Letters : Minority Hiring at College District

Your article that attempted to create a controversy concerning the appointment of David Brownell as chancellor of the Coast Community College District (Orange County section, Jan. 8) is at once one-sided, misleading and irresponsible.

The true story of the district’s past year is one of fairness and equality. The new Coast board has exhibited a return to the standards of excellence that the residents of this community have long expected from their community colleges.

Among your omissions is the fact that far from ignoring affirmative action guidelines, the board of trustees has recently appointed a woman, Phillis Basile, as acting vice chancellor of human resources; Latino Art Martinez as acting president of Orange Coast College, and Bill Vega, also a Latino, to the permanent post as president of Coastline College.

These appointments represent the strongest minority influx into top administration in the district’s history. When coupled with the 1983 election of Armando Ruiz and Nancy Pollard to the board itself, the Coast District is obviously making giant strides with regard to affirmative action in upper management positions.

Further, the accusation concerning the lack of a nationwide search for a chancellor is also misleading and divisive. Two years ago, the former board of trustees spent many tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars conducting just such a search for the presidency of Orange Coast College only to abort the process and appoint the president of Coastline College, Bernard Luskin, who had not even applied for the position.

I find it interesting that Luskin’s appointment did not receive the scrutiny of the district’s lawyer or the state chancellor’s office, as has Mr. Brownell’s.

Finally, the absurd allegation that the state may withhold funding to the district for this supposed breech of affirmative action guidelines is contemptible. The article clearly states that Trustee Ruiz was told by the state chancellor’s office that the appointment was “no problem,” and the state chancellor himself declared that the possibility of such disciplinary action is remote. This display of scare tactics reeks of sensationalism.

The current newly elected board members have shown that they possess an awesome degree of character in rebuilding a district that only a year ago was shattered and demoralized. Rather than be reprimanded with deceiving articles such as this, these public servants deserve our respect, gratitude and praise.

DAVID K. WARFIELD

Westminster