The Ranger, Sept. 25, 17 by The Ranger

R ANGER

An independent forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926 and the Alamo Colleges since 1945 Volume 92 • Issue 2

THE SEPT

2017 Journalism-photography program at San Antonio College

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In brief

Chancellor Bruce Leslie said no local deportation efforts on DACA students have happened, saying the district is “in a quiet before the storm.” Leslie expects to see power in numbers from letters and statements from education systems

across the country opposing the rescission. Leslie said other education systems approached the district to join statements, but the district decided to construct and release a letter. Leslie said San Antonio needs to offer an opinion to show initiative and leadership. Zachary-Taylor Wright

Interim trustee search begins Board members and the chancellor describe ideal trustee.

board trustees the

By Zachary-Taylor Wright zwright9@student.alamo.edu

The board of trustees approved an order to solicit applications for the District 9 trustee position at the board meeting Sept. 19 at Killen Center. Board Chair Yvonne Katz, District 7 trustee, said the board will advertise in the San Antonio ExpressNews, La Prensa newspaper and the Northeast Herald and mail-out advertisements.

The trustee position was left vacant after Jim Rindfuss died Aug. 15. The board will appoint a new trustee by vote after reviewing all applications. In an interview with The Ranger after the board meeting, Chancellor Bruce Leslie said the appointed interim trustee will hold the position until May, when the next board election is scheduled. Leslie said the trustee elected in May would have to run for the position again in May 2020, when

Rindfuss’ term was scheduled to end, to complete the six-year cycle of Rindfuss’ term. He said board members serve six-year terms, but the elections are staggered every two years. He said Rindfuss’ term would have run two more years after the May 2018 election, but an appointed trustee cannot finish his term. Leslie said the board charged him with advertising

See TRUSTEE, Page 2

Faculty to have candid discussion about morale Faculty holds mixed feelings on senate. By Austin P. Taylor

ataylor160@student.alamo.edu

STAYIN’ ALIVE Kinesiology sophomore Logan Curtis teaches human services Adjunct Christi Myers the correct way to give CPR on a mannequin at the Live Well Fair Sept. 20 in the mall. Myers said the instruction was useful, and she wants

to take classes for further training. A way to keep rhythm is to press to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. Curtis said the kinesiology program offers KINE 1306, First Aid. Deandra Gonzalez

Intramural sports face budget cuts New uniforms, officials and transportation at risk. By J. Del Valle

jdelvalle1@student.alamo.eduv

This college’s intramural sports — women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball — have had their budget cut $2,500 every academic calendar year since 2015. Mark Bigelow, interim director of student success, said the allotment for sports was $10,000 in 2015-16, $7,500 in 2016-17 and $5,000 this academic year. “This year, I sat down with my pen and paper and wrote down what do the teams really need this semester,” Marisa Martinez, senior specialist student success, said, “which was uniforms since we got a new logo and need to re-brand ourselves.” Uniforms cost up to $2,000 per group.

Martinez said she does not purchase new uniforms every year, but they were necessary after the rebrand and new logo. Transportation for a one-day trip typically cost $110. Transportation costs vary if the teams have full rosters, which requires two van rentals. Twelve players are considered a full roster. This semester, they added additional away games for basketball. “I had to recently turn down a new officials group because they cost too much. It would have gone from $60 to $85 per official,” Martinez said. “Luckily, we don’t have to buy equipment every year. We have been fortunate enough that it lasts for a couple of years,” Martinez said. “We are trying to build our program and promote it.” “It’s a retention tool. It keeps stu-

dents in school,” Martinez said. “We also enforce no-pass-no play.” A student athlete has to maintain a 2.0. grade-point average or higher to keep playing. The volleyball team raises funds outside of intramural sports because they are considered a club team. “They take any fundraising opportunity they can get,” Martinez said. “Last semester, they had a sponsor purchase their uniforms.” Student Government Association proposes a figure for funds for the program to the Student Activity Fee Committee, which consists of Bigelow, designated faculty, staff and students. The funds are generated by a $1 per credit hour fee to students. SGA is trying to get an additional $1 added to the student activity fee. “That is the main thing that runs our program.” Martinez said.

A survey conducted last spring has shown the faculty’s reaction to the implementation of productive grade rate win-win agreements. PGR win-win agreements were implemented at this college during the 2015-16 academic year to document strategies and practices that faculty would use to improve student’s grades. Almost two-thirds, 65.3 pecent, of survey participants think PGRs have had a negative impact on faculty morale. The College requires win-win agreements for some faculty who do not show that 70 percent of students in a class receive a grade of C or higher. During the last spring semester, the Faculty Senate held a survey to measure the mood of this college’s faculty. The survey will be the focus of the Faculty Senate roundtable 1-2:30 p.m. in Room 120 of the visual arts center Sept. 29. The roundtable is an opportunity for faculty to air their grievances directly to the senate. The survey was designed to address faculty morale, PGR winwin agreements, student drops and withdrawals, four-day class schedules and perceptions of the Faculty Senate. The survey was answered by 275 faculty members, both fulltime and part-time. Sixty percent of participants were permanent employees, 6.5 percent were full-time adjuncts and 33.5 percent were part-time adjuncts. With faculty morale being a concern for the last few years, the survey proposed three questions to responders. Do you think you make a difference at this college? Are you encouraged to make a unique contribution to this college? Do you think your contributions are appreciated at this college? More than two-thirds, 67.3 percent of the faculty who answered the survey believed

English Professor Lennie Irvin, chair of the curriculum committee, moves that the Faculty Senate develop a format for more efficient email communication Sept. 15 in visual arts. The next Faculty Senate meeting will be 12:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in visual arts. V. Finster they make a difference. While this is the majority of participants, the senate is concerned with the 32.7 percent who thought they didn’t make a meaningful difference at this college. “During the roundtable, we want to hear from the faculty who answered this survey,” Faculty Senate president Julie Engel, said. “That’s when we’ll be able to work on real solutions.” Almost half, 49.2 percent, of participants said they were encouraged to make a unique contribution and 41.1 percent felt their contributions were appreciated. To get a better understanding of the classroom environment faced by faculty members, the survey asked faculty if they are more likely to drop a student before census due to non-attendance and if the four-day class schedule has had an impact on student enrollment. The survey shows that most faculty members believe neither has had a significant impact on their classes. Most participants had a neutral view of the effectiveness of the senate. Forty-three percent of participants had a neutral response when asked, “Do you think the faculty senate represents your policy concerns?” “There appears to be a disconnect between the faculty and their senate,” Mariano Aguilar Jr., English and Mexican-American studies professor, said.

See SENATE, Page 2

2NEWS

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SEPT 25 2017

Chancellor, trustee rationalize incentive bonus Chancellor said his salary is behind the district’s compensation goals. Zachary-Taylor Wright

zwright9@student.alamo.edu

Board members discuss appointing a new District 9 trustee Sept. 19 at Killen. The District 9 trustee position is vacant because the late trustee Jim Rindfuss died Aug. 15. Brianna Rodrigue

TRUSTEE from Page 1 for the position. He said the trustee position isn’t one that has a specific job description, but there are expectations outlined in the policy manual. “Essentially, it’s (the expectation) someone of high ethical value, an individual who has a stewardship orientation, that they’re here serving on behalf of the community and the students as opposed to serving their own selfinterest, an individual who has a commitment to higher education ... ,” Leslie said. According to District Policy B.5.1, which covers board responsibilities, board members are expected to perform 12 tasks, including “approve courses and curricula for inclusion in educational programs of the colleges;” “consider communications and requests from citizens and organizations on matters of policy, administration, and other items of public concern affecting the College District;” and “consider and act upon administrative recommendations concerning appointment, retention, or dismissal of other administrators, and of nontenured, tenured and tenure-track faculty.” Leslie said a trustee should be dedicated to helping this institution grow and improve. He used the board’s discussions on student success, access into the system, graduation and completion, and employment opportunities as examples. In an interview Sept. 21, District 1 trustee Joe Alderete said he wants a trustee with policymaking experience because the trustees are policy makers and not administrators. Alderete said a trustee should have a grasp on

Senate from Page 1 “It’s disturbing and definitely something we want to address.” In an interview with The Ranger on Sept. 19, Aguilar spoke about the faculty’s frustrations. Aguilar said many of the participants believed they were overburdened. “We have initiatives that come from the district, some that come from the college and some that come from sources of ‘soft money,’” Aguilar said.

academics and understand the role community colleges play in the district, saying students are the primary reason the Alamo Colleges exists. He said a trustee must be student-oriented. In an interview after the meeting, Kingsbery said he would like to see a trustee concerned with “real” student success rather than the state’s definition of student success, which he said is focused on graduation numbers and metrics. Kingsbery defined “real” student success as the ability to apply Alamo Colleges’ certificate, degrees and credit hours to a career or a transfer university for a bachelor’s degree. “All the time you hear them on the board talking about ‘student success, student success,’ and, of course, I’m the chair of the Student Success Committee so I talk about student success,” Kingsbery said with a chuckle. “It just kind of goes to show how dedicated they are to it. It’s not just empty words that they’re just saying. They truly believe it.” Kingsbery said having a new trustee who is willing to “work with the consensus” would be nice. He said the ideal candidate would be able to listen to the board, understand where the board is coming from and support the board’s efforts. Kingsbery said, although he would prefer a candidate who was supportive of the board, he doesn’t want to see a trustee that “rubberstamps” and approves every recommendation without consideration. “The discourse is important,” Kingsbery said. “That’s what creates the better decisions.” Kingsbery said a trustee should be willing to offer opposing opinions that will add value to the discussion but be capable of compromise.

“Soft money” refers to grants and the financial instability that comes with their expiration date. Aguilar said because these three sources supply the faculty with their own initiatives and don’t end previous ones, many faculty members are feeling overburdened. “We’re not going to fix anything in this first step,” Aguilar said. “But we need to get more voices in on the discussion.” A copy of the survey results was sent to all faculty members at this college on Sept. 18.

The chancellor said performancebased bonuses have been common practice for universities for “generations” and are new to community colleges, and a board member said the chancellor’s potential $45,000 incentive bonus is to expedite success targets. Chancellor Bruce Leslie’s contract was renewed at a special board meeting Sept. 12 at Killen Center and included a $12,094 salary increase and a new clause outlining a prorated incentive bonus. The contract states the chancellor must meet 50 percent of the targets to receive a prorated amount based on his target completion. District 9 trustee Clint Kingsbery said the goal with the bonus is to achieve the TX60x30 goal 13-14 years before the state goal of 2030. This is the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s goal to ensure “at least 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34” have a certificate or degree by 2030, according to the website. When asked if public colleges’ administrators’ salaries should be compared to those of chief executive owners of private companies, Leslie said boards and legislators are placing accountability for state goal achievement on the operations of the institution. He said school boards are realizing one way to get public schools to meet targets set by the state is to incentivize the “CEO” with a bonus. Kingsbery said projections for the job markets in 2030 suggest an increasing need for higher education as degree inflation is projected to continue. Degree inflation is a mass increase in degrees obtained, which results in devaluation of degrees. Kingsbery said the board is incentivizing the chancellor to encourage the colleges to have students get an associate degree or certificate and apply the credits to a career or a transfer degree. He said the degree “inflation” means there isn’t any real job opportunity for students who don’t achieve some form of certification or degree beyond a high school education. “We’re incentivizing the chancellor to say, ‘OK, we can’t control what the colleges do. That’s not really what our role is,’” Kingsbery said. “We can tell him, ‘Hey, make them (colleges) do stuff.’ So, if we incentivize him, we hope that he will take the initiative.” Leslie said having a portion of compensation based on performance is “increasingly the norm.” Leslie said the focus should not be on comparing the practices of the private sector to the public sector. He said both are seeking ways to increase performance

and incentives are a proven way to do so. Leslie said universities have used incentive bonuses “for generations” and pretty much every chancellor or president of a public or private university has an incentivized bonus. He said the concept was “relatively” new for community colleges. Leslie said this incentive bonus concept is “nothing new, but it’s just different for us (the district) because it’s the first time the board has done it formally.” Leslie said Kingsbery was heavily involved with the development of the new contract and the contract’s revisions. Kingsbery said the board started using his contract development process about two years ago. He developed evaluation forms for the board based on charges to the chancellor, and Kingsbery collects data and evidence the chancellor provides. He said he places the evidence next to each charge for the board to review. “The trustees basically evaluate, ‘OK, we think he’s hitting this mark based on the evidence and our own personal experience, or we think he’s not,’” Kingsbery said. “So, I compile that data and provide kind of an overall overview based on what the nine of you said.” Kingsbery said he thinks the chancellor ranks third in salary among community college chancellors of comparable size. Leslie corrected Kingsbery, saying he has actually fallen to fifth in compensation among the community college chancellors in the state. “I’ve fallen behind,” Leslie said with a laugh. According to the Texas Legislative Budget Board’s Administrative Accountability Report for public and junior colleges, Leslie received a higher salary than seven community colleges of comparable size, earning a base salary of $403,123 in fiscal year 2017. • Lone Star College ranked second with a base chancellor salary of $370,577; • Tarrant County and San Jacinto colleges tied for third with base chancellor salaries of $350,000; • Houston Community College ranked fourth with a base chancellor salary of $328,974; • Dallas Community College District was fifth, paying the chancellor a base salary of $327,811; • Austin Community College pays the “president/CEO” a base salary of $320,814 and ranked sixth; • El Paso Community College ranked last with a base president’s salary of $308,743. The report also lists housing allowance, car allowance, “other emoluments” and non-cash compensation. With these added, the chancellor’s total compensation is lowered to secondplace at $423,115, and Dallas Community College District rises to first-place with a total compensation of $477,342.

EDITORIAL 3 www.theranger.org/EDITORIAL

SEPT 25 2017

No excuse for cuts District should take responsibility for college budget shortfalls.

Amanda Graef

Half job, big bonus Abnormally high salary is incentive enough. Chancellor Bruce Leslie hasn’t done a particularly great job. Four of the five Alamo Colleges have repeatedly expressed their lack of faith in his leadership. Yet by some reasoning, the board has seen fit to give Leslie a $12,094 salary raise. They’ve also decided to sweeten the deal by offering him a $45,000 bonus. So Leslie’s earnings for this year could increase by $57,094. What does he have to do for that lump sum? His job. Well, really only half his job. To obtain the carrot, the chancellor must fulfill five goals by 50 percent. The goals set by the board range from graduating 13,000-plus

students to setting up the Alamo Colleges Online program. District 2 trustee Denver McClendon said this bonus was set up to make Leslie’s salary “competitive.” Leslie earns more than his counterparts at Dallas County Community College, Houston Community College District and Tarrant County College. If the chancellor is doing such a great job, why are four of our five colleges facing budget cuts? This college’s departments are facing a budget cut of 25 percent. Is now really the time to give Leslie more money? This is an incredibly tone-deaf move on the board’s part. The board is the only body that seems to be impressed by Leslie’s performance, and it’s starting to get old.

Operating budgets at this college have been cut $4 million for the 201718 school year as a result of overzealous budgeting combined with steadily declining enrollment across the district. The cuts affected departments across the college, reducing department spending to “essentials” and reducing the number of hours many staff and faculty members can work. The effects are felt in missing workstudy students and decreased travel opportunities. They’re felt in empty staff positions and missing newspaper pages. Cuts this deep are difficult to salve. Had district administration been more realistic from the start, the college may not be in this position. Meanwhile, the board granted Chancellor Bruce Leslie a $12,094 raise this year — bringing his salary to $415,217 — with another $45,000 on the table for good behavior. Vice chancellors and college presidents received raises of $6,469.71 in fiscal year 2018. Why are student services suffering while our chancellor is earning enough cash to buy a small private island each year? The board had an opportunity to allocate funds to this college to save the now-suffering programs, but opted not to. Last year, the board pulled $5 mil-

lion from the district fund balance to compensate for a hole in the budget but opted not to do so this year, citing their “frugal” use of funds as a reason for passing the burden of the budget deficit onto departments at this college. “Frugal” spending doesn’t often result in negative money. Dr. Diane Snyder, vice chancellor for finance and administration, blamed the summer momentum plan for part of the deficit. Students took $3.1 million of free classes last summer because of the plan, she said. Even if that number is accurate, it ignores the significant tuition increases introduced at the same time as the plan. The board has recently pushed a narrative that enrollment is about to see a massive increase. They argued for a $450 million bond issue this year by claiming their colleges would soon be packed to capacity. These cuts put the emptiness of their claims on full display. Students should not have to take the consequences of administration not being able to follow through on hollow promises. The board needs to budget appropriately and realistically, use funds from available sources and stop making excuses. They need to act like adults who have been entrusted with the leadership of a massive community college district, where thousands of young people prepare for their futures.

ONLINE NOW www.theranger.org This college initiates search for dean of student success, again By Austin P. Taylor The search for a new dean of student success will continue into December. By December, the committee handling the hiring process hopes to bring a candidate before the board of trustees for approval.

Scobee ready to launch ‘expedition’ to Mars The SAC Mariachis Estrellas del Alamo perform “Los Laureles” by Linda Ronstadt at a salsa-making contest, which kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 14 in Loftin. Deandra Gonzalez

ee Hispanic Heritage Month video at www.theranger.org

STAFF

By Dillon Holloway The “Expedition Mars” Challenger mission, funded through the Challenger Center for Space Science Education and NASA, will give young students the chance to experience a space mission simulation

Visuals Editor Deandra Gonzalez

Vice President Dr. Lisa Alcorta will be the chair of the committee assigned to hiring a new dean. The new committee has yet to be assembled. A new round of interviews will begin before October’s end.

to the “Red Planet,” Center Director Rick Varner said Sept. 14 in an interview. Scobee Education Center will run its first beta mission with Beacon Hill Elementary in late October. The mission will see students in fourth through eighth grade simulate being on a Martian base on Phobos, one of the planet’s two moons, and go from Phobos to Mars’s surface.

Need help with writing assignments? By Tania Flores Do you know you’ll need to write essays for other courses besides English composition? Whether you consider yourself a decent writer, a basic writer or a “I haven’t written an essay in a long-time writer,” the writing center offers help. The writing center in Gonzales Hall provides assistance with writing for any course including personal writing, understanding an assignment, generating ideas, creating a thesis, identifying an audience, organizing and correcting grammar errors, according to a flyer for the center’s services.

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4FEATURES Sparrows, moon to mourn and meander www.theranger.org/premiere

SEPT 25 2017

Bench serves as a memorial to students, faculty and staff. By Alison Graef

agraef@student.alamo.edu

Students, faculty and staff gathered Sept. 12 for the unveiling of a project more than one year in the making. On a grassy hill west of Fletcher Administration Center, six painted swallows and a full moon adorn an 11-foot-tall aluminum bench, a memorial designed by local artist Luis L. Lopez. Lopez began work on the bench one year ago after being approached about the project by Dr. Lisa Alcorta, vice president of student success. Lopez said Alcorta immediately connected him with Student Government Association officers Harley Williams, former president; Quintin Longoria, former vice president; and Brett Douglas, former historian. Williams was inspired to install a memorial at this campus while attending San Antonio Higher Education Representative Assembly (SAHERA) at the end of spring 2016. She said SGA representatives from Texas A&M University-San Antonio said they have a memorial statue that acts as a symbol of remembrance on the campus. She said the idea of a memorial struck a chord with her because of the recent deaths of former Vice President David Mrizek and architecture sophomore Trevor Anthony Macias. “That really hit home to us at the time,” Williams said. “Mr. Mrizek had recently passed away and so had Trevor, who used to work in the office of student life as a work-study … and it was really kind of raw emotions for us.” Williams wanted a memorial to serve as a reminder of students, faculty and staff who have died. After surveying students and brainstorming, Williams, Longoria and Douglas determined a memorial bench and garden space would be best for this campus. Lopez, who already had three art installations on campus, worked with the SGA officers to design the bench. Lopez was paid $30,000 from the capital budget. Lopez said the swallow design is inspired by the Spanish poem “Volverán las oscuras golondrinas” by Gustavo Aldolfo Bequer. Lopez said just as swallows migrate and return to the same location every year to nest, people who have died return to those who knew them in memories. Lopez and 2012 graduate Alexandra Nelipa used a latex enamel to paint the six birds onto the one-half inch-thick aluminum. The plastic glass moon is 3 feet in diameter and surrounded by LEDs, which illuminate the frosted glass with cool white light at night. “It is a beautiful element,” Lopez said. “It gets you in the mood to think and to remember.” Lopez said he wants to add spotlights in the surrounding trees to shine on the swallows at night. The bench was originally intended to be installed in the sunken garden south of Moody Learning Center, but because of planned construction in that area, the location was changed. Lopez said he is pleased with the new site because of the spaciousness and visibility when lit at night. Weighing 550 pounds, the bench is designed in pieces for ease of installation, so Lopez said it could potentially be moved into the garden at a later time. Douglas said students were impacted by the speakers and the unveiling of the bench at the ceremony. “I noticed a lot of people genuinely getting emotional …

Business administration sophomore Quintin Longoria lays a yellow carnation in memory of anyone of the SAC community who has died at the memorial bench art installation ceremony Sept. 12. The aluminum bench was designed by local artist Luis L. Lopez

and was inspired by the Spanish poem “Volverán las oscuras golondrinas” by Gustavo Aldolfo Bequer. The poem talks about swallows that represent those who are lost and return to bring back memories. Deandra Gonzalez

which shows that the bench is invoking the emotion that we would like for the students to have,” Douglas said. To close the ceremony, everyone who lost someone laid yellow carnations on the bench in remembrance. Carrie Hernandez, senior student success specialist, recounted her memories of Macias, who had been a workstudy with student life before he was killed in a car accident. “He was so sweet,” she said. “He was so kind and giving … It was sad for us. It was unexpected. We held a special little vigil for him. The staff were kind of just devastated or surprised that it happened. It was a sudden thing; It was not like he was sick.” Hernandez has a figure of Disney’s character Olaf on her desk that Macias gave to her because he knew she loves Disney. She said it reminds her of Macias and his kindness

to others. She said she is glad to have the bench to serve as a centerpiece and symbol in future student memorials. “I think it’s wonderful that we can honor and remember any … students who may have passed,” Hernandez said. Lopez said he not only wants the bench to be a place of reflection and remembrance but also a gathering place for friends or a peaceful place to relax and read a book. “It’s a resting place that’s going to have a relaxation element to the students who are usually very busy,” Lopez said. “The bench … doesn’t always have to be something that is sad,” Williams said. “It can be a happy little moment. You can go there and, say, eat that person’s favorite food and just kind of remember them. It doesn’t have to always be extremely somber.”