The Asbury Park Press published the following article today, April 12, regarding Freeholder Bartlett and his brief employment at Ocean County College.
http://www.app.com/article/20090412/NEWS/904120362&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
I do not recall any search committee being assembled for Freeholder Bartlett prior to him being hired by OCC. I believe that we all thought that he had been appointed.
Ms. Rosen will, no doubt, not be an adjunct for very long with OCC. She has the guts to ask questions and speak up against the cronyism and hypocrisy that is at the core of Ocean County College.
PLEASE..Let it JUST BE A RUMOR:
There's a nasty rumor going around campus that a couple of the Fall job openings are about to be "sold" politically to a couple of people with no real experience (except in local politics). PLEASE, for once let this not be true. ...and the sad thing...if it happens...no one will do anything about it. I thought this campus was better then that. The Dean and Deanlet placements seem legit. Is that as far as educational legitimacy goes on this campus?
Posted by: Sag | June 30, 2009 at 03:11 PM
To the Editors:
Recently, I have been inundated by glossy flyers all purporting that I am a fake Republican. The latest batch even had the audacity to claim that I have received money from Jon Corzine. That is an outright lie. I have been a registered Republican my entire voting life and I have always supported good, honest government.
As a true Conservative Republican, I know that Republican or Democrat, if an elected offical participates in practices that are damaging to the public, they must be voted out. The Asbury Park Press recently pointed out one of those practices that John Bartlett participates in: pension padding. The best part, and perhaps most overlooked, is that on top of the lucrative pension, he was also given a $10,000 a year stipend for a position created just for him at Ocean County College.
And, if we are to question party loyalty, then true Conservative Republicans need to question why we now have a Democratic Congressman. John McCain won Ocean County by over 50,000 votes – our Congressional Candidate certainly should have won with a big enough margin to carry him to victory.
Instead, George Gilmore refused to support the Republican candidate, Chris Myers. Myers didn’t play George Gilmore’s game so Gilmore chose to keep his marbles for himself. George Gilmore only supports Republican candidates that he can control and that will enrich his pockets and empire – that is the definition of boss politics. The result is that we now have a liberal former state legislator, who helped to ruin New Jersey, as our U.S. Congressman.
So what true Conservative Republicans have to ask themselves is, “Do we really want this back-room deal making to continue?” or “Do we want to clean up New Jersey Politics, and have a chance at once again being a party of ethics?” If you want to have a Republican Party you can be proud of, YOU need to help change its image by declaring at the polls that you want reform, you want accountability, and you want Suzanne Penna and Peter McCarthy as your Freeholders.
Suzanne Penna, R.N.
36Layton Ave, Pine Beach, NJ 08741
(732) 904-8847
Posted by: Suzanne | May 22, 2009 at 10:29 AM
WOW! I feel like a complete jack@*%.
Suzanne, I was being completely serious when I was considering the idea that you advocate for faculty. Obviously, I can't read between the lines.
Truth to Power, I am sorry to see that you have nothing better to do with your miserable life than mock the concerns and efforts of other people.
Posted by: Stupefied | May 09, 2009 at 04:54 PM
First of all, For all of you that CAN NOT read between the lines, Truth to Power is OBVIOUSLY trying to take personal digs at me (and Alberto) and in no way praising me. Note by the "a permanent student at OCC" "mother of six" "nurses aid at a nursing home" All three of these statements are lies, and only intended to be digs at me, because I am the only one that would really know the truth.
In defense. I finished out this academic year (one extra semester) so that I could finish writing for the Viking News with articles that have been in the works for quite some time. Note also, Administrative Punk, that I do have Bachelor's from Uconn in Physiology and Neurobiology, which is more than I can say for you, I am sure. Also, one of the funny things, I was just told that Mr. Wetta once snidely referred to me as the widowed mother of 20. I guess you feel good about your nasty derisive comments. Snuggle up with them at night, they help keep the boogeyman at bay. I have 4 kids, by the way, and if you ever saw them in public, you would end up complementing them for their impressive behavior, just like everyone on the Freeholder Board has done. Also, I am not a Nurse's Aide, I earned my degree, and my Title, and if you would like to address me, you can call me Suzanne Penna, R.N. I work as a Nurse at an Assisted Living facility, which, by the way, I have found is much better than I thought. I spend time with my patients, I can interact with them, and I can impart compassion each and every day, can you?
In the final analysis, your words will wash off my back, and I will continue to fight for what I believe is right! So, you can continue to attack me personally, it only works to solidify my position.
Oh, and yes, I am an award-winning journalist, but I don't run "bi-annually" for a position!
Posted by: Suzanne | May 09, 2009 at 08:13 AM
Good idea --can you also post Lavundi's too? Thank you!
Posted by: The Peanut Gallery | May 08, 2009 at 06:47 PM
Is it possible to post Botein's "letter" on this blog site? I have not yet read it. Thank you.
Posted by: Been here, done this | May 08, 2009 at 06:43 PM
BHDT,I agree wholeheartedly with you. Look, Suzanne and Alberto may be bright young people, and I know neither one, but they are students!! Are we that pitiful that we need students to stand up to admin for us and fight for our causes. We can with good reason question where her loyalties are (she is pretty cozy with King Jon, Miss Manners, and weeveepee dick) but despite the arrogant biting tone of her letter, Botein brings up some valid points about the FAOCC. Anyone out there surprised that her BFF and mentor Lavundi has joined the pro-administration cheerleading squad with his self righteous ranting???
Posted by: The Peanut Gallery | May 08, 2009 at 06:11 PM
Am I correct in interpreting the posts of Truth to Power and Stupefied to mean that there are no faculty members who are "charismatic," "principled," and "fearless"? Must faculty rely upon Suzanne and Alberto to demonstrate leadership in this troubled time? If that is the truth, the college is indeed in dire straits. This is no insult to Suzanne and Alberto. Faculty, in conjunction with students, is the mind and spirit of an academic instituion. Faculty leads students; that is our privilege and our responsibility.
Posted by: Been here, done this | May 08, 2009 at 01:08 PM
Truth to Power, I am beginning to agree with you. We need some charismatic, principled, and fearless leaders to organize and motivate the OCC faculty. Right now, we're dead in the water. I hope beyond measure that next academic year brings some significant changes. Do you have any idea if Suzanne is interested in taking up our cause? It sounds like she might have more than enough on her plate already.
Posted by: Stupefied | May 08, 2009 at 08:21 AM
Peanut and Stupefied. All share your deep hurt and anguish, but please don't misunderstand the issues. Just look at the record. We used the Faculty Council as a college-wide platform and what happens? The Council is terminated! A brilliant faculty member is fired and what happens? The faculty member stays fired! A tough stand is taken during the last contract negotiations and what happens? The contract is gutted! A grievance is filed over class schedules and what happens? A five-day work week! A grievance is filed over hiring faculty coordinators and what happens? No more faculty coordinators! We protest the new academic class schedule and what happens? Classes on Saturday! A faculty member is denied tenure and what happens? A new tough nine-step tenure policy! Wake up.....We need to think anew and act anew. True, we may be only a faction of the faculty....(The new faculty and recently tenured faculty seem focused on their careers and professional activities. ignoring the more important, and long-term issues. that we raise on this blog...) But if Suz, a widowed mother of six, can work part-time at a nursing home and still run for public office as "Traditional Republican" and pro-life, anti-Obama advocate, why can't we veterans of the labor wars of the past defend our interests as effectively as she does? Even if we don’t' agreed with her conservative Republican principles, if elected she will force the county leaders to rethink support of the college...that may hurt us but this is a matter of Principle not finance....and that will send a strong message about principles over self-interest...Our voice?! We are the voice of truth and justice!....but are we afraid to be known? OK, yes..but.....Suz is not! Can things get worse? Now consider this....please: What if we formed an alliance with Mrs. Penna, and that other award-winning journalist Alberto D. Morales? He is currently unemployed after dropping out of OCC and the University of Indiana (registration problems, he states) living in his parent's basement and running a lively personal blog and a humorous live video show. Check it out. See the video where he talks about getting food poisoning before an interview with a community activist... bad shrimp it seems... ....hilarious.... (We need his wit as well as our determination)....He once stated on this very site that if he "even smelled" trouble at OCC he would be back. Well, things stink now! Trust Al's nose...We need Alberto.....We need Suz.....Make them official members of the association...Suz as spokesperson and Al as public affairs officer....A combination of effective faculty leadership in alliance with the dynamic duo of Suz and Alberto would be unbeatable. Please don't ignore this appeal............
Posted by: Truth to Power | May 08, 2009 at 06:29 AM
"B---S?!"-I think that it is more like dollar signs. She is rumored to be in line for the dean position. Does she regularly attend FAOCC meetings? Her email is very Lavundi-esque!
Posted by: Webmaster | May 07, 2009 at 01:51 PM
Interesting that faculty just received a letter from Ali Botein in English on this very topic of the FAOCC. I have heard from her colleagues that she is an outspoken cheerleader for admin and always has been and I'm not suggesting she was put up to this by King Jon or vee pee dick but who knows. Maybe its a legitimate call for unity. Even if she's just blasting faculty, I'll give her credit for having b---s though to write this.
Posted by: The Peanut Gallery | May 06, 2009 at 11:58 PM
Truth to Power, I appreciate your passion. I believe that the trouble with your suggestion is that no single individual can create significant changes at OCC no matter how articulate, intelligent, fair or honest he/she is. The FAOCC President, Pat Demko, is exceptionally articulate and honest. Have you read the FAOCC newsletter? The union leaders are doing all they can. The trouble with our union is that it is not unified. It is the faculty who are failing to stand up for themselves and for each other. It is the faculty who are failing to participate in the most effective process that we have to ensure fair labor practices. How do you motivate people to act on their own best behalf? If we could answer that question, then we might a have the start of a solution to the trouble at OCC.
Posted by: Stupefied | May 06, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Dear Friends; this is the time for innovative action. The FAOCC in its present form is almost (representing the really only a faction within the science and English departments) useless and incapable of protecting us from tyranny and oppression. Note how many grievances the leadership has lost in the last three years -- particularly the one that give the administration full power over scheduling. Now, here is a proposal that will work: We open the membership to a student rep thereby creating a united front. Suz would be perfect. She, a widowed mother of six, has been our protector, our voice, our conscience, and our mentor. Let's amend the by-laws to include a student rep...i.e., Mrs. Penna -- a permanent student at OCC, an award-winning journalist, bi-annual candidate for office, and now a nurse's aid at a nursing home who has devoted her career to our protection and to exposing corruption and incompetence. Her writings are more honest and articulate that anything written by a faculty member. She could be part of the negotiating team as well. And she is fearless and fair -- remember her recent article when she referred to OCC as "Hooper High" and scolded the OCC faculty for giving out so many A's? Let's invite her to the next meeting where she can put forth her plans for our future. Forget walkouts and boycotts. Turn to Suz!
Posted by: Truth to Power | May 06, 2009 at 07:11 AM
Did anybody see this in the Asbury Park Press ? Kean has no confidence in its leadership. And does anyone see anything familiar in the third paragraph ?
http://www.app.com/article/20090505/NEWS/90505087
Posted by: interloper | May 06, 2009 at 12:05 AM
Are any of you going to help Suzanne win her Republican Primary run against Bartlett?
Posted by: Stafford republican | May 04, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Thank you! I read the contract. There is as was mentioned, the requirement to attend monthly dept. meetings and I would guess that the inter-dept. get together qualifies as that if it is within the allotted timeframe for meetings. Gray area? Asking questions, expecting answers, taking issue with discussion points, quietly leaving, if done in a "civil"(hear that Ms. Manners) and non-hostile manner is not in violation of professional behavior and is an academic freedom no matter how admin twists it. Less chance of retribution real or imagined and big chance of wee vee pee losoing his cool if it's a group effort.
Posted by: The Peanut Gallery | May 02, 2009 at 08:00 PM
Peanut Gallery, you can find a copy of the contract in Ocean Cruiser.
1) Log in to Cruiser
2) Choose the "Employees" tab.
3) Under the "Human Services" section on the right side of the screen, choose the link for "Human Resources."
4)Under "Ammouncements," you'll see a link for the "Faculty Association Agreement."
5) That link will open another page that will allow you to view/download a pdf version of the current contract.
Posted by: Stupefied | May 02, 2009 at 03:24 PM
I'm not sure what the benefit would be either, but I know that "they" fought tooth and nail not to have the vote be called. They seemed to fear it.
Posted by: HadIt | May 02, 2009 at 03:21 PM
From what I remember, the group faulty concensus for a vote of nc for King Jon never happpened for whatever reason. Not high enough numbers? I'm not even sure what the benefit would be.
Posted by: The Peanut Gallery | May 02, 2009 at 03:12 PM
How about a Vote of No Confidence for little dean dick?
Posted by: HadIt | May 02, 2009 at 02:57 PM
WM, I am willing to bet there are a majority who feel this way, including non-tenured faculty who are reluctant to voice their agreement.Speaking of non tenured faculty, anyone aware of the hoops they are made to jump through to get tenure? They are intimidated into joining committees, putting in hours of service, and "proving" they are worthy of what they were hired to do. It was not like this way back when I was hired. But that's another issue for another day but I do think some of our new hires need to be mentored by senior faculty. Anyway, who cares if wee vee pee dick knows? This is a common protest in academia. What's he going to do? Dock us? Lock the doors? Post security around the room? Make a threatening announcement? If anything, he will prove our point. I cannot find a copy of the contract. Can anyone post it or provide a link? I really hope that we can pull off an effective walk out or at least interrupt his speech with pointed questions.
Posted by: The Peanut Gallery | May 02, 2009 at 01:16 PM
Webmaster, I am glad you pointed out that Dean Dick most likely is aware of a possible confrontation and walk-out. I still have little faith in his ability to keep his cool should we truly engage him in questioning about recent administrative decisions. He already will have a pat answer for the scheduling parameters issue, so that one may be out. I have lots of ideas of legitimate questions that people can ask, but no place to share them safely. I also am concerned that no one is going to have courage to confront Dean Dick in any meaningful way. I would do it myself, but I am (unfortunately) one of the vulnerable. My other concern is that the faculty who do confront Dean Dick maintain a civil and controlled demeanor. I know from speaking with many people that certain faculty will not unify with the FAOCC because of their negative view of the union. They see the union as a group of disgruntled complainers who do nothing proactive, but waste their time and cause problems with petty grievances and criticisms. It is essential that we, as a body, preserve a stance of righteous indignation against the inequitable treatment of faculty; but we must do it graciously and respectfully. We need unity! But how do we go about creating it? Should union leaders seek out faculty on Monday and Tuesday with a plan of action? We have the opportunity to make a very impactful stand on Wednesday. I wish there were another way (besides this blog) to plan and organize.
Posted by: Stupefied | May 02, 2009 at 01:08 PM
Thank you for responding. Sometimes I feel like there is no one out there that feels the same way that I do.
I agree that the non-tenured folks must do whatever is necessary to remain employed. I like the idea of an en masse walk-out, I'm not quite sure how "en masse" it will be. Also, I know that the administration has someone who monitors this blog, so little dean dick will surely know what we are looking for and will respond accordingly.
Please let everyone know what the contract states about the meetings!
Posted by: Webmaster | May 02, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Stupefied. I will take a look at the contract too, but I think you are right about dept. meetings. To pull this off, it can't be just 3 or 4 of us cause that will lead to intimidation tactics and harrassment.On a larger scale, however, we would have power in unity and less chance of disciplinary action for trumped up reasons. Attention fellow bloggers: Weigh in on this cause it's important and perfect timing at the end of the semester. We cannot involve non tenured brethren.
Posted by: The Peanut Gallery | May 01, 2009 at 07:19 PM