Letters to the Editor: Students put their opmaons on paper
Check out some of the more .. NTRSTNG .. sights from the parking lots •
OPINION PAGE 6
UROT
Men ·s soccer beats Southwest at home by a score of 4-1
•
FEATURE PAGE 10
SPORTS PAGE 12
THE
. . . . . LESC Friday, October 13, 1995
Palomar Community College
San Marcos, CA
Volume 49, Number 6
Student activist threatens to sue Palomar Jeff Vize
"All the paperwork is done. Everything is ready to go to court. All I have to do is file. It ~s going to cost Palomar College money to answer me."
Ne11·s Ediwr
After a face-oil at their Oct. I0 meeting, Palomar's Governing Board members learned that a recent refusal to change adjunct professor hiring policies may land the college in court. The showdown involved Board members and David Rockwell, a student who initiated a proposal to change the hiring policy several months ago. Rockwell came to the Board to appeal a decision by the Faculty Senate. which voted down his proposal Sept. 25. Rockwell's plan would have required new adjunct faculty to give a I 0-15 minute teaching demonstration ifhired. Currently, departments hlflng adjunct faculty have the option to do this, but it is not required . BecCiusc Rockwell believes the Board is making no effort to address the problem, he threatened that he may file a lawsuit. "So what you're saying, if I understand this correctly, is that you'd rather go to court'?" Rockwell asked Board members at their Oct. 10 meeting. Board members. however, arc puzzled as to exactly what Rockwell
President/Superintendent Dr. George Boggs listens to Rockwell's comments. wants them to do. According to Board member Ralph Jensen. Rockwell's proposal was legitimate. Currently, however, there is nothing the Board can do because it"s not their responsibility to make policy. The faculty senate was the proper channel for the proposal. he said. "Rockwell's proposal was given serious consideration." Jensen said. "The faculty senate voted against it and I'm sorry. but we just disagree." The Governing Board's official policy in the faculty manual backs up Jensen's assertion that creating
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these policies is not their job. In section BP 6.2, under the section on management, their policy states ''The Board delegates authority for the District administration to the Superintendent of the District." This concept, Board member Harold Scofield says, is what Rockwell docsn 't understand. '"We' rc overseers," said Scofield. ··we hire people to take care of running the college. Its not our job to run the college." Despite this. Rockwell has decided he won't take "no" for an answer from the Board, even though
David Rockwell Student activist
his proposal ha ·a lready been voted down. "Some movement towards the middle would satisfy me." said Rockwell. "I get the feeling that the Board is shortsighted. I'm not saying that r m 'all seeing'' but logic goes a long way." Particularly upscting to Rockwell most recently is the fact any of his Board addresses will be limited five minutes. Members established this limit before the Oct. I 0 meeting because Rockwell had spoken for close to 40 minutes at a meeting one month ago. Because this limit is in
Student activist David Rockwell addresses Palomar's Governing Board Oct. 10. place, Rockwell plans to attend each Board meeting and speak for hts full five minutes. Palomar President/Superintendent Dr. George Boggs does not agree with Rockwell's judgement of adjunct instructors. He believes no changes are needed in hiring policy. "I don't think there's any evidence to indicate David's claims [that some of Palomar's adjunct faculty are unqaulitied]," said Boggs . ·'Studies I've seen on a national
See LAWSUIT, Page 3
Anti-Serb protester accused of harassment • Campus Patrol officers remove student from library after workers report verbal assault Jeff Vize Ne11·s EdiTor
R<~lph
W. Lincoln I The Te/e.•cope
Ramin Keshmiri, an anti-Serbian activist, talks to students while holding a sign bearing the phrase "If Serbs fight for land, why do they rape females?" Kashmiri was escorted from the library Sept. 28 after allegedly harassing a Serbian tutor.
A pro- Bosnian Palomar student, best known for toting anti-Serbian signs on campus, was removed from the library recently for repeatedly shouting racial epithets. According to Campus Patrol reports. student Ramin Keshmiri verbally assaulted a Serbian staff member who was tutoring in the library Sept. 28. Witnesses say Kcshmiri. who is an Iranian-born Muslim, approached a tutor at around 5 p.m., asked if she was Serbian and loudly called her a "murderer and fascist pig." After the counselor attempted to walk away, reports say Kcshmiri continued to harass her by repeating the phrase "Serbs arc fascist pigs, Serbs arc murderers:· Several employees and students in the library observed the incident and tutor Jennifer El Hajali asked Kcshmiri to apologtzc. When he refused. her hu~band Khalcd Mohamed. asked him to leave. After he refused to leave. library officia ls called Campus Patrol. "After I asked him to appologilc. he started raising his voice and saying '[have the right to say whatever I want..,. said Jennifer El Hajali. Keshmirt admits he told the tutor that he "hates Serbs .. after "she looked at him 111 a very mean way ... After thts. he claims people started harassing him
for expressing his opimon. Employees claim the victim was not tutoring Keshmiri at the time and his assault was not premeditated. This is why he became more aggressive in his stance, he said. "I expressed my feeling that I hate Serbs for the things they have done. I have the right to say I hate Serbs." said Keshmiri. "Everybody knows what's happening in Bosnia is because of them. If Bosnians have killed anyone it's only because of the war," he continued. Campus Patrol officer Jeremy Bechtold was one oftheofliccrs who responded to the incident. Keshmiri has a right to freedom of speech but not harassment, Bechtold said. "He was really opinionated-really strong on his views." officer Bechtold said. "He was concerned with his own right to express himself. but he didn't care about other people's nghts to not be bothered ... Kcshmiri disagrees with this. He believes Campus Patrol acted unfairly about the incident. "Thts is asetup.lthmk Campus Patrol stdcs with the Serbians ... Keshmiri claimed. "If someone hates you. you have a right to hate them. Serbians· hate is nb\ ious. Patrol reports said Keshmiri told oflicers he could to Jo whatC\Cr he wanted because this was America. "People were scared. A couple of people were really
See ASSAULT, Page 5