Adjunct Faculty Association at Nassau Community College

VANGUARD

Charles Loiacono, Editor                                                  Vol. 35, No.7  March 2008

STONEWALLING REDUX

Inside This Issue:

The Union's Position
Viewpoint

Announcements

        Redux

            We can imagine one empathizing with Sean Fanelli as he tries to hide the truth concerning the ELI/LINCC fiasco. It must be a sad time for one that must bury facts in the shadows. Desperate to keep that truth away from the AFA, Fanelli has come up with a new delaying tactic—pretending that providing documentation is out of his hands. All requests for information must now go through his lawyer.

            It began in August when AFA Vice-President Bob Gaudino requested basic information. He was informed that all requests had to go to John Gross, the administration’s attorney. On September 13^th, Richard Betheil, AFA attorney, wrote John Gross requesting that the information be provided.             The stonewalling continued and on November 20^th, Betheil again wrote insisting that the information be provided. When the information finally came, months had gone by.

On January 31, AFA President Charles Loiacono requested the entire financial record on the ELI/LINCC program. Aware of the new

delaying tactic, Loiacono copied John Gross. Two weeks later, Fanelli wrote Loiacono, “…all requests for documents and information must be addressed to the College Counsel.” Knowing that Gross had been copied, Fanelli had no reason to wait two weeks to inform the AFA president that the request had to go to Gross. The copy to Gross was sufficient notice.                            

            At this writing, it is the end of February and there has been no response from the college counsel.

The belief that the longer the truth is withheld the lesser its relevance is proven erroneous in these very pages. 

The Minutes

            While perusing a series of minutes recording the development of the plans and strategies for the ELI program, AFA President Charles Loiacono discovered some interesting dirt. Don’t miss “The Union’s Position” on page 2. The truths revealed in those minutes prove that delaying the truth does not diminish its relevance.