Colleagues Rally to Block Educator’s Firing : Trustees: The president of Moorpark College is linked to two questionable transfers of money.

Angry faculty and staff at Moorpark College are rallying to stop Ventura County Community College trustees from firing the college’s beleaguered president, Stanley L. Bowers.

The employees are circulating flyers that urge their colleagues to attend a meeting Wednesday to mobilize support for Bowers. Since the process to fire Bowers was begun Tuesday, supporters have raised more than $1,000 to pay for the president’s lawyers if he decides to fight to keep his job, said Fred Meyer, a physics instructor who is spearheading the drive.

“We’re talking about some people who are really upset,” Meyer said. “I think the board is really off-base on this and so does everyone else I’ve talked to.”

He said supporters are forming a “Friends of Stan Bowers” committee that will orchestrate a drive to persuade the trustees to change their minds about firing Bowers. The drive may include letters and calls to trustees, picketing and even a protest at the college’s graduation ceremony on June 14, he said.

The trustees, after three hours of closed meetings, notified Bowers late Tuesday that they intend to fire him. They have refused to discuss the matter, but Bowers has been linked to two questionable transfers of money between the college and its private foundation.

Bowers’ troubles began a year ago when Trustee James T. (Tom) Ely came under fire for allegedly filing padded travel claims with the district. Ely is on trial now on charges of conspiracy, fraud and embezzlement. His wife, Ingrid Ely, former Moorpark College Alumni Assn. president, also is on trial for theft and conspiracy.

Out of that investigation trustees said they learned that Bowers had improperly transferred $51,000 in campus bookstore profits to the Moorpark College Foundation. He also came under fire for channeling $3,152 in bookstore profits to Ingrid Ely to pay for travel expenses.

Last December the trustees reprimanded Bowers for the actions. He has maintained the transfers were proper. However, the foundation has returned $16,000.

Early this year, the college president came under fire again for his role in another financial transaction involving the foundation. He and Lawrence Lloyd, vice president for administrative services, were involved in setting up a funding mechanism to pay two employees with foundation funds rather than college funds.

The trustees, who learned of the arrangement earlier this month, alleged that the $25,000 in salary was paid through the foundation to sidestep pension and union regulations. The trustees also notified Lloyd Tuesday that they plan to reprimand him.

Bowers’ supporters contend neither man did anything wrong, and that the funding arrangement had the blessings of district officials and foundation members.

“The trustees want to show they are going to clean house, they are going to clean up Moorpark College,” Meyer said. “They are going to make an example of Stan Bowers and ruin a man’s life. It’s disgusting.”

He said the controversy dogging the college during the past year is destroying the good morale that Bowers worked hard to establish.

“He’s the first president who has really gone out of his way to get to know people,” Meyer said. “He knows everyone on campus by first name, even the gardener.”

Bowers said Friday he is aware of the support for him, but that he had nothing to do with organizing it.

“I hope it will translate into a vote by the trustees,” he said. “I feel very positive about it. I have not been fired.” Bowers can appeal the move to fire him within 30 days, which would delay any final action.

He declined to comment further on his job situation. Nor would he discuss testimony that has come out in the Ely trial in Superior Court because he is a prosecution witness.

During testimony in the trial Thursday, Trustee Gregory Cole told jurors he once questioned Ely about how he could get the district to pay Ingrid Ely’s travel expenses. Cole said Ely laughed and said Bowers would take care of it.

Trustees declined to comment on the support for Bowers, adding that the district’s attorney has advised them to keep personnel matters confidential.

However, a source in the district said that while supporters are mounting a drive on his behalf, Bowers has attempted to negotiate his way out of the impending firing by accepting a lower position with the college--a move Bowers has denied.

The source said that the drive probably will have no impact on the trustees, and might cause them to harden their position on the firing.