Alternatives for College District

Before the Coast Community College District starts slaughtering Orange Coast College agricultural land, it should consider the following alternatives to beef up district revenues:

Cutting all Coastline Community College off-campus courses given in rented buildings within 10 minutes of Orange Coast or Golden West colleges at times when duplicate courses and classroom seats are available.

Cutting duplicate administrative costs by allowing Coastline to administer its special programs not existing at Orange Coast or Golden West, but dividing the district in half and placing every other off-campus course under the administrations and divisions at the latter two colleges.

Studying the feasibility of constructing dormitories, perhaps in a joint venture with an off-campus enterprise or the Associated Student Body. Programs at Orange Coast in agriculture, meat slaughtering and packing, culinary arts and hotel and business management, even construction, might be tied into this operation, giving students firsthand learning experiences and cutting the costs of either running the dorms or the educational programs that serve them.

If the district does indeed find it necessary to develop the land commercially, it should at least not play semantic games with the words “leasing” and “selling.”

Leasing for 66 years means that the land will be tied up until most people reading this paper have at least one foot in the grave. A commercial development could permanently cut the campus off from the community. The district would need to maintain complete control of any development.

GARY HOFFMAN

Huntington Beach

Hoffman is an Orange Coast College faculty member.