This past week, Q-line asked: “What qualities should the next president of SMC possess and what issues will he or she need to address?”
Here are your responses: ✆ “The first order of business for the new president of Santa Monica College would be to hire a penny-pinching financial officer who is well-experienced at getting a $1.25 worth of merchandise for every dollar spent.” ✆ “For the college, they should get somebody who has a background in education, who has actually taught a few classes — so that would obviously leave out the Santa Monica City Council members. They need someone who will handle the parking problem, who will stop people from driving near the college because it’s such a hassle to park. They need to get somebody who will listen to the students to see what classes people want — classes that will help people get jobs, classes that will work for people, classes that students want to take versus canceling them once they get them. That’s about it.” ✆ “I was a past student of Santa Monica College and I think it’s very important to have someone who’s aware of global issues because this is a globally-known town. Why not have the same guy who’s in interim — make him be the head of it? You have to have someone who is multi-culturally aware because this is a multi-cultural world that we’re dealing with now.” ✆ “The qualities needed are opposite of those of Piedad Robertson — what a disaster to city college and this town she was. City college eggheads have duped the simple-minded in this city with two big bond measures. Boy, I bet the school district is green with envy right now at not being that devious at raising funds. Return half of that money to the taxpayers. You notice how fast the college is spending that money? The rest should be used to hire staff and refund some kind of vocational studies — maybe with local business helping. And what’s with all the millions that the city and college are spending for artificial turfs — I thought we were teaching our young people about live green open space, not plastic? Stop wasting the taxpayers’ money on dumb ideas.” ✆ “It used to be that anyone applying for any city job — from policeman to garbage man — was given extra points and consideration if they were born and raised in that city. This helped the city in many ways because it kept the local talent here, and they were hiring people who really knew and cared about their own city. LA and Santa Monica seem to think it’s great to look and hire people from New York to run things. Go back to community-based hiring, and hire someone who attended our schools, and has a real stake in keeping our great city.” ✆ “Qualities of the next president of SMC are: bisexual, hermaphrodite, liberal, politically correct, and a person of color. And insofar as the qualities of stupidity and ignorance are not included in the qualities of liberalism and political correctness, those qualities should also be included in the necessary qualities. The issues to address are: privatiz-ing and self-funding the school so that taxpayers are not coerced into supporting the spawn of others, whether from Santa Monica itself or across the border.” ✆ “With regard to what qualities of the next president of SMC possesses and what he or she should address, the new president will have to be a person who will be called ‘a man or woman for all seasons.’ In the past, we’ve had not only a tumultuous relationship with the college, the citizenry, City Hall, etc., but in the past too, the college has ignored the age-old problems of the gang-infested Pico neighborhood. The new president of the college has to become involved in local community affairs and assist in the eradication of the gangs of the Pico neighborhood.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 28, 2005. Read the original PDF.