Faculty votes against Dr. Piedad Robertson
The majority of Santa Monica College teachers have no confidence in the leadership of their president and have called for her resignation.
Teachers agreed overwhelmingly on Friday in a vote of no confidence in Dr. Piedad Robertson because they feel more could be done to save academic programs and feel they should have more say in the college’s finances.
In a separate measure on the same ballot, the faculty approved a call for action to the SMC board of trustees, which demands that the board change how it closes a $9.5 million budget deficit the college is facing next year.
“It’s about the strongest statement a faculty can make,” said Lesley Kawaguchi, president-elect of the Academic Senate, an organization of teachers. “This was the only route that we could take.”
Out of 481 ballots cast, 86 percent of teachers voted to send a message of no confidence and 85 percent voted in favor of the call for action regarding the budget.
Seventy-six percent of SMC’s 334 full-time teachers voted in the election, along with 300 part-time instructors.
Though the measures carry no legal weight, supporters said it sends a clear message to the administration that plans to drop six academic programs from next year’s roster are unacceptable. The eliminated departments are architecture, geographic information services, public safety, recreation, tourism and hospitality, and transportation technology.
Eight full-time teachers and about 30 part-time instructors will lose their jobs because of the cuts, which will leave more than 500 students without a major and save the school roughly $1.2 million.
“Our participation in academic issues is crucial,” said Gordon Dossett, president of the Academic Senate. “There’s a pattern of the administration meeting, determining what matters and then coming forward to ask us what we think. It’s very different than being at the discussion table to begin with.”
“Our participation in academic issues is crucial.” — — GORDON DOSSETT President, SMC Academic Senate
The faculty demands that Robertson conform to the ideal of shared governance or resign immediately. The teachers also ask the board of trustees to rescind the program eliminations and associated layoffs, listen to ideas from college groups and discontinue Robertson’s contract.
Robertson could not be reached for comment Friday.
This is not the first time Robertson has faced a vote of no confidence. As the secretary of education in Massachusetts, Robertson received a handful of no confidence votes from universities and community colleges that were displeased with her handling of that state’s deficit, Kawaguchi said. And when Robertson was named as president of SMC in 1995, the faculty split 217-217 on a no confidence vote in the board of trustees for appointing her.
Kawaguchi said the faculty was displeased because of Robertson’s background and because she beat out a popular SMC teacher that was vying for the position of president.
Herb Roney, chair of SMC’s board of trustees, described the cuts as painful but necessary and said much more will be lost before the remaining $9.5 million deficit is bridged.
“It’s just been a very, very terrible year,” said Roney, a former SMC student and teacher. “There’s always hope in (saving the) programs. However, in reality, I also see a huge negative budget.”
Roney said the board acted to eliminate the programs with the idea of impacting the least amount of students overall.
“A lot of people think we are evil people,” he added. “But the board is really concerned about the college and we’re concerned about the community. We want to make sure the college will continue to be there — we’re not making irresponsible budget cuts.”
“A lot of people think we are evil people. But the board is really concerned about the college and we’re concerned about the community. We want to make sure the college will continue to be there — we’re not making irresponsible budget cuts.” — — HERB RONEY President, SMC board of trustees
SMC’s entire budget is $112 million. Because SMC spends 80 percent of its money on salaries, more lay-offs will have to be considered, said Randy Lawson, vice president of academic affairs at the school.
The Academic Senate, along with a host of other school organizations, asked the board in May to consider an alternative that would plug the shortfall mostly by eliminating certain courses and instituting a wide-reaching series of pay cuts.
Robertson said at the time that the board could not consider the plan because it depends on a number of variables, including the value of retirement incentives that have not yet been used.
“I can only build (a budget) on reality,” Robertson told an audience of 350 teachers, students and community members before the vote that officially cut the six programs.
While the school waits on a final decision from the board on July concerning the programs, a summit between nine campus organizations is planned to discuss the budget sometime early next month. In the meantime, some SMC teachers are shaking their heads at the most recent dialogue at the college.
“The faculty and the administration for a quite a while now have been like a couple that is going through marital differences and they argue a lot,” said Ethan Gallogly, a chemistry teacher. “That’s not good for anybody and the students get caught in the crossfire.
“We know what the faculty’s argument is, it’s very obvious,” he added. “And, to be fair to the administration, when the money is coming in they’ve been hiring new teachers. They’ve done a good job of promoting the college. No confidence, in my mind, is equal to incompetence. And I think that’s unfair and too extreme.
“I understand that the senate has tried. I just would have liked to see one step before this. Something that said, ‘We’re upset, here are the issues and let’s try to resolve them.’”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 7, 2003. Read the original PDF.