R ANGER
www.theranger.org
Election Special with Final Exam Schedule
An independent forum of free voices serving San Antonio College since 1926 and the Alamo Colleges since 1945 Volume 92 • Special Issue
THE
April
23,
2 0 1 8 Journalism-photography program at San Antonio College
Four seats contested May 5 Early voting in Districts 5,6,7 and 9 takes place April 23-May 1.
By Zachary-Taylor Wright sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Four of the Alamo Colleges board of trustee positions are up for election May 5, with Districts 5, 6 and 7 up for their regularly scheduled elections and District 9 up for a special election. Early voting is April 23-May 1, and constituents can vote at any of the 27 early voting locations. They will be open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. through Saturday and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. April 30-May 1. Early voting will be closed Friday and Sunday. Constituents who vote on May 5 must locate their specific polling place. The District 9 seat was left vacant after long-
time trustee Jim Rindfuss died Aug. 15. Interim Distict 9 trustee Joe Sanchez was appointed to fill the vacant seat by a majority of trustees at a Nov. 7 special meeting. Several board members said they opted to appoint an interim trustee because a lone special election would have been costly. Whoever is elected to the District 9 position will serve until Rindfuss’ term is set to expire in 2020. According to documents from a March 20 board meeting agenda, the district paid $332,502 to Bexar County to have both the regular election and the special election on the ballot for early voting and
the May 5 election. Northwest Vista College is the only Alamo Colleges campus offering early voting. An itemized list of costs for getting the two elections on the 2018 ballot can be found at http:// theranger.org/2018/04/19/2018-election-costs/. Elected board members serve six-year terms, with staggered elections every two years. District 5 incumbent Roberto Zárate faces two opponents, while District 7 incumbent Yvonne Katz, board chair; District 6 incumbent Gene Sprague; and Sanchez each face one opponent. District 9 houses two colleges, this college and Northeast Lakeview College.
District 5 encompasses Northwest Vista College. Neither District 6 or 7 houses one of the five Alamo Colleges or a regional campus. This election comes two months after the board of trustees announced Dr. Mike Flores, president of Palo Alto College, as the incoming chancellor, who will replace Chancellor Bruce Leslie in the fall. Leslie announced his retirement Oct. 23, saying he will stay with the district through Sept. 30 to help Flores with his transition. To verify voter registration status, locate early voting locations and locate your polling place, visit http://www.bexar.org/1568/Elections-Department.
Workshops, tips for test anxiety with upcoming finals By Brianna Rodrigue sac-ranger@alamo.edu
With finals around the corner, Counselor David Rodriguez shared helpful tips on how to overcome test anxiety. Anxiety is affected by a person responding to a threat. “Your body senses it,” Rodriguez said in a telephone interview April 5. Rodriguez said everybody deals with anxiety and it affects everyone in different ways. Feeling jittery, rapid breathing, an increased heart rate, stomach cramps, nausea, mood swings and avoiding friends, school or work are some different signs of anxiety.
“Everybody has anxiety during tests. We all get nervous,” Rodriguez said. “Sometimes, you can’t focus or function. Your mind starts racing and you panic.” A person can manage anxiety by deep breathing, meditation, exercising or practicing a hobby, such as dance, art, sports or video games, he said. “Find something that relaxes you,” he said. “We don’t get rid of anxiety, we manage it.” Rodriguez provided nine helpful tips on how to overcome test anxiety during finals. 1. Be prepared. “The more confident you are, the less anxiety,” he said. 2. Get a good night’s sleep. “Lack of sleep will
not let you think clearly,” Rodriguez said. 3. Eat a nutritious breakfast. 4. Pack everything you need the night before, make sure you have gas or a ride, and get to class on time, he said. 5. Have a positive attitude. 6. Read all the directions. Rodriguez said one student saw three essay topics on a test and wrote one essay for all three topics when only one was required. 7. Answer wisely. “Answer ones you know first, then the ones you need to solve or figure out next. Do the ones you are not sure about last,” he said. 8. Don’t pay attention to other students.
Final Exam SCHEDULE SPRING 2018 My class is ...
M/W 6:30 a.m. 8 a.m. 9:25 a.m. 10:50 a.m. Noon 12:15 p.m. 1 p.m. 1:40 p.m. 2 p.m. 2:25 p.m. 3:05 p.m. 3:50 p.m.
My class is ...
my final is ... 7-9:30 8-10:30 9-11:30 11 a.m.-1:30
a.m. a.m. a.m. p.m.
May May May May
7 9 7 9
Noon-2:30 p.m. May 7 1-3:30 p.m. May 7 2-4:30 p.m. May 9 2:25-4:55 p.m. May 9 3:50-6:20 p.m. May 7
M/W/F
my final is ...
7 a.m.
7-9:30 a.m. May 7
8 a.m.
8-10:30 a.m. May 9
9 a.m.
9-11:30 a.m. May 11
10 a.m.
9-11:30 a.m. May 7
11 a.m.
11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. May 9
Noon 1 p.m. 2 p.m.
Noon-2:30 p.m. May 11 1-3:30 p.m. May 7 2-4:30 p.m. May 9
*FRIDAY-ONLY, evening and weekend classes will have final exams during regular CLASS Times
9. Pace yourself and be aware of the time. Even with all the tips, some students might still need assistance with the anxiety, he said. “If you are struggling with it, come to the counseling office. You don’t have to be afraid of it,” he said. The counseling office provides three stress management workshops that teach students how to deal with both stress and anxiety. The workshops are 12:30-2 p.m. Monday, 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 323 of Chance Academic Center. Go to Room 323 to sign up. For more information, call 210-486-1620 or visit http://wcmsstg.alamo.edu/sac/pc/.
My class is ...
T/R 6:30 a.m. 8 a.m. 9:25 a.m.
10:50 a.m. 12:15 p.m.
my final is ... 6:30-9 a.m. May 10
8-10:30 a.m. May 8
9:25-11:55 a.m. May 10 10:50 a.m.-1:20 p.m. May 8 12:15-2:45 p.m. May 10
1 p.m. 1:40 p.m.
1:40-4:10 p.m. May 8
3:05 p.m.
3:05-5:35 p.m. May 10
2 April 23 2018 ,
Ramiro Nava By Dillon Holloway dholloway12@student. alamo.edu
Dr. Ramiro Nava, 44, executive director of Somerset Independent School District, is running for Nava the second time. Nava ran against District 5 incumbent Roberto Zárate in 2012, falling short by about 180 votes. He said he spent the last six years building his résumé and staying involved with the community. Nava earned a doctorate in educational leadership and administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2017. “The reason I want to run is to make sure that we are servants to the students and the faculty that we serve and the community as a whole,” Nava said. Nava is a former student of this college, earning an associate degree in liberal arts in 2002. “I think I’m qualified because I can be the link between public school systems and college systems to make sure that we are allowing easy access and good pathways,” he said. Nava said he is confident in his abilities to be successful if elected to the position. “I just feel that I could definitely do a better job,” he said. “This isn’t anything against Mr. Zárate, who currently holds the position, but I feel that I’m current. I feel that I can relate and I feel that students these days are learning differently.” District 5 incumbent Zárate has a record of supporting increases in tuition, Nava said. “I always think that we need to be very frugal with taxpayers’ money because that is the bulk of the revenue that comes in,” he said. “We really need to be looking at other costs, making sure that our administrative costs are low, making sure that our operational costs are low.” He said the district must be more transparent. “I think they need to be open with the responsibility that they have and not just take it for granted that there’s a low voter turnout,” he said. Nava has been making himself available to District 5 constituents by block-walking and conducting door-to-door visits, he said. “Very few people can tell me who the trustee is that represents Alamo Colleges,” he said. “Very few people can tell me that it’s the second highest tax they pay as a property owner.” Nava said the Alamo Colleges must ensure effective support systems are in place for students. Nava said he would like to see the colleges implement an employee incentive program. “We have support staff, custodial staff, food staff, transportation staff, but are we offering programs for those individuals to have access to higher education, to have access to certification programs,” he said. “Or are we just taking for granted that this is the job that they have and this is where they are going to stay.” Nava said there should more emphasis made on providing individuals with opportunities to better themselves. Nava said, if elected, his No.1 focus would be supporting students. “When I say that, I mean all students. Our students with special needs, what are we doing for those students? Our migratory students, our students that have language barriers?” he said. “What are we doing to support students and link them to either an institution, a university, higher education or work force?” Nava said the main function of the board of trustees is to be responsible for policy, saying sixyear terms allow trustees enough time to listen, learn and put action into place. “So, one of the first things I would do if elected is really take some time to listen and learn. Listen to students, listen to constituents and find out what barriers have been keeping students from moving forward.”
District 5 James Hernandez By Maya Williams
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
James Hernandez, 25, believes he is the “most grassroots, communityled” candidate. He grew up Hernandez in Edgewood Independent School District, his mother and other family work at Alamo Colleges and faculty encouraged him to run. He also wants to fill the generation gap between the board and students. “How are these board members, who are two, maybe three, generations away from our current students, going to even walk a campus to talk to students?” he said. “Because I don’t think it’s happening.” Growing up in a low-income area with underfunded schools also drove Hernandez to run. Hernandez received a Master of Education degree from the University of Utah and a Bachelor of Psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University. When he and his mother discussed Alamo Colleges as he studied education, she mentioned Bruce Leslie, the Alamo Colleges chancellor. He didn’t know who nor what a chancellor was. “The first thing I think of is ‘Star Wars,’ this evil Sith guy,” he said. “Unfortunately, I was kind of right.” Hernandez believes some polices enacted during Leslie’s “reign” should be eliminated, including removing tenure, high reliance on adjuncts and replacing in-person classes with online. After Hernandez completed his grad program, he was approached by faculty and students to run. Hernandez at first was reluctant. The more people he talked to, the more enraged he became at some district policies. “The faculty is really engaged and they really want the students to become civically engaged in this process,” Hernandez said. “Honestly, maybe it’s just because there’s been a lot of issues, a lot of policies that are not working well for those schools.” Despite a steep learning curve, Hernandez has many supporters who provide resources and help him stay informed about the community. “That’s a benefit of actually speaking with people in the community where they actually have things that the board may not know they have access to,” he said. If Hernandez is elected, he promises transparency and “bringing the board out of the shadows.” “To me that’s an issue … people can make time with what they care about, especially with the Alamo Community College board having such a huge (budget) and such a huge responsibility to the entire city, board members should make time to know what the community they’re serving needs.” Communities need to be more engaged, he said. “The board members could also encourage students and faculty to speak up and let them know they’re being heard,” he said. Hernandez hopes there will eventually be a community college closer to central San Antonio. Building a new community college would have to wait until the other colleges are stabilized, he said. “We can’t grow another limb when the rest of the body is dying,” Hernandez said. Hernandez’s top four issues are restoring tenure, providing child care, increasing tutors and increasing senior citizen schooling. “Child care is something I want to focus on,” he said. “If someone’s willing to go to school to better their lives, to better their opportunities for their children, they should be able to. “We need to have opportunities for senior citizens to come back to school,” he said. “They vote, they’re the ones putting people in positions.” Hernandez is still learning the full function of the board, but what he has gathered is to keep track of money, keep administration in check and make sure the Alamo Colleges is known nationwide.
Board of trustees candidates
www.theranger.org/NEWS
District 6
Roberto Zárate By Thomas Macias sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Student success has been the overarching priority in all actions undertaken by the current board of Zárate trustees, Roberto Zárate, 69, said in an April 4 interview. Zárate credited all current board members, whom he described as “incredible,” for a record of success and achieving a sense of momentum. Zárate, a retired educator with more than 36 years of experience, has served on the Alamo Colleges’ board since his appointment to the District 5 seat in August 2003. Zárate said he began his teaching career as a junior high instructor in Crystal City. Later in his career, Zárate was the principal at Mary Hull Elementary School for 16 years. Zárate said he was motivated to run for another term as the District 5 trustee because of the “opportunity” it presented to facilitate success for constituents, especially students. “I see education as a springboard whether it is to advance, redirect or start a new career,” Zárate said. Zárate said he disagreed with a categorization made by the San Antonio Express-News in a Feb. 22 article, which described the six-year history of the current board of trustees as “tumultuous.” The Express-News article also cites the board as “taking heat” for its support of Chancellor Bruce Leslie in standardizing counseling, curriculum and new degree plans, which eliminated majors from student records. Zárate said all board decisions were data-driven and made with students’ best interests in mind. While individuals have expressed concern or disagreed with board decisions, Zárate said the decision-making processes were not problematic. Zárate said the board’s actions have been validated by results. Zárate said the Alamo Colleges are now working cohesively together in achieving cost efficiencies. “The Alamo Colleges are now working as a family with a seamless transfer of services,” Zárate said. Tuition at the Alamo Colleges has been kept low as well as its burden to taxpayers, Zárate said, “I feel good about that.” Zárate addressed perceptions of a non-transparent selection process for the incoming chancellor. He said the chancellor selection process had to be confidential so there would be no negative repercussions for applicants in their current positions. A confidential search also helped increased the pool of applicants to 24 with six selected for interviews, Zárate said. Zárate said the board employed a citizen advisory committee comprising faculty, staff, community groups and students. Zárate said the board of trustees did not interfere with the citizens committee and accepted their recommendations. Three board members were on the advisory committee. Zárate said three “wonderful” applicants emerged with Flores ultimately being selected. Regarding the sustainability of the Alamo Colleges’ dual credit program where all fees are waived for both in- and out-of-district high school enrollees, Zárate said the colleges will “need to look real hard” at how the program is continued. A challenge is the state has mandated the dual credit program without providing Alamo Colleges the necessary resources to execute its requirements, Zárate said. Zárate said a combination of measures may be necessary to sustain the program. These measures could include achieving greater efficiencies within the existing budget, seeking relief from state-mandated requirements, and as a last-option, tuition and tax increases. Such increases are “not popular with anyone including myself,” Zárate said.
Gene Sprague By Austin P. Taylor
ataylor160@student.alamo.edu
Gene Sprague, 72, had a hand in many Alamo Colleges developments during 24 years served. Sprague approved the funding to establish Sprague Northwest Vista College “There was a bond issue that had occurred right before I came on the board and there was funding available for 12 projects,” he said. Northwest Vista was not a high priority at that time. “At the request of my community, we went forward and said ‘we’ve got to have this. It’s going to be the fast-
Jacob Wong By Alison Graef
agraef@student.alamo.edu
Jacob Wong, 39, served as the first student trustee on the Alamo Colleges board of trustees in 201415. He also served as president of the Wong Student Government Association at this college before graduating with a liberal arts degree in 2015. Since July 2015, Wong has worked at Alamo Colleges as an employment specialist and processes all incoming employees for the five colleges and the district. He said his long history with Alamo Colleges
David Fischer By Zachary-Taylor Wright sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Retired professor David Fischer, 80, expressed frustration with the board of trustees for their subservience to Chancellor Photo unavailable Bruce Leslie and supported the reintroduction of tenure and the independence of the colleges. Fischer said he is interested in running for the District 7 trustee position because he knows many faculty members at St. Philip’s, Palo Alto and Northeast Lakeview colleges who are unhappy with the board. Fischer said his wife is the natural sciences chair at St. Philip’s College. Fischer said faculty members’ dissatisfaction with the board comes from the decision to end tenure and the board’s attempt to “eliminate the five independent colleges and destroy the culture therein of … .” Fischer shared similar frustrations and sentiments. In a show of his support for the reintroduction of tenure to the district, Fischer emphasized the importance of job security in hiring quality educators. “If you’re going to recruit good faculty, you have to have tenure because, if a non-tenured faculty member has to defend their position to be rehired on an annual basis, then that wastes a good two months out of every year out of every non-tenured faculty member, which is ridiculous,” Fischer said. According to The Ranger, tenure for new faculty was halted seven years ago because no procedure was established by the board. In support of maintaining colleges’ independence, Fischer said he wants to ensure curriculum is decided by faculty at the colleges rather than district mandates.
3
est growing area in the county,’ and it still is,” Sprague said. “I argued it and we got the funding for it.” Sprague was the board chair when five individuals affiliated with the Alamo Colleges, including three former trustees, were indicted for charges of bribery, theft and organized crime, among other charges. As chair, he started a two-year chair rotation. ‘I said, ‘Look, all of you are as qualified as I am. You all have the right idea of why you’re here,’” he said. “So, I started a tradition, I said I wanted us to change the chair every two years, and we’ve done that up to the present.” Sprague said he’s running again to ensure there are no interruptions in the Alamo Institutes program. “We’ve gone through a huge period of success where we have almost tripled the number of graduating students in the last five years,” Sprague said. Sprague said the current advising program, which asks students to declare a career pathway within their first 15 credit hours, has been a big part of that success.
“I want to see that flourish. I’d hate to see an interruption in our progress at this point,” Sprague said. “I feel very passionate about the need to continue our progress in student success.” Both Sprague’s son and grandson are graduates of the Alamo Colleges. Sprague taught a medical terminology night class at this college when he was a doctoral student. Sprague said community colleges are an important part of a city’s economic development. “The San Antonio economy does not develop unless we do our job because we’re the ones who train the bulk of the skilled workers for San Antonio,” he said. He said when he initially decided to run for a seat, former District 6 trustee John MacKenzie and faculty members of this college influenced his decision. Sprague said he doesn’t solely represent his district. He said no trustee should represent a single district. “The idea is not to pit my area against the South Side,
for example,” he said. “What we should be doing is guaranteeing that every student has equal opportunity and equal funding for their education to go to the Alamo Colleges and has quality resources to serve their community.” Sprague said the recently passed CIP bond reflects what the board should be doing. The bond will fund several centers for students to access resources off campus. He said the board could better serve the district and county by better implementing the Alamo Institutes. “The idea of the institutes is great, but without the faculty and deans being aligned with that we wouldn’t make it, but they’ve come up with a great plan for us.” Sprague also said the board should work with the faculty of the Alamo Colleges to implement improved faculty development plans. He then said the board should begin to focus and expand the district’s workforce development programs. As District 6 trustee, Sprague said it is his job to help the board operate the district on a fiscally sound basis.
informs his insight on issues, causing other employees to seek his advice. He said he has a reputation for being a person who will “always pick up the phone” and help. He said he was encouraged by employees, students and former students to run for District 6. “When I have a knowledge of the whole picture, and there’s people looking for answers, I’m there to help them,” Wong said. “ … It’s these people who are saying ‘It’s the right time and you’re the right person.’” He said as a nontraditional student, he never thought he could succeed before attending this college. He said his passion for Alamo Colleges comes from positive student experiences and his appreciation for the affordability and quality of education. “It’s very important to me because I am successful because of Alamo Colleges,” he said. “It’s a passion about everything that made me who I am.” Wong said as student trustee, he saw what happens both inside and outside the boardroom. He said as an
employee, he has insight into different departments and has worked with other employees. “I’m learning about what’s going on in the background,” he said. “Having seen each one of those perspectives, I’m getting the whole picture, and we have a lot of problems. “I need to be up there to ensure that we protect what we need to do for students,” Wong said. “And to ensure that we value our faculty members and our employees because they provide that for our students.” Wong said his goal on the board would be to share his perspective convincingly to all of the other trustees and forcefully enough to enact change. “You’re trying to get your perspective and your voice heard among nine individuals and ensure the perspective you’re delivering will help shape and mold the future of what we do for our students,” Wong said. “I don’t think that Sprague has that in him anymore.” Wong said he doesn’t feel Sprague has adequately represented District 6 constituents but has played a
passive role on the board in his 24 years of service. “He’s been there during some of the darkest times of Alamo Colleges’ history, and he’s been there during some of the best times, but the only consistent thing about that is he’s just been there,” Wong said. He said it would be his responsibility as trustee to draw from his perspective and community input. “When you serve for the community, the community should know who you are,” Wong said. “You shouldn’t be making your decisions in a vacuum.” Wong said to represent his constituents, who are taxpayers funding the colleges, people need to see their money is used responsibly for affordable education that “is going to count when our students leave.” “The moment we start wasting it and frittering it away means that we’re losing it in our programs,” he said. Wong said his largest criticism of the board is the $21.5 million shortfall caused by the dual credit and early college high school program.
District 7 “I believe my candidacy stands for the quality of the education in the community colleges,” he said. “It’s not how many students pass through because students are never customers. Students are joint learners with their faculty mentors. That’s a very important principle.” One issue that concerns Fischer is the 100 percent tuition waiver for dual-credit students, saying high school students should pay for college courses. “What Katz and Leslie have done is drive the entire system into debt to give a free ride to the young students coming through high school,” Fischer said. “There’s no such thing as a free education.” Fischer said no board member has worked as faculty or administrators in higher education, saying they do not have experience in a university setting. He said he has 40 years of experience as a university professor across many campuses and countries, including more than four states and five countries. Fischer attended this college for two semesters while pursing a Bachelor of Science in business administration at Trinity University, saying classes were affordable and the quality of education matched universities. Fischer earned a Master of Science in resource development from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., and a Doctor of Philosophy in resource economics from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. Fischer expressed contempt for the role his opponent in the May 5 election has played. “Ms. Katz, who has been the chairman of the board and facilitating all of Leslie’s desires, she’s a minion that belongs to him,” Fischer said. “A board member is to regulate and govern the chancellor and not facilitate his or her desires. … I think Ms. Katz has been a disaster. You can quote me on that,” Fischer said. “She’s been in the pocket of Bruce Leslie from the beginning because she doesn’t have the experience and the wherewithal to be an independent person.” He said this trustee represents taxpayers of District 7, students in District 7 and all students and faculty.
Yvonne Katz By Kimberly Caballero
kcaballero3@student.alamo.edu
Yvonne Katz, 74, is seeking re-election to continue the “momentum” of the last six years. The retired public Katz school superintendent was elected in 2012 and served as chair of the board of trustees since May 2016. The board approved such initiatives as Alamo Advise, which provides students with academic and career advising; MyMap, which offers steps to make registration easier for students; and Summer Momentum, which provides free summer credit hours for students who earned 18 to 24 hours in fall and spring. Katz plans to take a stand against the Texas Legislature’s decreased funding for community colleges. She said it is important for the Legislature to know “good-quality education requires resources.” The Alamo Colleges has received $8 million less over the last two legislative sessions, Katz said. Katz has been a school superintendent for multiple districts, including Harlandale Independent School District. She also has taught at four universities, including the University of Texas at San Antonio. She helped design the first off-campus doctoral program at Texas A&M University and as a clinical professor taught courses in designing curriculum and preparing students to be administrators. She said her background in education shows she understands students’ needs and dreams in higher education and the public education system. Katz has not worked for the Alamo Colleges, but she attended a continuing education course in scuba diving at this college in the 1970s.
Former District 7 trustees Charles Conner and Blakely Fernandez and District 1 trustee Joe Alderete gave Katz their “blessing to run for the seat” in 2012. “We really try to develop relationships because it’s through your relationships that you know each other and each other’s passions for the parts of education and for things that we want to see get done,” Katz said. “It’s a board that really understands what needs to happen, really looks at the data to help us make those decisions. Student success is a priority for the board. “We are students-first,” she said. “Everything that comes out of our mouths at those board meetings is about student success. “I want to see us really move forward with our bond that was voted last May at almost 68 percent level of approval by our county patrons.” According to The Ranger, in May 2017, of 112,405 voters who turned out, 75,123 approved a $450 million bond package. About 10 percent of the 1,049,400 registered voters in Bexar County voted. Among other issues, bond funding will establish community centers around the county and renovate or replace decades-old buildings, Katz said. Although Katz doesn’t have any colleges or community programs in her district, she believes she has represented them well because they still reach out to her. “They do not hesitate to talk to me, call me or email me” on a weekly basis about things they would like to see happen or other questions. Katz said as chair of the board, her function is to ensure “everything is moving along with all board members” and they are included in discussions or decisions. She represents the board to district administration. “I am then the bridge over to the chancellor,” she said. One of the board’s main responsibilities is to hire the chancellor, Katz said. “Our responsibilities are hiring that person, evaluating that person, evaluating the attainment of the goals of the college district — hence, the charges that we give to him to work through each year.”
w w w. t h e r a n g e r . o r g / N E W S
4
District 9 special election
Felix Grieder
Joe Sanchez
By Katya Harmel
By Sergio Medina
Process engineer Felix M. Grieder, 60, said he is running for the District 9 trustee position because he believes it is important to provide quality education at an affordable price. He has lived in District 9 for nearly 18 years. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in international affairs from the U.S. Air Force Academy and Master of Science degree in national security decision-making from the College of Naval Command and Staff. He said he is qualified because he has five children who went through various educational systems — one of his sons attended Northeast Lakeview College before transferring to the University of Texas at San Antonio. “I think having quality education at an affordable price is important for the citizens of our community,” he said. “I’m a concerned citizen. I am a father of five, a grandfather of five. I know the value of education.” Grieder ran for the position in 2014 but lost to incumbent Jim Rindfuss, who died Aug. 15. He said he was encouraged to run by co-workers at USAA and others. “One of my motivating factors is that people have reached out to me to ask me to run,” he said. He explained he has no personal connections to the board, but he met with District 8 trustee, Clint Kingsbery, in 2014 when seeking the District 9 position. “And that’s another reason I’m running because I provide an independent voice,” he said. “I’m not tied to any current trustees or the chancellor or vice chancellor. I am able to speak independently, and I think that one of the issues is that there is too much group-think among the current trustees. “Most of them are willing to go along with what the chancellor desires without a sufficient amount of questioning,” he said. Grieder said he has not followed the current incumbent, Joe Jesse Sanchez, because Sanchez was appointed only three months ago. Grieder has three main issues he would address if elected: improving governance, reducing administrative costs and improving relations between faculty and administration. First, he said the policies that ensure and
Joe Jesse Sanchez, 70, considers his background in education a strong point of his candidacy. Sanchez was appointed to the position in November after the death of District 9 trustee Jim Rindfuss. A trustee appointed rather than elected must run in the next election to finish the term. The term for the District 9 trustee ends in 2020. “I’ve been in education for 45 years,” he said. “I’ve been a teacher; I’ve been a vice principal; I’ve been a high school principal; I’ve been a director and, when I retired, I was assistant superintendent for Harlandale Independent School District. “All my career, I have dealt in education; I have dealt with students and I have dealt with, you know, running opportunities for students. Education has been my life.” Sanchez said his focus is understanding people’s views of the Alamo Colleges and showing his willingness to represent them. Sanchez said he familiarized himself with neighborhood associations in his district such as the Monte Vista Historical Association and Tobin Hill Community Association. He has also come to know his respective councilman and organizations such as the Northeast Partnership. Sanchez said that the board as a whole takes responsibility for actions. “I have no authority as a board member,” he said. “Our authority comes from being a board and not from being a board member. “That’s something that some folks may not understand,” he said. “I can’t call Dr. (Robert) Vela and say, you know, ‘Fix that hole in that wall, Dr. Vela.’ It looks bad.” Sanchez said he can legally relay issues to the chancellor, who would follow up. He said some of the issues the board has to work on are more articulation with school districts. “I realize that we do meet with superintendents,” he said. “I think we need to go beyond that. I think we need to let their boards know specifically how their students are doing in our colleges because that’s important to them just as it’s important to us. “The other thing, I think, that we need to look at is our dual credit program,” he said. “The dual credit program has been a shot in the arm for our community and for our students.”
April 23, 2018
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Grieder maintain accreditation must be improved. “It took nearly 10 years for the Northeast Lakeview campus to be accredited,” he said. “That is excessively long. We must not allow that to happen again. To ensure that does not happen, we need to have good governance in place.” Second, he explained the Alamo Colleges budget should be reconsidered. Thirty-five percent of it goes to administrative costs, he said. “We need to revamp the budget,” he said. “We need to cut administration costs and gear that toward faculty and student needs.” As an example of cutting costs, Grieder said the vice chancellor position is excessive and not needed so he would do away with the position. The district has five vice chancellors. Third, Grieder said the relations between faculty and administration must be improved. He said faculty input is not requested when changes within the administration are discussed, and faculty positions are often not considered, but, instead, dismissed. “The previous chancellor was very authoritarian,” he said. “What he said — what he determined — the board would go with that.” Grieder plans to improve the relationship by having more transparency when important policy issues are discussed. He said most sessions should be open to faculty, students and citizens, and the administration should listen to their input.
Editorial
www.theranger.org/editorial
Take part in the democratic process The election of four of nine trustees could have massive reprecussions. The upcoming trustee election will play a key role in the future of the Alamo Colleges. Students, faculty, staff, Bexar County taxpayers who are consituents of the four board seats up for election have a civic responsibility to vote in this May 5 election. Unfortunately, local elections have a history of low voter turnout. Last November’s election saw voter turnout reach its lowest point in 23 years, according to www.mysanantonio.com. A lack of voters should not be the case during any election, much less an election that will directly impact 72,213 students. The board manages the fiscal decisions of the district, which means their job is to ensure the colleges are operated on a financially sound basis. The board has to approve any increases in tuition and districtwide spending before anything can actually go into effect. This election is the only time the community of the Alamo Colleges will be able to directly hold the members of the board accountable for their actions and make their voices heard. The current board has undertaken myriad new initiatives, and this election will determine how they
move forward. Alamo Institutes, the changes to advising and workforce training have been the focuses of this current board. Under the current board of trustees, a $450 million Capital Improvement Plan bond issuance was approved in May, leading the future expansion of the five Alamo Colleges and the construction of a new regional campus. The continued expansion of dual-credit, tuitionexempt enrollment and the tripling of the student activity fee are also issues addressed and approved by the board of trustees. If you believe in the direction this group has taken the colleges, you owe it to the community to vote and keep the incumbents in office so there are no deviations from the current progression. If you do not like how the current board has been conducting business, if you believe they do not have the best interests of the Alamo Colleges at heart, you need to vote them out. The only way anything changes is if you decide to let fresh perspectives take the wheel and steer the district in a new direction. The only way to keep a representative form of government running is to vote and to do it consistently. If you live in District 5, 6, 7 or 9 and are registered to vote, you need to make sure your voice is heard by voting early April 23- May 1 or on election day May 5.
Sanchez Sanchez referred to the board’s concern regarding the program’s sustainability. He said state funding for the colleges has decreased during the past decade, saying the board should address this with elected officials. He said his duty to his constituents is to gather their input as all trustees should. “When we make a budget, we make a budget for the entire district,” he said. “When we make policy, we make policy for the entire district. It’s a consensus.” Other than family, Sanchez said nobody encouraged him to run, but his familiarity with District 5 trustee Roberto Zárate was “in a way” encouraging. “Mr. Zárate and I, for example, worked with the Edgewood School District several years ago, when I was principal,” Sanchez said. Sanchez was principal of Memorial High School 1983-91. Other work experience includes being a science teacher at the San Antonio Independent School District, adjunct at Texas A&M UniversityKingsville and administrator at the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department. Sanchez said this college was the first higher education institution he attended after graduating from John F. Kennedy High School. Sanchez is a graduate of St. Mary’s University. He obtained a master’s degree in education administration from Our Lady of the Lake University.
STAFF Editor Zachary-Taylor Wright
Staff Kimberly Caballero, Alison Graef, Dillon Holloway, Katya
Harmel, Thomas Macias, Sergio Medina, Austin P. Taylor, Maya Williams ©2018 by The Ranger staff, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212-3941. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission. The Ranger news outlets, which serve the Alamo Community College District, are laboratory projects of classes in the journalism-photography program at San Antonio College. The Ranger is published Mondays except during summer, holidays and examinations. The Ranger Online is available at www.theranger.org. News contributions accepted by telephone (210-486-1773), by fax (210-486-9292), by email (sac-ranger@alamo.edu) or at the editorial office (Room 212 of Loftin Student Center). Advertising rates available by phone 210486-1765 or as a download at www.theranger.org. The Ranger is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press and the Texas Community College Journalism Association.
@sacranger
@therangerSAC
/readtheranger
/therangervideo