By Charles Loiacono     

“I can’t understand it myself…It is wrong from beginning to end”

     Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

I’m with Alice! Confusion reigns. Who’s at the helm? Does any one person understand what this administration wants? Do they talk to each other? Do they understand how they contradict themselves? Do they see how foolish they look?

            I’m going to try to explain the topsy-turvy nature of this administration’s performance, so hang in there.

            To understand a Fanelli or an Ostling, one must understand that in their world a lie is a good thing. As opposed to the truth which is confined to the facts and often colorless, a lie has spirit. It can be creative. It can be manipulated. It can be fashioned to suit a particular purpose. Knowing that the lie is their stock-in-trade will help the reader through this maze of confusion.

            They moved ESL from the college to Continuing Education to make money. When we caught them, they lied to us. Jack Ostling said they had no choice. They were obeying a federal mandate. When the feds put the lie to that claim, they shrugged their shoulders and moved on to the next lie.

            The next lie claimed that in changing the name from ELI to LINCC, they had created a whole new program. When we asked for proof in specific terms, they stonewalled us. Their position was that this was a new full-time program and therefore not within the jurisdiction of the AFA.

            When the leadership of the NCCFT let them know that they opposed the assertion that these were full-time courses, they raced to a new position. In effect, they agreed that they lied when they said this program was not within the jurisdiction of the AFA.

            Here is their language to PERB:

“There is a sufficient community of interest to warrant placement of LINCC Lecturers in the AFA bargaining unit.”

            Now try hard to stay with their reasoning as to why these “Lecturers” should belong to the union that represents part-timers.

“Lecturers in the LINCC program are full-time employees of the College …A LINCC Lecturer is responsible for both teaching in and facilitating all components of learning for the population of LINCC students. Lecturers in the LINCC program are involved in student advisement and placement testing. They are required to be available to tutor students outside of class time. In addition, lecturers must participate in professional development, including the development of new courses, the implementation of new technology and a review of entrance requirements. The following are the duties and responsibilities of LINCC Lecturers:

1.      Teach 19.15 hours per week and work in the lab 2 hours per week;

2.      Tutor students on a one-to-one basis 45 minutes per week;

3.      Conduct peer observations;

4.      Attend weekly LINCC meetings;

5.      Participate in professional develop- ment.

Enough? Sure it is. I have too much respect for our readers’ intelligence to go on. The reader certainly understands where the administration is going with this. While I identify this administration as liars, double-dealers, and manipulators, I am reluctant to identify them as stupid—as stupid as this all seems.

Someone may believe that all these contradictions will point PERB to a conclusion that this someone assumes is outside our ken.