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Irvine : Discretion Is Better Part of Saddleback Decision

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Let’s hear it for good old “Discrete Community College.”

That, in effect, was the dry-humored, deadpanned comment of Saddleback Community College Trustee Robert Price during heated debate about creation of a new community college in Irvine.

The proposal, which Price opposed, was approved Monday night by the Saddleback trustees, 4 to 3. With expected state approval, Saddleback College’s north campus in Irvine will become a new and separate college on July 1. No name has been picked yet.

But Price indicated that a misbegotten name was already being bandied about during the debate.

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He noted that the resolution calling for separation of Saddleback’s north and south campuses called for creation of “discrete colleges.”

Discrete, as defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary, means “separate and distinct.” A word that is similarly pronounced--”discreet”--means “careful about what one says or does.”

Price, poking fun at his colleagues, said, “What, may I ask, is a discrete college? How does it differ from an indiscreet one?”

The audience broke into laughter.

But the pun failed to sway the pro-discrete trustees. They held fast for separate and distinct colleges.

The name of the new Irvine college, however, remains in doubt. The trustees said they will pick the campus’s new name later, after they have talked to people in the community about their views. Discreetly, of course.

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