
See INTERVIEWS, Page 2