Cuts to Los Angeles City College student paper prompt accusations

Los Angeles City College’s venerable student paper had its budget slashed by 40%, and the publication’s adviser says it’s because journalists fought the institution’s president over press freedom.

Rhonda Guess, adviser to the Los Angeles City College Collegian, told the Board of Trustees at its regular meeting Wednesday that President Jamillah Moore retaliated against students for filing a formal complaint, saying she “bullied” them at a college meeting. The students said Moore demanded they identify themselves and seek permission to record the proceedings.
 
Ken Sherwood, president of City College’s academic senate, vehemently denied that Moore bullied anyone. The president, he said, was actually trying to save the paper from the fate of Cal State Dominguez Hills’ publication, which folded in the face of crushing budget cuts.

“It’s the only way to preserve the newspaper from being cut completely,” Sherwood told trustees.

Guess, assistant professor of journalism, said she does not know how she can keep the Collegian, in continuous publication since 1929, coming out on its regular biweekly schedule on the reduced budget. The paper and one of its reporters, Mars Melnicoff, are up for three honors, including sports story of the year, at a national college press awards ceremony in Texas next month.

“It would be the same as cutting chemicals from the chemistry budget,” Guess said. “The paper provides a window into the college, not just for the 30 students who help produce it but for all the students and the community.”

-- Gale Holland

Comments

[Alexis]

Jamillah Moore was "installed" as President of Los Angeles City College because she does (or did) the bidding of Chancellor Mark Drummond. She has followed him from one post to the next.
It is an open "secret" that Dr. Moore is now involved with Ken Sherwood, president of the Academic Senate, and it is likely more than just a warm friendship. Little wonder then that the head of the Academic Senate, the body of faculty that you would expect to be most interested in preserving academic freedom, instead contends it is dandy to kill the student newspaper. So much for the journalism program! And how convenient that high handed antics of LA City College administrators goes without scrutiny.

[dean s]

Has anyone considered trying to raise private investment and actually sell newspapers and try to make a profitable business out of this? No, we'd better spend our time protesting government budget cuts. Sad.

[HannahJane]

What a shame that we have allowed our educational institutions to be short changed and run by self serving individuals. Let's face it, all levels of government in this country have failed to serve the CITIZENS. Americans really need to take back their government and make politicians and educators accountable for what they do and what they don't do.

[Nicholas]

How many times do people have to complain about, sue and protest this woman before the board wakes up and takes her presidency away? She is a crazy dictator! I hope this newspaper gets their money back, and doesn't have to deal with her anymore.

[Miki Jackson]

Moore is a menace. She does not have a commitment to anything but her own career and convenience. She has no respect for anyone's freedom of speech, save hers' - the freedom to be free of all scrutiny and accountability.

It is a poorly kept "secret" that she had a very close personal relationship with ex chancellor Drummond and he put her in at Compton, where she was less than the saving grace they needed.

Now she is at LACC and that campus is on probation too. While she is not the sole cause of either institution's woes, neither does she appear to be able to to lead them out of their problems.

I do not think she has succeeded in stopping anything. I think she has poured gasoline on the flames. While print is very important, indeed, I am a great believer n print... it is not the only way to report and I hope everyone continues to keep a close eye on Moore and report, report, report.
I think more scrutiny needs to be applied to Moore, not less. I ask everyone who agrees with this to report Moore's actions past and present, to the Collegian and to add that to the blogosphere. Just what is she afraid of? Answer that question and we have the picture.

I work on 2 blogs at the web page "hollywoodhighlands.org " - "Walsh Confidental" and "Miki's Pointed View" and I will put her on our radar. We get about 8,000 + hits a week, so she will become known to our readers. Our readers are also great about passing us info., so you never know what we may all find out.

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

[Lola]

The Board of Trustees are just as incompetent at Jamillah Moore when it comes to openness and transparency. Students from Los Angeles Trade Technical College spoke at the July 15th Board of Trustees meeting to voice their concerns about being placed on academic probation faulting the Vice President Marcie Drummond. Yes, ex-wife of Mark Drummond. One student spoke out at the "recycling" rehiring of Mark Drummond, known for being a "womanizer and a drunk". Apparently the Vice Chancellor Barerra and Camile Goulet went to his house and found him drunk at 10 o'clock in the morning.
These people are suppose to ensure that accredited educational opportunities are offered for adults. I hear this type of mismanagement is in all 9 community colleges. The public has the right to know what their government is doing and that should include LACC and LACCD.

[LA Native]

It is truly depressing that the sad, angry people who have posted to this blog on this issue thus far are willing to believe anything they are told no matter how false or slanderous and without even the smallest shred of proof.

Interesting to see how obviously alive and well racism is in America today. Each of the people who has chimed in (yes, that very much includes you, Miki) on this issue, having done absolutely no research at all, has shown themselves for the shameless racists they are. If it were anything more than their jealousy over the fact that a young, African-American woman has achieved more in her short career than they will in a lifetime, they would actually be able to provide some proof of the libelous statements they have made in these posts.

Shame on all of you. But, it should be no surprise to those of us who believe in truth and justice that these kinds of lies get posted in such a forum and broadcast at public meetings. Evil has always hidden behind lies to attack those who dare to support the truth.

[Lynette Mannang]

Dr. Moore inhereted this mess when she arrived at this colleg just like President Obama when he took over this country. Like President Obama she too is just trying to take a pro active approache. This college as a 5,000,000.00+ deficit. I believe that it is sad that the only comments are juvenile and without the facts. Is this really the thinking of students and faculty at college level. This admniistration under Dr. Moore has worked dilligently to address the budjet deficit and for the college newspaper to belieive it would be immune to any budjet cutting is rediculous under this budjet crisis. The community needs to discuss the real facts, that Califorina is in a budjet crisis and any administration that is willing to face it head on is a real sign of leadership. I am sadden that not only are individual being mislead away from the facts but encouraged to track Dr. Moore and put it in a blog like a common tabloid. Is this the type of onesided journalism we are advising our college level students at a campus newspaper like the Collegian. This is a time when people should be working together not distracting people with misinformation. Does Professor Rhonda Guess know that the state is in a budjet crises? Perhaps we need a blog to track her movements.

[Miki Jackson]

I would respond to the red baiting style race baiting remarks, but the person who posted one directed at me, was so proud of their statement they didn't use their name. Kind of says it all. After all, who wouldn't be proud of trying to intimidate people discussing actual issues with a distracting bit of name calling?

[Linda]

I was at one of the town hall meetings where Dr. Moore had asked that anyone in the audience that if there were with the press and to please identify themselves to others. That if there was any recording of the meeting to let the others in the room know. How can one misinterpret this as restricting freedom of speech and then turn around and spread malicious rumors and make slanderous statements. Complete smoke screen, distract with something else so no one follows the illusion of what the LACC Collegian is attempting to create. It saddens me to see people who use smoke screens to muddle the situation. Furthermore for any scandalous accusations of President Moore obtaining her position other than through her education and experience is nonsense. Isn’t that a kick in the head against woman in society, especially for a highly educated woman to be accused for not doing her job? And that she only got to the top was by sleeping her way there. She is standing firmly with both feet in the ground and her head held up high. IF it were male, there would chuckles all around, slaps on the back and congratulations. If one could read anymore into this, I would say slander and discrimination based off of sex and race.

Why has this turn into the slander comment section other than addressing the issue in the article? For one thing the LACC Collegian comes out bimonthly not biweekly. In addition, President Moore did not bully the Collegian reporters. Why is it so difficult to let others know you are the media and that you are recording the meeting? I know many times when I walk through any public building that is being used in a film situation, the film company posts that you will be filmed, if you don’t want to be filmed than go in the other direction. Or security cameras in public buildings that have something to the effect of, “Smile Your On Camera”. Is it really that hard to be a responsible journalist and state who you are and what you are doing? Is it the responsibility of a reporter to seek the truth and report the truth, yet, they cannot be held to the same standard. Be truthful.

The Collegian fundraises and draws in revenue from ads in their newspaper. They also have several kiosks across campus that ads are on that draw in revenue. The funds go directly back to the Collegian and these funds are separate from the monies they received from the school. Why can’t they sell the newspapers for a small fee to help offset the costs? I would worry at the spending costs of the Collegian before stirring the pot about President Moore’s personal life, which is totally unrelated to the issue at hand. Funding the Collegian is the focus, focus now really. If I do remember right, many newspapers across the nation have downsized due to loss of revenue. And there are several colleges that put their newspaper online. I thought the wave of the future was sustainability. You know sustainable, not only in the green way but in the greenbacks as well. Save the resources, money wise as well as the earth.

Focus on budget cuts Collegian, you’re not alone. Let’s see what has been cut besides the Collegian, winter 2010 and Summer 2010, Athletics suspended, adjunct faculty laid off, operations are operating at 70%, Financial Aid, Care, EOP&S cut by 16%. The EOP&S at LACC is the largest in the state. Do you think a newspaper that can publish at a fraction of the cost versus cutting a class for 35 students who need that class to transfer to a four year? Hmm, at what costs should one take, a 4 page Collegian newspaper down from 8 pages or 35 students not transferring. For every $1.00 you put in the higher education system the state will get back $3.00.

The Collegian has a statement in their header of the paper stating they are “The Voice of The Students”. This is not one student they are the voice of, nor do they represent me properly. Shame on the Collegian.

[Prof. Joseph N Meyer]

Dear Editor,

I cannot believe the level of personal attacks against President Moore. LA City College is in a deep financial crisis, just as all higher education in the state, and President Moore has worked with every group on the campus, in every program and department to make cuts in their budget in an effort to keep the college open.

We have cancelled winter session, suspended most sports and made other drastic and deep cuts. That the Collegian is losing some of their budget is a sign they are still open. Could the collegian sell more add space? Could they cut costs? Could they speak with any measure of respect about the college president? Apparently the answer to all three is NO.

The vitriol of random strangers and others too gutless to use their entire name is not surprising, but what is most appalling is our own faculty members who act as if the president has a personal motive in cutting the paper when she clearly does not.

The Collegian has published several stories about the President which are simply full of factual errors and misquotes. They have painted her in the worst possible light as a routine matter. The paper published a most unflattering, insulting and vicious cartoon of the President and she did not respond. The cuts a re not a response to the paper’s unprofessional and childish portrayal of her and her actions. They are a measured approach to a financial situation the college has not known for twenty years. In the last few days, a budget sub-committee has already met and decided to reduce the budget cut to the Collegian.

This is not about President Moore, it is about the survival of the institution and the preservation of thousands of jobs.

President Moore has made bold and creative decisions throughout this budget tightening process and she continues to listen to all involved and work with any one who has positive contributions to make to the college.

Personal attacks which are nothing more than libel have no place in our discussions. They are made by fools pointing fingers on the deck of a burning ship. City College has great challenges to face this year and we need to focus on many issues, but the Collegian and their childish claims are not among them.

Joseph N. Meyer
Associate Professor of Political Science
Los Angeles City College

[Professor]

In these tough economic times colleges all over the country are facing tremendous adversity in continuing to offer quality education to students. I think Dr. Moore is making difficult choices while still offering a quality education to LA City students. In the overall scheme making cuts to a program is not the same as eliminating a program and has anyone audited the paper to make sure that they are running as efficiently as possible? Do they have an online version or advertising revenue? I think we all need to be a bit more understanding until we are sitting in the position of an administrator that needs to make the same sort of choices. Remember you don’t need to print a newspaper twice a week to effectively teach journalism in 2009.

[Stacy]

It appears that Rhonda Guesss is using the Collegian for her own personal agenda to target Dr. Moore. To constantly attack and undermine the President, Dr. Jamillah More is disgraceful. Is this ethical? If there are serious issues and concerns pertaining to the college that will cause great harm to the students, then report it. But to bring up the President's personal live and try to humiliate her is the lowest of the low. How about we look into the personal life of Rhonda Guess to see what we can find hidden in her life.

Why don't you look at some of those incompetent administrators, who have been there for years doing nothing, and making quite of bit of money. Dr. Moore is not the problem. It is people with serious issues in their own lives who want to take out their frustrations on anyone they can. Who will be the next target for Rhonda Guess. Make sure you don't upset Rhonda Guess because your name and reputation will be slandered and discredited.

[Kate Barner]

"The students said Moore demanded they identify themselves and seek permission to record the proceedings."

The above quote taken from the article, if true, illustrates two violations of the California Brown Act for open public meetings:

1. A member of the public has the right to audio or video tape open meetings.

2. You are not required to identify yourself.

I hope the Counsel for the Board offers a refresher course for all members of the Board on a law that is critical to an open and transparent government

[Daniel Marlos, Chair Media Arts, Los Angeles City College]

There are several gross factual errors in Stacy’s opinion piece. One of the most critical and fundamental rules of good journalism includes fact checking, and fact checking includes the proper spelling of the names of the individuals being discussed. Both Professor Rhonda “Guesss” and Dr. Jamillah “More” have been misidentified.

The content of the Collegian remains with the students, and Professor Guess often refers to herself as the “guide on the side” and not the “mentor in the center” which ensures that the content is determined by the students and not the advisor. Neither the Collegian nor the coverage of this story by the L.A. Times delve into the President’s personal “live”. The Collegian’s coverage of President Jamillah Moore has always limited itself to incidents directly related to her position as LACC’s highest-ranking administrator. The Collegian and its Advisor cannot take credit nor blame for any blog comments posted to this online article.

It is the ethical obligation of any credible student publication to report on the news that falls within its jurisdiction, whether or not that news is popular with the administration, the faculty, the staff, student government, the Board, the students, or any other member of the campus community.

[Christine Minnig]

Sounds to me like LACC is pretty screwed up...