Junior College Board Should Be Replaced

Re “Meet the 1st Amendment,” Editorial, March 31:

I wish to commend The Times for urging the board of trustees of the South Orange County Community College District to return to some level of law-abiding sensibility. The board majority and its puppet administration have sullied the names of the district’s two colleges quite long enough and embarrassed California’s community colleges by their erratic and unprofessional antics.

Thanks to the Chronicle of Higher Education, this group is known far beyond this state for its assaults on free speech, its anti-intellectual, anti-student, and anti-faculty actions, and for the cronyism that marks its tenure.

In November, some of the trustees will be up for reelection. Until the board majority and its minions are replaced with competent people who know and respect the law, the district will continue to suffer, its students will continue to flee to other districts, and the exceptional faculty and the few decent administrators still present will retire early, teach elsewhere or find other employment.

Thank you again for speaking on our behalf. Our voices are tired and hoarse, our spirit often deflated. Your attention rallied our sagging morale, and we are grateful.

Katherine Clark

Academic Senate president,

1996-98

Irvine Valley College