Questions on Cole’s Stance

After reading the Dec. 14 article about Dr. Greg Cole, president of the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees, I am left with two major questions:

First, was his passion about freezing salaries a newfound concern or does it only apply to faculty? I ask because he was remarkably silent about budget constraints when he and his board colleagues approved a 4% increase in salary for management and support staff last year. It appears that everyone in the district except the faculty toiling in the classrooms deserves a raise.

Second, was his righteous moral stance recently developed or has he always felt this way? When Cole was elected to the board, he took faculty union funds and union help for his campaign. Unless he only recently developed his philosophy, his perfidy toward the union is hardly worthy of praise for its high moral tone.

I believe the taxpayers and the district faculty deserve answers to these questions. Additionally, I feel that The Times owes the faculty union equal time for a “puff piece” on all its sterling qualities.

CHARLENE ARNOLD, Professor of Speech, Moorpark College