Call to Order
The meeting was called to
order at 10:03 a.m.
Roll Call
Present:
annan, Laverty,
Pelleran, Proctor, Rasmusson, Smith
Absent: Canady
Trustee Proctor was present
telephonically.
Trustee Canady was attempted
to be connected telephonically; however, the connection was
lost. He did arrive during closed session at 11:41 a.m.
Limited Public Comment Regarding Agenda Items
James Gill - Good Morning.
My name is James Gill I am the President of the Lansing
anch
NAACP. On January 5, 2005 I sent a FOIA request to the community
college requesting certain information. I also had my state
congress president Yvonne White out of Detroit Michigan send a
FOIA request dated January 12, 2006. We received information
from Foster, Swift, Collins and Smith that they needed an
additional two days by law which was granted. I just received a
letter dated January 27th from Foster Swift and
Collins indicating that this is what I wrote to them pursuant to
the Freedom of Information Act please kindly forward a copy of
all correspondence generated in 2004 and 2005 between the
college President, the Board of Trustees and the executive
team. And the Board of Trustees including but not limited to
letters, emails, documents of whatever nature regarding meetings
between the Board of Trustees and staff that were not open to
the public relative to financial aid and the bylaws governing
this Board. It's hard for me to believe that in the year 2004
and 2005 that this Board has not communicated with the
President, the staff, and the Chair of the Board, Chris
Laverty. We all know today why we're here. It is because the
Board, the Chair of the Board, President Laverty and the College
President have some issues. It's been out in the paper we know
about it. Her short tenure here, I think it was 2000 or 2001,
she has done a lot of great things here at the College and
President Paula Cunningham you know is a giant in this
community. Some of the things she has done since she has been
here in the year 2002 she has lead a successful campaign to
ing this College's infrastructure to the state of art level.
She has overseen two
and new buildings, East Campus and West
campus. She has also erect this building, the building that
you're in today, along with the Health and Human Services
building. There is a process in place right
now to build a University
Center, I believe, right across the street. That will give the
students here the opportunity to complete school with a Bachelors
Degree, an Associates Degree and maybe a PhD from this University or
this College. We want to keep our people in Lansing here in this
community. We don't want them leaving going to MSU. Nothing
against MSU; University of Michigan or Central for that matter to
receive a?
Chairperson Laverty - Thank you
Mr. Gill.
James Gill - The NAACP strongly
oppose this Board removing Paula and
inging somebody else in.
Trustee Smith - Mr. Chair, Mr.
Chair, I would request that if an individual has gone past their
time be allowed to finish their statement. Although those in the
room know they have three minutes, but it's obvious with the crowd
in this room that many would like to chime in on this subject and we
would like to give them the opportunity to do so.
Chairperson Laverty - Are there
any other objections from the Board to extend? I think we should
have some kind limit on it.
Trustee Smith - I understand,
but we don't want to have them stop in the middle of their
statement?at least your last line.
Chairperson Laverty - Just keep
in mind you have to limit it to three minutes if possible. Who?s
next please?
Evelyn Green - My name is Evelyn
Green a retired faculty member with 34 years of service in the
Science department. More than 20 years ago I stood before the
Lansing Community College Board of Trustees to present an open
letter to the community on behalf of more than 200 of my fellow
colleagues addressing an issue similar to the one before us today.
On Saturday morning the headline in the Lansing State Journal: LCC
Board Postpones Meeting on Staff Issue; compelled me to come to this
place at this time to once again address the Lansing Community Board
of Trustees. I thought to myself in 20 years we have come full
circle. You know, the more things change, the more they remain the
same. So, here I go again. The LCC Board once again is making the
headlines. Not the many wonderful programs here at LCC. For
example, the High School Completion Program just announced a couple
weeks ago. The many outstanding health careers programs that is so
desperately needed in this community. But instead I read negative
headlines: LCC Board vs. President Cunningham. I am not here to
speak to the merits on the Oracle system. I am here to urge the
Board and the administration in their mutual pursuit of a solution
to the problem that they conduct the public business in an open, a
fair, and a civil environment. An open environment; not
anonymously. I'm happy that my retirement spared me the indignity
of being asked to submit comments anonymously. And those of my
colleagues that are here today you know Evelyn Green never did
anything anonymously at LCC. In this country everyone, I mean
everybody, even the President of LCC has the right to confront their
accuser. A sense of fairness it seems to me would have dictated the
Board, not a committee Chair, release the committee report and not
to the media, but to the administration first. If I read between
the lines, could I reasonably think someone might have a hidden
agenda? I'm going to leave that to each and every one of you to
make that decision. I am confident that working together the Board,
administration, staff, and faculty will find the answers. I know
there are lots of questions about the Oracle, who did this, who did
that, who should have done it? I know that. You will find the
answers and the solutions to the issues that are before us. Thus
you will continue the proud tradition of Lansing Community College.
I worked here for 34 years. I left a little piece of me here. The
community has entrusted you with the responsibility of setting
policy for LCC and most of all the LCC students deserve nothing
less. On a personal note, I would like to say a few words to
President Cunningham. Not as President of LCC, but as my colleague,
as a woman of faith and a friend. Paula, you have made me proud
with the quiet dignified way that you have conducted yourself in
this last couple of months. Your many years of dedicated service to
this community speaks for itself. So you don't need to go on
television and talk about your service to LCC; it speaks for
itself. And when I was thinking about writing this last night, I
came across that beautiful inauguration just a few years ago. And
that service has not gone unnoticed. So, may God continue to richly
bless you. Thank you.
Eva L. Evans - Good morning to
the members of the Board, to President Cunningham. My name is Eva
L. Evans. I am here today to speak as an individual. (Inaudible) I
am Chair of the Board of the Lansing Community College Foundation.
And let?s set that aside for a moment. But I wanted to speak as a
citizen of this community. I cannot imagine what has gone so
egregiously wrong between the administration and the President of
this Board that the President should be subject to the indignities
that she has faced in the last several weeks. I cannot imagine that
the Board of Trustees has lost such confidence in an employee of 34
years. Who has given only her best to this school. I have been in
a position similarly situated to the President and I do know what it
takes to run an institution of this magnitude. The days and the
nights and the family sacrifices to do so. So, Paula keep the
faith. Now my hat as the President of the Lansing Community College
Foundation. I certainly hope that the actions of the Board will
only support our effort to generate dollars for this college. The
students of Lansing, greater Lansing I will say, are more important
than your personal?I was going to use the ?p? word like petty, but I
won?t say that, than your personal agenda. I ask you to please, to
please take yourselves out of the public media. Do the best, not
for your egos, but for the students of greater Lansing and for the
reputation of this marvelous institution within our city. I thank
you.
Takesha Levelle - Hello, my name
is Takesha Levelle. I'm a 2005 graduate of Waverly High School and
this is my 3rd semester here at Lansing Community College
and I am a transfer student. I am planning on transferring to
Spellman University to major in Biomedical Engineering. I just
wanted to say that you have been a great impact in the short time
that I have been here at LCC. I've been involved in the summer
program, the summer science program, the Atlanta University Complex
Transfer Organization this fall. In the summer I plan to go to the
Spellman
idges program. And I know without you none of this would
be possible and I appreciate it. Just knowing that another woman of
color that's up there in the ranks that was successful in life helps
me to know that I can also be successful. So, I just wanted you to
know that you are appreciated by your students. Thank you.
Joelle Lewis - Good morning
everyone my name is Joelle Lewis and I am a member of the 2005
graduation class of J.W. Sexton high school. I'm currently in my
second semester here at Lansing Community College and in the fall of
2006 I plan on majoring in Architecture at Northern State University
in Baltimore, Maryland. And without President Cunningham and the
many supporters of the AUC program I don't think that would be
possible. I probably would have ended up at MSU or U of M or
something here which definitely wouldn?t have been for me at all. I
had the pleasure of meeting President Cunningham during the 2005 Lip
Sync program, which is a fund raiser for the AUC program, which goes
to show that she definitely does reach out and is an active member
or an asset of Lansing Community College and does truly care about
her students and their families and the many possibilities that they
have to reach. I just want to also say that she is truly a role
model and is a full time supporter of everything that she does for
Lansing Community College and you are just important to all of us.
Thank you very much.
Addie Morrow - My name is Addie
Morrow. I've been here 26 years at the College and actually Evelyn
Green, my colleague, has said everything that I wanted to say. We
are always on the same page, so I can't repeat the same thing, but I
ditto that and I have to always be careful when I talk because I say
what comes out of my heart and comes out of my mouth and comes out
of my head is not planned always. And I want to say I know the
Board has the best intent; however, but the behaviors come across
like they are political, cluelessness, absenteeism, greedy, fear or
just apathy. It doesn?t come across like you have the intent of
this college. My only concern are students here at the College and
what students need. I wrote a letter during my sabbatical and I
heard of the move for the President to have her power lessened here
in hiring. And I sent a letter to the Board. And I'm not sure if
you even received my letter or if you got my letter. I sent it to
Mr. Rasmusson. I assume everyone did. It was in support of the
President and it was some criticism about some of the things that
are happening and the concerns that I have. And I talked about the
technology issue. You know President Cunningham or the
administration set aside 2,000 spots for students who were
dissatisfied to come and do early registration. I was on sabbatical
at that time. Probably less than10% of them actually came. It's
because students move on. They move on, but we don't move on. All
they want is their courses, their degrees and their money. Once
they have received that they're okay. They move on. Why we can't
we move on? And I came to a Board meeting and I heard HR get up and
ask for support on getting a mediator for an office that was in
conflict and the Board destroyed that and they tore that down, but
yet it was only for a measly $1500. You need $150,000 to solve this
problem. This a mediation issue. This is a problem that needs a
solution. And I heard comments why can't the people just talk and
the issues will be resolved? Why can't you just talk? Why can't
the administration and the Board talk? Why can't the people who
send these anonymous emails, anonymous messages openly, and I don't
want to call them cowards because they are my colleagues and that
could be me, but why can't we talk openly so we could have resolved
the issues here at the College? I ask you - I just ask you everyone
one of you on the Board to not only examine your intellect but
examine your heart and know that this President has class. This
President walks with the students and cares about the students and
cares about the leaders in this college. She cannot micromanage the
minds of the leaders. She only can support them and know that the
people we have hired will do their very best. Just because people
say that they are doing things and they have talked to their group
and they have gone to the President and shared these issues, it
doesn?t mean it's happened. I'm not saying it hasn?t happened, but
it doesn?t mean that it has happened. You need to examine the
credibility of all the sharing that you get and the people that it
comes from too. But what we know well is that this President has
served this college well. Served students, cared for students and I
ask you today to examine again not just your minds, but examine your
heart and turn this situation around if it's not too late. Because
when I heard Robin Smith in the paper, it was too late. What I
heard from Canady, it's too late. You know, we needed to hear these
things earlier, but I respect you for coming out. And if I didn?t
hear anything we didn?t hear anything from the others, you are worse
than too late. But I ask you to examine your hearts today and
restore what it is that will give honor to this college. Thank you.
Larry Leatherwood - Honorable
Board members, Madame President, I come here this morning in a state
of confusion. I consider myself a relatively intelligent person;
however for the life of me, I don't know why we are here this
morning. As I recall, over the years the number of times that I
have come on this campus and I heard various speeches given at
ground
eakings and so on about the outstanding job our President
has done and here we are today talking about what I don't know. I'm
still trying to figure out what the issues are. And I think it
would be terribly remiss if one we don't let the community know what
the issues are if in fact there are some issues because again
whatever they are I'm sure they can be resolved behind closed
doors. I really think that we have a leader that we would be
terribly lost without having her in the forefront. And I know me
personally and the relationship I've been able to establish over the
years with this college and I did take a couple classes here so I am
somewhat an alumni of the College. But I think what you see here
today in the numbers of people attending are people that are really
concerned about this college and I think you again would be remiss
if you don't attempt?not attempt, if you don't resolve this problem
in a way that is going to be satisfactory to everyone who serves.
Again, don't know what the issues are, don't think they're
insurmountable. I think they can be resolved, but listen to what
you are hearing today from the people speaking to you. I don't have
prepared remarks, I'm coming from the heart as my friend before me
said, but I beg of you and ask of you. You are the leaders of this
college. Provide leadership in getting this problem resolved
immediately and let?s move on as a team to make Lansing Community
College the leader that it is. Thank you.
Stephanie Shanblatt - My name is
Stephanie Shanblatt. I'm an employee of Lansing Community College
and I deeply appreciate the support of all of my colleagues as I
stand here today. We stand united in our commitment to this
institution and to this community. We are professionals who care
deeply about the students that we are here to serve. Our purpose at
this institution is to enable a quality education for our students.
Normal college operations are taking place on a daily basis.
Computer systems are working. Almost 20,000 students are enrolled
for classes for this semester. Thousands of students are receiving
financial aid checks as I speak. Students are attending their
classes both on campus and on line using cutting edge technology and
the staff of this college are justifiably proud of their role in
student success. Respectful discourse is healthy indeed necessary
in an institution of higher learning. Silence and secrecy is
antithetical to the ideals that we strive to impart to our
students. Supercilious statements about the highly professional LCC
staff cannot be made with impunity. What sort of an example are we
setting for our students? You may believe with all your hearts that
you are doing what is best for this institution. I work everyday
with faculty, staff and students across all departments of this
college and I am compelled with a matter of conscience to share with
you that your actions have had the opposite effect. It is becoming
increasingly difficult for the staff to continue to believe in the
good work of this college. Many very talented individuals are
choosing to leave because of this environment. I implore you for
the good of this institution and this community to look deeply
within and act for the greater good. I leave you with a favorite
quote from my mother who attended a community college for job
training after being widowed with three young children. It's from
A
aham Lincoln who with grace, ethics, and morals
ought our
country through its darkest hour. ?If the end
ings me outright,
what is set against me won?t amount to anything. If the end
ings
me out wrong, 10,000 angels swearing I was right would make no
difference?.
Barbara Larson - Good morning my
name is Barbara Larson and I serve as the Vice President for
Administrative Services and Chief Financial Officer at Lansing
Community College. I'm compelled to comment today in support of the
extraordinary work and professionalism displayed by the College's
Purchasing department, work that was, once again, impugned in the
recent release to the media of the Board of Trustees? Ad Hoc
committee report. The College's Purchasing Department, led by Ms.
Rebecca Beard, has been nationally recognized for three years in a
row with the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement award. Ms.
Beard has been recognized for her regional leadership in cultivating
minority and women owned businesses. These achievements have come
at a time of dramatically increased demand on LCC's Purchasing
Department due to construction of four new buildings and extensive
campus renovations. The work of the Purchasing department has
always been carried out in strict accordance with the policies and
bylaws established by this Board of Trustees. This was affirmed in
a letter of apology to Ms. Beard from the Board of Trustees in 2003,
after third party consultants reviewed purchasing procedures
relative to the 2002 Oracle purchase. This history made the
allegations printed in last week?s Lansing State Journal all the
more disheartening. The current review covers much of the same
territory. But if history repeats itself, another costly
investigation will simply confirm what I and so many colleagues here
today already know?that Beckie Beard and the rest of the Purchasing
staff define excellence each and every day, and that their work
exemplifies the highest standards of professionalism and
ethics.Ultimately, these unfortunate allegations cannot tarnish
the excellent reputation earned through their service to the
College.
Chris Holman - I'm Chris Holman
a business man and a community member and I speak from both
perspectives today. I know the people who work here in the
administration and I know the Board members and as a matter of fact
in many cases I know you well. And I know that you are good people
and you're are trying to this through public service and I know
you're trying to do what you feel is best for Lansing Community
College, but in fact you are doing the opposite through your
micromanaging, the failure to communicate with the CEO and the
general disfunctionality that has unfortunately become a tradition
with this Board. I would say that if you were a corporation your
stock would be plummeting. LCC is a major player in this region and
it is a major player because of President Cunningham. She is LCC;
the face and the heart. Her leadership at this college has been
exemplary and her leadership in the community cannot be lost. This
community has vested heavily in Lansing Community College based on
Paula Cunningham far beyond just casting a vote. We will be, if we
rethink this, we will be vesting in this community in LCC from this
community in many ways. And if what comes out of this process is an
LCC without Paula Cunningham, this community will rethink its
vesting in Lansing Community College which would indeed be
unfortunate.
Kelly Rossman-McKinney -
Chairman Laverty, members of the Board and my dear friend President
Paula Cunningham. My name is Kelly Rossman-McKinney. I'm a business
owner here in Lansing, a tax payer, a supporter of Lansing Community
College. I have attended classes here, written checks here, shaken
my booty here literally on behalf of LCC. And I am here to talk to
you as Board members. What you as a Board have done to the
reputation of this college in a very few short weeks and to this
President is absolutely unconscionable. It flies in the face of
everything a leader is supposed to be and do. This is not what you
were elected to do. Clandestine meetings of an Ad hoc group,
thumbing your noses at the open meetings act and the standing policy
of this college. Leaking incomplete and inaccurate reports to the
media without ever, ever seeking the input of the academic
professionals who could have and should have been given the
opportunity to answer your questions and concerns. This is
not?Paula we've got your back baby. This is not what you as a Board
were elected to do. You were elected to be responsible, reasonable,
respectful stewards of Lansing Community College and you have failed
in that mission. You were not elected to micromanage this college
or worse yet strip it of its highly respected, highly competent
leader. You were elected to set policy for Lansing Community
College and you have failed in that mission. You have significantly
damaged the reputation of this college and more importantly your own
reputations. Shame on all of you.
Deborah Dolman - My name is
Deborah Dolman and I'm a long time citizen of this community. I'm a
long time person who has helped raise money for the Lansing
Foundation. I personally co-founded the Cele
ity Lip Sync and I am
sure all of you have been to and have seen the great work that is
going on at this institution certainly since President Cunningham
has been here. And I just want to say that this feels like a
funeral to me. I'm a little uncharacteristically emotional right
now, but I had to get up here and say the way that this Board had
conducted this so-called investigation against President Cunningham
and her staff Barbara Larson, Ruth, Rich, Stephanie. The rest of
her amazing team. I have watched these people work. I have watched
President Cunningham live,
eathe LCC for years, now, for years. I
met her when I first started with the Foundation in 1992 and I know
she loves this institution. She loves these people here and she?s
gone to bat for so many of you inside this institution. Time and
time again when you were right and when you were wrong she would go
in to bat for you because you were her people. And this is just
wrong, I don't like it and I'm not the only one that doesn?t like it
by virtue of all of the people here. And I think that you Board
members ought to be disgusted with yourself and I hope you don't
sleep well.
Stanley Chase - I'm Stanley
Chase and I addressed the Board a couple of weeks ago and I do
understand the role of a Board. One of those roles is to serve at
the will of the people. I would ask you to look over this
representative group that's here today. I would venture to say that
they are all here in support of President Paula Cunningham. Am I
right? And as the Board's primary responsibility to serve at the
will of the people, it has been your desire and your actions that
have
ought us to this point today. And I have a great fear. My
great fear is that within the near future President Paula Cunningham
will no longer be the President of Lansing Community College. It
was your actions that caused this to occur. And I am saying that
it's within the scope of your power and authority that you have
taken from that office to reverse that. Listen to the will of the
people. Refuse to take any letters or any exit agreements and give
us back our leader. We desire to follow her. She has done an
excellent job here and the scales of justice say that if nothing you
could have found in the last three months that out weigh 34 years of
commitment, dedication, loyalty, and service to the community of
Lansing and to the students of Lansing Community College. Paula, we
love you, we are praying for you, and we got your back.
Gina Karasek - I'm Gina Karasek.
I'm an employee at LCC and I will not be as eloquent as Dr.
Shanblatt nor will I be as nice. I have a PhD. I have worked
eleven years in database management, systems analysis and data
analysis and I am one of the IT employees and leaders that was
reportedly has absolutely no highly technical IT skills. Number
one, that is an extreme falsehood and I am very insulted by that.
Very insulted by it. I'm sorry I didn?t prepare this. We have, I
have just lost a large proportion of my colleagues that are in IT
leadership. They are leaving to go to extremely highly skilled IT
jobs that pay a whole lot better than LCC. So, some how you need to
communicate to the outside world that none of us are skilled because
they are just eager to grab them up. The only reason the majority
of us that stayed at lower than market salaries here is because of
the leadership of our CIO, Glenn Cerny and our President Paula
Cunningham because we believe in what we are doing and we believe in
our leadership. I'm just tired, especially of you looking right at
me, with your petty, petty little revenge schemes. Because we all
know that's what it is?
Chairman Laverty - Excuse me how
many more do we have on public comment?
Jack Rotman - I might be the
last one.
Chairman Laverty ?You might be
the last one?
Jack Rotman - No, there are
several more. We?ll be a while. I promise to be
ief. And also I
won?t get a standing ovation for what I say.
Chairman Laverty - Excuse me,
I'm sorry we are going to try to conference in Trustee Canady.
Trustee Canady - I'm getting
ready to step into court though. How long are we going to be
meeting?
Chairman Laverty - I'm not sure
Trustee Canady. we're under public comment currently and then we
will go into closed session.
Trustee Canady - I just want to
say, I wish somebody had coordinated this meeting. I have a court
appointment at 10:30 this morning that is just not moving and no one
has made any effort to try to find out whether or not I was
available. So, I?d just like to voice my objection right now.
Trustee Smith? Every Trustee was
contacted. Every Trustee was contacted.
Trustee Canady - No I was not, I
was not contacted.
Chairman Laverty - Let?s move
forward with public comment.
Jack Rotman - I'm Jack Rotman.
I teach Math here and from my stand point. Well let me back up a
bit. I'm not here in support or opposition to President Cunningham
or of the Board of Trustees. From where I sit in a classroom it
doesn?t especially matter who sits at the table in front of this
room. It matters to me how we are treated. Whether we are working
with the truth or some (inaudible) version of the truth. What
bothers me is when people believe that we don't have major problems
here and will not do something about the problem. Removing people
or whatever the Board might want to do, I'm not going to worry
about. I'm worried about what happens with the systems, with the
people, with what we do in our work together. If all you do is
think about who should be here and who should not be here think
again, that is not the problem. The problem is the decisions that
are made everyday and the people that make them. that's what you
need to think about. And the President has a responsibility for
some of that and the Board has the responsibility for some of that.
I'm not here to tell them what the right choices are; I don't know
enough. In some ways I wish we could say no more public comment
including mine. Because I don't think we are helping a whole lot. I
did want to stand up because people said that everybody here is in
support of the President. I'm not. I'm not; I'm not against her
either. I think she?s a friend of mine and no matter what happens I
hope we can always talk. It doesn?t matter to me who sits in that
chair. If Paula is the best person for it, fine; if not, fine.
Same thing is true for where I sit. I just hope that you make the
right decision and look at what the real problems are and not what
just looks like the problem. Thank you.
Heather Kesselring - Hi, I'm
Heather Kesselring. I'm the Employee Wellness Coordinator here and
I have a little bit of a different message that I want to share. I
don't pretend to understand the Board's job. I don't even want to
dream to tell you how to do your job. I don't pretend to know how
to do Paula?s job. God help me I should never have a job like that;
that scares the heck out of me. My message here today is what I do
know about is employees? wellness. And what I do know is that Paula
has been a huge supporter of employee wellness and cares very much
how everybody is doing here. And I do know from being with all of
you that everyone is extremely stressed right now and that stress
does not lend to productivity. It doesn?t lend to the best job that
we can do here, so just wanted to share that thank you.
Deborah Ragland - My name is
Deborah Ragland and I am an employee of Lansing Community College.
My comments will be
ief, but very sincere. President Paula Diane
Cunningham has been committed to this institution for an eternity.
Her commitment to students, her commitment to her administration,
commitment to this community has been stellar. Her evaluation as
President has been stellar over the years. She is totally dedicated
to what this institution?s vision is about. She is about students,
she is about people, about business, about constructive work, and
about supporting everyone at this institution. ELT, Board, everyone
at this institution. I applaud what you have done over the years.
I've seen over the years accomplished under your leadership. It's
just unmatched. It would be a sad day were you not here. As a
friend, as a colleague, I support you always and I hope this
community sees it the same way and I hope the Board sees it the same
way. Thank you for your time.
Hassan Jafri - Hello everybody,
my name is Hassan Jafri and I am representing the students here at
Lansing Community College. First of all I would like to ask a
question, is this the United States of America? I thought only in
Pakistan might be rules where if you're rich you can steal someone?s
goats, sheep, or camels, horses. Oh I see the flag down there; it's
the United States of America. Then I look at Board members? actions
and see here that it happens here too, you can do what ever you want
to do. I'm talking especially about what the Board has done. The
Board has not dealt with the rules and the guidelines they are
supposed to. They are supposed to be working for the betterment of
the College and they have not done that. This is how professional
it is that they do their investigation and then they're not even
sure of the report and the report gets published in the newspaper
right before the College finds out about it. Maybe next time I
should think about running for the Board of Trustees. I'm also
talking about the Oracle report. A huge fuss had been made that
Oracle?about the technology here. Let me ask you a question. What
do you know about Oracle? What is Oracle Power? What is Oracle
Discover? What is (inaudible)? You don't know anything about it.
In the report all the points of the report we have (inaudible) for
that. There was a point made that the Board didn?t approve it. It
was approved; there is a date. President Cunningham gave the date
that it was approved by the Board of Trustees. Also, also it says
as Gina Karasek mentioned earlier, that the staff is not qualified.
What are you talking about? Excuse me? You see Gina Karasek has
ten years experience and other employees have also got an education
from LCC and are working in IT. You are trying to say that people
who got an education from LCC and are working for ISCD department
are not as qualified or the education at LCC is not competent? ?Duh.
You?re Trustees of LCC then. Other point is it's not Oracle,
Oracle is all?it's one of the best leading companies in the nation.
Not in the nation, all over the world. Yes, we did have problems;
we admit that we know about the problem. Now everything is all
fixed, it's all set now. Let me see, Oracle is just being used as a
scapegoat. that's it. There have been other motives behind, well,
let me finish (inaudible). There have been other motives behind and
that is to remove President Cunningham. Now I don't want to
elaborate more as you have already heard how great she is.
President Cunningham we support you, all of the students are behind
you. And the last point I want to make is that each and every
position in this college is because of the students. Whether it's
President or the Board of Trustees whether it's teacher whatever
position it's because of the students and we love you, President
Cunningham. If President Cunningham is not around, then maybe some
of the other positions will also not be around, like Trustees or
something. We?ll take action. We are right behind you President
Cunningham. We love you; we support you and all the best from our
side.
Marylou Olivarez Mason -
Honorable Board members, Madame President. My name is Marylou
Olivarez Mason and I'm here as a citizen, as a parent, as a
grandparent, and as a former Trustee. I can remember that when I
was appointed to this Board of Trustees there were a lot of problems
among the Board members. I came at a time when the Board was not
getting along. And that they were trying to get Board members that
were willing to work together and to unite and to continue to work
with the President as they should have been working. I remember
that some of the individuals that are sitting as Trustees stated
that some of the problems that were happening they were running
because they didn?t want to see the same thing being repeated. And
I am here today to say that I am very, very sad to see that some of
the problems and even bigger problems than we had before are being
repeated and I am hoping that you will stop and think about some of
those things that we had talked about as Trustees. The support and
the unity that we are supposed to
ing as Trustees. The example
that we are setting for the students and for the employees. There
have been many students that have been here at Lansing Community
College in the Hispanic community there are a lot of students that
we have saved because of the community college. Because of the
programs that have been established here. Because of the trust that
they have in the President and some of the Board members. It would
be a very sad day to see that?and it has been a very sad to see that
the Trustees were not working with the President. To me it really
eaks my heart to see that because I was hoping that this Board of
Trustees was going to move forward and that we were going to
continue to build this community college like President Cunningham
has built it. She has been a real role model for all of us and we
love her dearly and we would like to see her continue to build the
programs that we should be building and to build this community and
to move forward. Keep the faith Paula, we love you.
Rachelle Neal - Good Morning my
name is Rachelle Neal and I own a market research firm here in the
Lansing area and I just wanted to share with you and not only to
echo all the positive comments that we've heard about Doctor
Cunningham?s leadership, but I wanted to share with you a study that
my company was commissioned and I wanted to share with you some of
the findings from this study. We conducted 385 interviews with the
general public from Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton county residents. We
had a mix of demographics including age and gender and as well as
education. Some of the questions that we asked on the survey, which
I feel are extremely important to make everybody aware of. We asked
questions about the public?s awareness of the computer software
problems and only 40% of the people that we interviewed were even
aware that there was a problem. And more?the majority of the people
that were aware of the problem believe that the College had been
effective, very effective at dealing with those issues. This
is?these are the public?s perspective. It's not just a few people,
it's not people that have vested in it. This is the public?s
perspective. I just also want to share with you some of the
wonderful comments that people said about the quality of education.
The overwhelming majority of people rated Lansing Community College
at least a 4 or higher on a 5 point scale with 5 being excellent. I
mean the College is doing a wonderful job and I just want to say
that I see so many friends from Rotary and people who have served on
the United Way Board under Paula?s leadership and that you really
exemplify the four-way test service above self and thank you for the
job that you do.
Sharon Banks - To our Board
President and to Board members and definitely to community and
staff. I'm Sharon Banks. I'm here as a friend to Paula. Many of
you are here for a number of reasons, but and I am going to try to
keep this together. It is so easy to Monday morning quarter back
when you have thousands of children on your back. Thousands of
parents on your back and when I say on your back, not on your back
in a negative sense on your back as a responsibility that you take
on as a passion. Not because you have to, not because you need to,
but because you want to. You have a family at home that misses
you. You have grandparents, you're a grandparent and you don't get
to see your grandchild. You have friends that don't understand your
mission. And you have people day in and day out who ask you why.
Personally and I love the media but my husband and I have this thing
about Mariah Carey who my one year-old grandson loves her one song.
We can put it on and he just stops crying. And it's called Shake It
Off. So, there are mornings that I get up everyday that my husband
says this is a Mariah Carey day. And it is hard to live that way.
The way that you have to get up to shake it off and walk in and out
of places for children and smile say, all is well, you are in good
hands because I care that you are an avid reader, an avid carer, and
I just hope that people understand that this is a mother, a wife, a
grandmother and a friend. And when we talk about folk, we are
people too. We have people who love us, who care about us and get
perturbed when people mistreat us because they see the hours away
from them, the hours that we care about other people. And a lot of
people think the money is great, you just aggregate it over your day
and your week and your month or when your not able to take a
Christmas vacation or you're called back because of a serious vote
or a serious this or that. Just keep those things in mind. When we
talk about people, regardless who it is because all of us have
chosen to do something for somebody else. To whom much is acquired
wait?much is given much is required. You have stood the test
sister. You have given so much, so much, so much. Stand tall. I
am proud of you as a woman. This school is a magnificent place. I
am blessed because the Board and this President have partnered with
us and given children opportunities that they never would have
gotten. Just to be able to be here as a 6th grader, 7th
grader and 8th grader in the summer and to know that hope
is alive and that the H.O.P.E scholarships will live long beyond a
Paula Cunningham, a Board, a community and me. But those children
know that hope was kept alive because of caring folk. I'm proud to
have been here in Lansing with a caring President, caring community
leaders, caring school officials, caring teachers because as I was
just told by a speaker that we
ought in from San Diego that we
ought in to talk about the Hispanic achievement gap, watch out as
I often say, someone may chose you today don't let them catch you
with your work undone. So, I told my teachers and my administrators
and mostly myself, look yourself in the mirror and be the best that
you can be each and every day because some child may want to be like
one of us. It is significant that we are at our best. And as Dr.
Rudy Castareta told my teachers this morning we must watch ourselves
because when we have bad thoughts, our thoughts become our actions.
When we have bad actions, our actions become our persona our
character. And when our character diminishes that becomes our
destiny. That is not where we want children to go because
regardless of what we are doing and what we are working on we're
about children when we're an educational institution. I'm about
kids, I live that. And I'm sure somebody is going to bless me one
day, but I often wonder did my children understand the hours that I
took from them for others. And my husband says that he understands,
but in his eyes I question it. And I don't know if I can tell my
grandson will you understand that I give so much to others and all
of you in the audience feel the same way and I know that woman
does. So, I'm not here representing anything, but a friendship of a
person that goes way beyond the call of duty and the caring
definitely extends to children beyond this environment. It's the
community. In closing, I remember going to President Lou Anna
Simon?s first big cocktail party dinner and everybody was excited
about going and did you get an invitation who's going and we walked
in, my husband and I. It was on a Friday night you know you have to
go to a game after that and I needed to make a presentation; be
there. And we walked in and there was President Cunningham. I
said, where is Pete? She said, I needed my students to be able to
be in the President's house to be able to go back and tell other
students that he was at the President's house. And that is the way
she has lived. She has walked the talk everyday. I'm proud of
you. Thank you.
Will Coultas - My name is Will
Coultas. I was a Trustee here for a while when the job was not
nearly as difficult as it is today. The reason being we had a set
of governance that didn?t allow us to meddle into everything other
than to oversee it and make sure everything is going the right way.
I enjoyed that period of time. I'm sorry that we decided to make
our jobs so much harder than they used to be and I am sure that
everyone on the Board feels that they are going to make the proper
decision based on the information available. I really came today to
get some information because I hate to see this stuff play out in
the paper with no real substance. To have innuendos and hearsay. I
really don't care for it, it's an embarrassment to the school;
again, a school that I love. A school that has a population of
people that care for it and love it as well. we're a resilient
group, and we will continue to be resilient no matter how this comes
out. Good luck.
Willie Davis - I made it just in
time. I had to teach a class, but I made it. Dr. Willie Davis, I am
an employee here at LCC. It's appropriate that this is occurring, I
think, on the eve of Black History Month and I also evoke the name
of Malcom X El-Hajj
Malik El-Shabazz who died during this month of Fe
uary as one of
our shining black Princes and so I don't know if you may call this I
think perhaps a public assassination, but in support of President
Cunningham my comment is over the past several years there has been
an assault on black women leaders, which go beyond the normal
stressors faced by white male leaders and these usually border on
the unethical. Dr. Ruby Helton, Dr. Freya Rivers, Dr. Rhodes Reed,
Ms. Yvonne Christopher, Ms. Geneva Smith, Judge Nettles Nickerson
and now President Cunningham have been and are victims of these
underhanded methods. Malicious campaigns have been waged against
these individuals similar to the government sponsored campaigns
against Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Ms. Fanny Lou Hamer
and other blacks who had become leaders. These practices need to
stop now and in President Cunningham?s situation,
ing an end to
the ?good old boy network? which has existed in the 25 years that I
have been employed as an adjunct professor at Lansing Community
College. Thank you.
CLOSED SESSION
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Pelleran
and supported by Trustee Rasmusson that the Board go into closed
session pursuant to Michigan Compiled Law, 15-267, to consider
material related to a settlement of potential litigation that is
exempt from disclosure under the Michigan Freedom of Information
Act, including the exemptions for documents that are protected by
the attorney-client privilege and written communications within the
LCC's Board which are preliminary to a final Board determination
because the public interest in nondisclosure is paramount.
Trustee Smith asked that the
record reflect that Paula Cunningham is a giant in our community and
her service does speak for itself. She will continue to be a
champion in this community. This Board's charge is to deal with a
matter in closed session and when they return, there will be an
opportunity for public comment once again.
Trustee Rasmusson stated that
for him this has never been about President Cunningham. He?s
supported everything she?s wanted the last six years. He?s looked
at this as fixing some glitches that experts told the Board were
there.
Roll call vote:
Ayes:
annan, Laverty, Pelleran, Proctor, Rasmusson, Smith
Nays: None
Absent: Canady
Motion carried.
The Board entered into closed
session at 11:10 a.m.
The Board returned to open
session at 12:05 p.m.
ACTION ON ITEMS DISCUSSED IN
CLOSED SESSION
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee
Rasmusson and supported by Trustee
annan to approve the Separation
Agreement and Mutual Complete Release; to authorize the Chair to
sign it on behalf of the Board of Trustees; to accept Paula D.
Cunningham?s resignation effective Fe
uary 1, 2007; to accept her
vacating the office of President of Lansing Community College
effective immediately; and to approve her leave of absence.
Trustee Pelleran asked how long
is President Cunningham?s leave of absence approved to.
Chairperson Laverty responded
the leave absence is approved through Fe
uary 1, 2007.
Trustee Canady stated that it is
unfortunate that we are going to lose a tremendous asset to the
College and the community. He offered an amendment to the motion to
name the Administration Building after Paula D. Cunningham as a
fitting tribute to her faithful years of service to the College and
the community.
There was no support for Trustee
Canady?s amendment.
Trustee Smith stated that even
though this is an agreement President Cunningham has entered into,
it greatly disturbed her that the College will lose its president.
She felt that the community was served greatly by President
Cunningham and as she mentioned earlier, Trustee Smith considers
President Cunningham a giant. You cannot be a giant without having
had victory over great opposition. President Cunningham has done so
in this community and she has served this community well. At the
end of the day the only thing you have is your name and it is
important that Paula Cunningham?s name remain intact in the
honorable way that she has served this community. However, she has
entered into an agreement for which she seeks to sever her
employment with the College and it is a great loss to this
community. Trustee Smith felt that in haste the Board should not in
any way try to give tribute or do it in the heat of the moment. The
Board has the responsibility to govern itself with Policy
Governance. She asked that the Board work together with the
administration and review the policies with fresh eyes to ensure
that they are evoking Policy Governance with the support of the
faculty and administration. The students should be first in
everything that the Board seeks to move forward.
Trustee Canady felt that there
is nothing hasty about giving tribute to Paula Cunningham. He
expressed disappointment that there was no support for his
amendment.
Trustee Smith responded that she
will not support giving tribute hastily. Rather the Board should
give tribute with dignity as Paula Cunningham did serving the
community.
Trustee Canady responded that
there is nothing hasty about giving tribute to someone on the day
they leave. He explained that when someone resigns or retires, they
are given tribute and that is what's done when things are done the
right way.
Trustee Pelleran thanked Paula
Cunningham for her many years of service to Lansing Community
College.
Roll call vote:
Ayes:
annan, Laverty, Pelleran, Proctor, Rasmusson
Nays: Canady, Smith
Absent: None
Motion carried.
President Cunningham made the
following statement:
There are few words that adequately describe my
emotions right now. I have had both a professional and emotional
relationship with this great institution for more than 25 years. I
have learned from each of you what it means to work hard, to strive
to do the very best and always stay focused on serving the learning
needs of this community. I am very proud, very proud of what the
faculty and staff have accomplished during my presidency and I know
that our collective accomplishments will continue to speak on our
behalf. Our work will continue to be a reflection of our love and
our commitment to those that we serve. My departure will only
further prove that which we already know, that success is never
dependent upon just one individual and it is for that reason that I
leave. I care too much about you and the success of this
institution to stay. It is my hope that through my departure, the
renewal process can begin. Although we have accomplished much,
there is still much work to be done. The commitment and service
that the 3,000 employees of LCC perform every day continues to
humble me. I will be forever grateful and honored to have had the
pleasure to serve you. Thank you for your support, personally and
professionally, during my presidency. In the words of fellow
educator Mary McLeod Bethune, ?I leave you love. I leave you hope.
I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another.
I leave you respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. I
leave you racial dignity.? Thank you.
Chairperson Laverty stated that
a process will begin as soon as possible for selecting an interim
president within the community. A national search will be conducted
for a new president. Today the Lansing Community College Board of
Trustees voted to approve a separation agreement in which Paula
Cunningham voluntarily agreed to vacate the Office of President
immediately. The Board's action today should not overshadow the
years of dedicated service that Paula Cunningham has contributed to
this college. Paula Cunningham can be proud of the numerous
accomplishments during her tenure as president. The Lansing region
thanks her for her hard work and success.
Trustee Smith stated that with
grace and dignity President Cunningham has gone through this
process. The words that she left with us is that a great
institution such as this does not rise and fall because of its
leader. The employees have created an environment and the Board
wants to continue an environment of success. She thanked everyone
for their service here and thanked President Cunningham for the
service that she?s given to the College and to the community.
Trustee Pelleran stated that
it's important to note that there was a mutual agreement between the
President and the Board. The agreement has a non-disparagement
clause and all representatives of Lansing Community College are
hereby put on notice not to make any disparaging comments about
Paula Cunningham. Questions may be directed to the employee?s
supervisor or Chairperson Laverty. Trustee Pelleran stated that the
Board wishes to honor President Cunningham?s right to privacy. The
Board's desire is to move forward as an institution.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Annette Parker - I wanted to say
this to Paula and I really should have said it before; I'm just
going to tell you guys. I started here as a student. My name is
Annette Parker, I'm an LCC employee. I started here, I don't want
to say how long ago as a student, and then as a student aid, and
then as a part-time lab tech, and then as part-time faculty, then
as full-time faculty and over the last four years as an
administrator. And four years ago almost to date I was at AQIP with
Paula when I had found out that I had won or had gotten an
administrative job. And many of you that know me know that I have
some competitive blood in my system and when I was applying for the
job I was very competitive about it. And when I got it, I went into
mourning. And I want to say a lot like a mourning today. You know
it's like you have a funeral and that's what it feels like and I
heard that through this crowd. And then there's a time that you
bond with your family and then there's another time that you cry
again. And that is sad; this is a sad day for this college. What I
said to Paula is that I was mourning about the job. She wanted to
know what I thought. I said, I don't know, I mean I hadn?t spent a
day in administration yet. I was going to start my job within two
weeks and I told her, I said, you know I'm in mourning because I
chose this profession because I love it. Many of you heard my story
about star fish and throwing them back into the ocean and that's
what I feel my students are. And even as an administrator I still
think that I'm a teacher and I will always be a teacher at heart and
Paula told me to give it a year. It's been four. And there's
things that I love about my job. There?s the things that I know I'm
improving - the classrooms that I serve, the faculty that I serve,
then I feel like that teacher and it feels good. And then there's
some ugly stuff about administration; it can be so ugly. And this -
a day like today is not what I signed up for. I just I want you
guys to know that.
Mary Kate Murphy - My name is
Mary Kate Murphy and I'm a part-time faculty member here at LCC.
And at one time I was embarrassed to say I was a member of the Board
of Trustees at this college. I was actually embarrassed one other
time a few years ago by the behavior of the Board of Trustees.
Speaking as an instructor at that time that group failed Group
Dynamics 101. Unfortunately today?s Board in my opinion has failed
Trusteeship 101, General Management 101, and how to Form Committee
Work 101. And those are probably the nicest things I have to say
about what has been going on. I don't live in this area any more,
which is why I left the Board of Trustees. I moved out of Ingham
County and moved to Livingston County; therefore, needed to resign
from the Board, so I was not able to fulfill the entire six years of
my term. But I haven?t known exactly what has been going on until
recently I started following the chronology of events in the Lansing
State Journal. And reading over the chronology last night one of
the words that kind of popped out as a metaphor to me that seemed
very appropriate was the word or the phrase ?witch hunt?. Then I
thought about what I was experiencing as I read the chronology in
the paper and the word that popped in my mind was ?public
lynching.? And I know that there is a reluctant to use the ?r? word
in terms of what's been happening here, but my dad, a good Irish
Catholic, always told me that if it looks like a duck, if it walks
like a duck, if it sounds like a duck, it probably is a duck. And
so when I look at what has been going on here and I look at the
composition of the committee, the Ad hoc committee appointed by the
white Chairman of the committee. And I look at the composition the
other members of that committee all of them Caucasian and I look at
the Board and the Board has three African-American members. I don't
know what the rationale was. I don't know the reason for the
composition; I only know what it looks like. So, I think about this
metaphor, this metaphor about a public lynching and the metaphor
about a witch hunt and it just feels like it's very appropriate.
Those of us who are Caucasian I think have learned some very
sophisticated ways to manifest our sense of superiority and to let
other people know what their place is and again I have to say if it
looks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, if it sounds like a
duck. I look at the facts of the committee composition. I look at
the facts in terms of how the President's authority was taken away
from her at some point this fall. This is all in the Lansing State
Journal. I'm using the media as my source as the Board did use the
media as their source to share information. The committee tactics
of having closed secret meetings. Not allowing the President to
attend meetings. Inviting people with an axe to grind to kind of
grind their axe in front?of course people are going to come with an
axe to grind. They're not going to share their positive thoughts
about what's going on at the College because they don't need to
share those. I'm in classrooms with students. I know how positive
they felt about their experience at the Lansing Community College.
I know they appreciated what was going on with technology that was
being improved continuously. I just left Howell. that's why I was
late. I taught a class in Howell this morning at the Livingston
Center. I know that there are wonderful things happening in terms
of distance education. Who?s responsible for these changes and
improvements? Paula Cunningham. The President of this institution
provided the leadership for these changes. I'm appalled at the way
that this individual has been maligned primarily by this Board in
terms of the release of information ahead of giving the
administration a chance to review it. If I lived in Ingham County,
I would be proceeding at
eak-neck speed to do what I could to
remove those members and to begin the process. I can only say that
I wish Paula, who is one of the finest leaders I've ever known, has
more integrity that any of the rest of us in this room combined.
All of the best of luck. She is not only been an excellent
president, she spent many years as an excellent educator and
excellent administrator at this college before she became President
and I'm very, very saddened and sorry at what took place today and
the days prior to today. Thank you.
Hassan Jafri - Are you happy
now? Trustee
annan, Trustee Pelleran, Mr. Rasmusson, and can you
hear me Trustee Proctor?
Trustee Proctor - Yes.
Hassan Jafri - Okay, are you
happy sir?
Chairman Laverty - I don't think
anybody is happy here. Continue with your public comment.
Hassan Jafri - This is my
comment. You have just taken away our great leader from us today.
And I can definitely say that she was way better than what you guys
have done. What do you want to do now?
ing your own power now?
Maybe Tim
annan wants to be the CIO now. Is this what the story
was, you wanted to be the CIO, but Glenn Cerny got it? Paula
hasn?t done anything wrong at all. You all know that; we all know
that. This is ridiculous what the Board has done. And we're going
to come back; students are going to take action. And we?ll try to
do whatever we can to get together and seriously?Thanks for making
it LCC, which is, Last Chance College. Thanks for making it the
worst college in the nation.
Colleen Reid - My name is
Colleen Reid and I just wanted to say that as an LCC instructor for
over 12 years I am embarrassed by the Board's shameful mismanagement
of our school?s most precious resources, our talented and
exceptional leadership, and our community reputation. The Board has
clearly squandered resources and undermined efforts to
ing LCC
into a new era. I have spent over 12 years promoting and supporting
LCC in our community and in one week our Board leadership
(inaudible) our leadership has recklessly torn down what I and so
many have worked to build. Injuring my morale and the good will of
our college. Somebody has indeed dropped the ball here, but I don't
think it's our President. Any of the Board's complaints pail in
comparison to the cost this college will incur for the bungled
manner that the Board has used to address its concerns. Real
leaders don't just blame, they don't search for error, they don't
uninspired; that's not the mark of real leadership on a board. Real
leaders on a board seek to inspire and encourage and call forth the
best in the resources that they have to work with. They're problem
solvers and solution finders. They should find ways to ensure the
staff and the President thrive professionally and personally and in
so doing inspire the organization to thrive. Where?s the Board's
vision? Where?s the Board's effective communication with their own
team players? How has the Board sought to mitigate potential damage
in the face of problems that will invariably rise from time to time
in any organization? Has the Board provided tools needed by
leadership? The events that have transpired suggest that the
Trustees don't really understand their role. I'm deeply saddened to
have lost what I think is one of the finest leaders in our
community. This school has flourished despite any setbacks that we
have had under her leadership. Since her leadership we have
embarked on the first ever
Capital Campaign in our community to raise needed funds and not rely
entirely on the tax payers for funding. We have three new state of
the art buildings, two new campuses, new programs, forged new
community business liaisons. She has harnessed previously untapped
resources in this community for this school. Have we forgotten all
that that's been done? I previously requested that you take
immediate action to try to work with the leadership that you have,
but I guess that's too late. Thank you.
Evelyn Green - Evelyn Green, a
retiree of Lansing Community College. This is a sad day for me, but
I had to come back to this microphone. I think I make one request
to this Board. This community deserves to know why Paula Cunningham
was let go. We've heard innuendo, early releases to the press,
whispers in the community. I want to know as a tax payer of Lansing
Community College. And I know that maybe at this point you can't
release it, you're not prepared, but the community needs to know why
Paula Cunningham was let go. I know it didn?t just have to do with
Oracle. There are institutions - I read The Chronicle of Higher
Education - there are institutions all over this country that have
technology problems. Institutions, government, businesses have
technology problems. There is more to it than simply Oracle. We
need to know from this Board why Paula Cunningham was let go. And I
think that if you do, if you are not able to provide that to this
community, you ought to seriously consider resigning.
Murray Hansen - My name is
Murray Hansen and I have not ever taken a class at Lansing Community
College, I have not ever worked here, but I am extremely proud of
this community college. I've seen young person, old person, so many
people get so much here and it has always been a huge source of
pride for me. Today I feel a real sense of shame and hopelessness.
You can say we ought to have hope and we need to move on and all
this stuff. I wish Paula Cunningham well. She deserves it. She
deserves not having to work with this Board (inaudible).
And I'm sad to say in the last election I sort of saw it
coming. I believe that those of you that were elected ran with this
in mind. And I am sad that I didn?t speak up more. I too am ready
jump on recall bandwagon (inaudible).
Larry Meyer - Good afternoon.
My name is Larry Meyer, formerly on the Lansing City Council. I now
live in Bath. Haslett School District. I think what has happened
here is a destruction of a reputation. You can't make it any less
than that. I realize you followed a script and I realize that your
PR people will tell you what you should say and shouldn?t say but so
that you can stay on that and the message comes out. But reputations
are destroyed. There?s a reputation in the wider community. I
remember on council 8-0 to close the street; we worked together.
All of that is done because of trust. A large sense of holistic
communication. that's communication back and forth and work
together. We understand in management that nothing works unless
there is absolute full and complete communication. That seems to
have been lacking having some political (inaudible) I understand
fighting it out in the press and release of different documents that
come at different times. It's not only reckless, it's sinister.
And that is a measure of character that's dangerous. That measure
of character will go on as a part of the reputation. You will have
an enormous task to rebuild. Bill Milliken said any one can tear
down a barn; it's harder to build one. And you have a tough time.
Adrian Bass - My name is Adrian
Bass and I am an employee at Lansing Community College. And I am
very sad today and I'm also angry, and I think that, I hope that the
sadness and the anger that we all have today mellows as opposed to
getting worse because if our anger at what's happened gets worse
then we will be defeating what Paula has agreed to today. I don't
support it, but she has agreed to it. And I believe that Paula
agreed to it for only one reason and that is to benefit Lansing
Community College not to tear it down more than it is. And so I ask
the Board, I ask the rest of the staff here to look at what Paula
has sacrificed and make her sacrifice, whatever it is, for the good
as opposed to more damage. So we need to greave, we need to be sad,
we need to be angry but if we take from that anger and that sadness
and go forward with that instead of making it better, then we are
not benefiting the College and we are just as bad as anything that
has been done here. Thank you.
Robert McKinnon - I can't
believe that I'm doing this. This just is not my style for me to
come up and say what I am going to say. My name is Robert McKinnon.
I live in Lansing and I have been retired as a State employee a
very long time. I have had a long relationship with Lansing
Community College. And the reason I'm getting up is not because of
Paula or any other Board members, but because of Ms. Smith over
there. She is new to this. And I was interested in the Board
members so I decided I wanted to get to know her. And I see a young
lady who wants to do the best she can at what she can do. And she,
as all of us should have, admired and respected Paula Cunningham for
the many, many, many fine qualities that she has in leadership, in
philosophy. And I could stand here and talk about her positives for
a very long time and I heard you talk about them. And Ms. Smith
over there and I'm assuming and I screw up things and people beat me
up for being a jackass, but that's alright. I'm going to say what
I'm going to say because I feel it. I was sitting over there
saying, I see what she?s going through. She says that Paula was an
icon in many ways and I agree. But did you notice in the final
analysis this woman who admires her and is new to this game voted
with the majority? No she didn?t? Well, she could have. But she
did this. She gave us the best that she could. And I admire her
for it. And whatever she did it was not easy. She?s been pulled
this way and that way and the others they?ve been pulled before. I
regard her as a young woman who has not been through this
necessarily before. And her effort to struggle through this is what
every other Board Member has gone through. And the thing that
bothers me the most was that someone said they want to know the why
the Board acted as it did. And yet I notice and if you don't, I'm
telling you, that there have been many forces at work saying don't
tell them why you're doing this. If you do it your wrong and there
are things?you don't want to ruin her reputation. Well, a board gets
caught in that. One group says tell us why and what you feel the
negatives are. And another one is over here saying don't tell the
negative because it will hurt her reputation. That Board had to
deal with that. And if you notice the Board hasn?t thrown any bad
things at her or said too many bad things. What they really said is
that here is a, a refined lady who has been a lot of pluses in this
community and is appreciated, but based upon their responsibility
for the oversight of this institution. Given all of the pluses but
what the Board members they, have experience with, they, the
majority of them made that decision. This is not rightly done I'm
sure by those people. But I don't here anybody saying anything bad
about her today. What can they say? But the majority voted against
her. And can?will the reasons come out? Or will you have to not
say why because people don't want her name?that's a trap that they
are in. If they say we did it for these reasons, have they
oken
any kind of agreement and if they don't they will lose a lot of
respect by a lot of people. I wanted to say what I had to say and
I'll let all the people in town beat up on me because Bobby should
have kept his mouth shut. Thank you.
Alex Kerbawy - You?ll have to
forgive me I don't exactly know about administrative issues. I'm
just a student, but I do know about student issues and do know about
what I do. My name is Alex Kerbawy. I'm speaking this morning on
behalf of the students of the of the unraveling Media Arts
department. More specifically the 12 of us that were directly
affected by the cancellation of ARTS 253, commonly known as Graphic
Design III. As respect to the graphic design students we chose to
attend Lansing Community College because of the positive reviews on
the nationally recognized art program. Our goal was to graduate
with Associate Degrees and either continue our education at other
institutions or apply for jobs as graphic designers once we received
those degrees. On January 12th less than 48 hours before
the spring semester registration was to conclude a committee
decision was made to cancel Graphic Design III. Those of us
interested in taking this course were placed an uncertain
arrangement that is likely to result in the loss of scholarship,
grants, and insurances among other things. It also must be
mentioned in the cancellation of ARTS 253 has undoubtedly denied
many students the opportunity to graduate on schedule. A schedule
recommended and established by the College for the students to
follow. It is unfair to come this far in any curriculum and be told
by you, the College, that a timely graduation is impossible. It is
not only Graphic Design III students that have been affected by your
decisions. Cancellations of Graphic Design I and II as well as 25
other arts department classes have already and will continue to
disrupt the academic scheduling of numerous aspiring graphic
designers in many semesters to come. Specifically if no students
are to participate in Graphic Design I or II this semester, it can
be adherently assumed that Graphic Design III will not be offered
for at least two more semesters. What are we to do until that
time? You on the Board of this institution are the only ones that
have even given us the opportunity to be heard. On Friday, January
20th just under two weeks ago, a printed statement
similar to the one I present you with today along with printed
statements from 11 other students were hand delivered to the desk of
BMIT Department Dean Judith Berry, MIT Chair John Lightner, and as
well as to you the Board. To this day, not one response has been
made to us in an effort to remedy this situation. The College's
slogan clearly states that Lansing Community College is where
success begins. The motto is students come first. If this is in
fact true, then surely you can take the time to consider that we are
in fact students. Has your motto changed? The canceling of core
courses in any major does not reflect an attitude of putting
students first. Lansing Community College has provided us with the
incentives to pursue careers that we as the students have grown to
esteem. And as the students we respect the College and its
decision. However, we would appreciate respect and opportunity in
return. Thank you for your time.
ADJOURNMENT
IT WAS MOVED by Trustee Pelleran
and supported by Trustee Smith for the meeting to adjourn.
Ayes:
annan, Canady, Laverty,
Pelleran, Proctor, Smith, Rasmusson
Nays: None
Absent: None
Motion carried.
The meeting adjourned at 12:46
p.m.
