DMC Faculty Member Speaks Out on the DMC Clique's Abuse of Power: "Dont Tread On Me"!

Please note this email was forwarded to me from multiple DMC email addresses. The author remains anonymous.

For many years I informed Del Mar College employees that when I reached Kosar and Naples streets on my way to work, it feels like falling down a rabbit hole. For many years I have been very vocal about the administrative attempts to weaken the academic standards held and exhibited by faculty members. The administration has attempted to demoralize the faculty by dividing us, and, they have used their relationships with members of the Board of Regents to further their cause. This has led to outrageous statements by regents that no person (faculty) has been turned down for promotion and that full professors have retired in place. Does anyone know of an administrator that has failed to receive regular promotions and pay raises? In those rare instances when attempts were made to terminate faculty employments, the administration has choked and nothing was done.

Some faculty have been provided with perks that are not provided to all. Faculty members that agree with any and all actions by the administration are provided with special treatment. Such shenanigans have worked extremely well in dividing our faculty members.

Please be informed that within hours after I read Mr. John Johnson's memo to Instructional Faculty dated May 26, 2006, I called Mr. Johnson's office and left three messages with the request that he contact me for a meeting concerning his insane directives. Mr. Johnson has not responded to my request. I informed him that I have no desire to be forced to have my pay "direct deposited" to my bank, nor do I want to be coerced into having my pay broken into 12 monthly amounts. I informed him that I do not give a tinker's damn about making life easier for him at my expense.

After I informed Mr. Johnson of my feelings/concerns, Mr. Joe Goode (Full Professor) e-mailed Mr. Johnson expressing his very valid concerns. I have known Joe for many years and know that he is an extremely hard working and highly professional faculty member (I took two automotive courses from him). We were on Faculty Council together and I know that he is totally committed to the students and taxpayers of the DMC District and has never asked for anything that he has not earned. He and all other hard working faculty members do not deserve to have to pay for administrative whims, shortcomings and incompetencies

I have been requesting information from the State of Texas concerning the proper methods of paying employees of taxpayer supported educational institutions. I have been examining employment laws concerned with timely payment of salaries. Please let me know if you would like to have me provide you with my findings. In the meantime, I am suggesting that Mr. Johnson present his directives to the entire faculty/staff at the upcoming Fall Convocation and provide a few minutes for questions.

I would suggest that the following questions be asked as the result of Mr. Johnson's reply to Mr. Goode's e-mail (7/7/2006):

1. Which offices have been working on this problem for over a year?

2. How many man hours have been devoted to this one problem?

3. What are the extreme variables used by departments when calculating summer pay?

4. Which specific departments have made significant numbers of errors and when?

5. Which specific departments have been late in submitting payroll information to the payroll office?

6. Which office within DMC has caused this problem by not standardizing the calculation of summer pay?

My suggestion is that the administration standardize the process and not continue to screw around with hard working, dedicated, extremely productive and highly professional faculty members.

I have visited and worked for many institutions of higher learning and have not seen any that have a stronger overall faculty than DMC.

Please remember that the SOLE purpose of the DMC administration is to provide faculty members with what they need to provide our students with the best courses available. We do not need an administration that dictates what we will teach in our own specialties, or, tell me what is best for me when it comes to my personal finances. To quote my direct family forefathers (in this country since 1690) that were at Lexington and Concord, "don't tread on me."