As a result of what Mario Gonzales of C-FAIRR says is Pima Community College Governing Board’s refusal to take “responsibility for their role in this sanction by the HLC,” PCC students have organized a “march to show solidarity in their quest to save the college. Pima Community College has been placed on probation by its accreditor; the Higher Learning Commission, and the Board was strongly criticized in HLS’s report.
C-FAIRR, along with POAC and various internal and external groups are “fully supporting the efforts of the students and are urging the public to join the students on Wednesday May 8, 2013 on a half mile walk.
The college is required to file a monitoring report no later than August 1, 2013, outlining a plan by which it will establish conformity with Assumed Practices A.4 and B.2.c. Gonzales and C-FAIRR are asking questions about the process. They want to know who will develop the monitoring .
The HLC found pervasive problems, including corrupt hiring and contracting practices, a “culture of fear and retribution” created by administrators and a “dysfunctional” board that shirked its oversight duties and dismissed its critics.
The group is concerned that the interim Chancellor, Dr, Zelema Harris “will have a very difficult time doing it by herself, being that she was just hired April 15, 2013,” according to a statement the group released.
“Making matters worse the four board members (Evan, Longoria, Stewart and Cortez) who are in denial as to the reasons for the probation by not accepting responsibility and which the majority of the PCC faculty and staff have no confidence in, will probably not be willing to cooperate to the fullest in being a part of the solution as they feel they aren’t contributors to the criterion violations,” the statements notes.
The group charges that “it is not known how deep the siege mentality penetrates within staff. We know that to a great degree, Dr. Miles, CJ Karamargin, Janet May, David Bea, and Charlotte Fugett were very big contributors to the Flores style of management and complicit if not contributors to the criterion violations. So we can safely assume that these individuals will not cooperate in righting the wrongs that they created. They will most likely do whatever they can to protect their jobs and their inflated salaries.”
| Dr. Miles | $189,400 |
| David Bea | $189,400 |
| C J Karamargin | $156,668 |
| Dr. Migler | $180,625 |
| Charlotte Fugett | $189,400 |
| Keith Mcintosh | $156,668 |
| William Ward | $153,000 |
| Luis Albert | $172,258 |
| Johnson Bia | $168,221 |
| Luba Chliwiank | $160,423 |
| Alex Kajstra | $168,221 |
| Janet May | $164,278 |
The groups say the consequences are too high. They are that are concerned the reporting may not up to the satisfaction of the HLC. Revocation of accreditation would force the college to close its doors.
Marchers will meet at Rincon High School at 5:30 p.m. and the march will begin the half mile walk at 6:30 to the Board of Governors meeting.