Category: San Luis Obispo

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no transparency at cal poly and inclusive excellence

cal poly ombuds program?
what are you hiding Cal Poly?

I really love inexperienced managers because they feel that any problem can be solved either of two ways: 1) hide, evade or just say it isn’t so (even if everyone knows what is going on) or 2) use a bigger stick to try to make it go away. By the way, managerial experience isn’t measure by years of service, it is measured by outcomes and the loyalty and respect of all stakeholders.

Yesterday, I pointed out a letter by two of the many many vice presidents of Cal Poly that appeared in the hard copy but not the on-line copy of the newspaper. Today, a related front-page article appeared in the “Virtual Mustang,” but not in the regular online format that allows comments.  If an article is important enough to be on page one, shouldn’t it be presented in a form that allows the community to post responses?

As for the substance, I have placed both pages of today’s article on-line for your review.  See if it doesn’t raise a few questions in your mind.

Page 1 of Mustang Daily’s ‘Ombuds services article’ (Don’t call it ombudsman as that’s not ‘PC’)

Page 2

I have a couple of questions:

1) In the article, Ombuds Patricia Ponce’s role is described as “working with students before referring the issue to another department or individual.”  The example of a student admitting to slashing another student’s tires was used to illustrate a matter that would be referred. But what else is going to be “referred?” Offensive speech? “Sexually suggestive fruit eating” (actually banished by another university)? Putting up a flyer other students don’t like (which was  Steve Hinkle’s “crime”)? What possible punishments await the person whose actions are “referred?”

2) Even though referrals will be made, the article states that “no individual records” or “paper trail” would be kept. How then, would an accused person protect himself/herself when David Conn goes looking for an applicable “free speech or campus policy?” Don’t we have a basic right to confront our accusers? It seems like the Cal Poly Ombuds program is combining confidentiality and accusations in a dangerous way.

FIRE has repeatedly informed the campus that the way to move their current yellow light rating to a green is to explicitly state that students will not be punished for protected speech, even if it is uncivil and offensive. Having an ombuds is fine, as long as the focus is on helping the offended student deal with his/her feelings, but Cal Poly will once again find itself in court if it tries to punish the offenders.

try a little harder, Chip.

Roger Freberg

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inclusive excellence aint what they say it is

No shortage of 'clowns' at Cal Poly

Before addressing the official responses to Brendan Pringle’s recent opinion piece on “inclusive excellence” in the Mustang Daily, I’d like to make a personal note to Cal Poly administrators David Conn and Cornel Morton: I would suggest approaching this and any subject in your public comments by arguing the merits of your side of the case, not attacking the student-author in question, as many view this as unnecessarily intimidating, threatening and unprofessional…. Or as they say, ‘pick on someone your own size.’ After all, universities are all about teaching critical thinking, and the collective power of two Vice Presidents coming down in a very personal way against one student seems unfair.

Getting back to the issues, I wonder how many Cal Poly faculty are aware that the program of ‘Inclusive Excellence’ – as applied by other universities following the same AACU approach – views “selectivity” on the part of elite universities as “bad,” and ignores the SAT scores and grade point averages of certain applicants in order to grant admission. I am sure most faculty do not want to offer remedial education, nor do they wish to flunk unprepared students.

Here’s how Cornell Morton and David Conn  spun the Inclusive Excellence discussion in a letter that I could not find on-line and only in the student newspaper hard copy! ( I thought you two would be proud of such a piece?)

Let’s parse one of the bits of illogic used by others in defending this program in the Mustang Daily:

1) …on whether their high schools are wealthy enough to offer AP courses

2) or the advantage of having parents who can afford to pay for SAT coaching.”

These statements border on the absurd. First, many universities ask high schools to send transcripts with the higher grade point averages from AP classes already factored out. Besides, high GPAs are not a problem at culturally disadvantaged schools—quite the opposite. The student with a 4.0 at a poor school might not be as well prepared for college as a student with a 3.0 from a good school. The whole purpose of using a standardized test like the SAT is to control for just that situation. Secondly, SAT coaching does not jump a student’s score from 700 to 1600 and is a much overrated factor, if a factor at all, except to all who are trying to get every last point.

The SAT and the SAT2 (Achievement Tests), like any classroom exams, have been much maligned by those who believe that they are a barrier to entry to whatever they want to do.  Sometimes, you have to pass the test to pass the course. The problem, for those who want to ignore their results, is that these tests are excellent predictors for college performance, which is all they were ever supposed to do. The achievement tests (SAT2) measure many basic skills, like competence in math, science, and English, without which any student would have an impossible time of securing a degree in a quality major.

Here are two links that support the value of the SAT and SAT2 in college admission:

2009 SAT scores National by demographic

Validity of SAT

I do not suppose that we should be developing majors of lower academic caliber for the new arrivals? Doesn’t Cal Poly have enough of those already?

The California Master Plan of higher education was developed to grant admission based on a multi-tiered system: the best and the brightest would have an opportunity to attend a U.C., the next tier was the C.S.U., and for those who still needed to sharpen their skills before trying for the brass ring, there was the community college. Consequently, opening up Cal Poly to accept students who should learn the elementary skills of reading, math and science by first attending a community college is ill-advised.

Cornel and David, we’re all for fair play and diversity, but your comments about “a retreat from a merit system” are too vague. Please give us your explicit promise that you will not deviate from use of GPA and SAT data to meet your goals.

This is a really bad idea. Work harder, Chip.

Roger Freberg

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finally biting the bullet

finally becoming a life member of the National Rifle Association

I think I was ten years old when I received my first rifle and I still own it! It was a nice little 22 caliber Winchester rifle which was not very expensive then or by today’s standards. However, I did very well against the expensive competition rifles in contests. Since then I have loaned it out to some of the neighbors when they wished to take their kids shooting. Shhhh, many of the ‘Moms’ still don’t know! 😉 Still, I smile when so many of my liberal female neighbors tell me that they plan to run to my house if ‘something bad happens.’

I have always thought that there was risk in the second amendment — the right to bare arms — but I felt there was an even a greater risk and danger to not have it.  I love the story about one of the fears of Imperial Japan on the potential invasion of our country during WWII. They were concerned  that — in America —  there was ‘a gun in every bush.’ Like so many conquerors, felons and brutes, they all prefer safe ‘soft’ targets to armed citizens.

So, as I approach the second half of my life, I wanted to extend my membership and become a ‘life member’ of the  National Rifle Association …. not a big dream , but an honorable one.

For me, I was proud to make this donation and ‘bite the bullet’.

Roger Freberg

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feels more like the year of the cheetah

is this year going by quickly?

Various ‘Old’ people once told me that time passed a lot faster as they aged.  And finally, one day they woke up surprised to seeing an old person looking back at them in the mirror. I never thought of this as particularly comforting. My ‘belief’ was that age was a state of mind, and I still think it is… for the most part. And although I do admit that  one year does seem to fold into the next rather seamlessly , I  think there is a sensible reason for this. Most people enjoy the predictability of life when it comes on our terms and we find comfort in the routine. When life is routine and predictable , time passes quickly and hopefully more happily for each of us.

So many of my routines have always centered around food, oddly enough. So much so, that my daughter Karen after reflecting on my life exclaimed with astonishment that I was a ‘foodie.’  It’s fun when one can still astonish any member of the family. I have adopted a new comforting routine of a Sunday midday meal consisting of a  Spanish Tortilla that always seems to bring a smile. When one smiles, time does often feel like it passes faster and leaves us a bit happier.

Nothing brings family together better than a good occasion with great food (l to r) Laura Freberg, Leroy Sievers and Loraine Sievers (1980)
Nothing brings family together like a great occasion and good food! Left Photo (l to r) Laura Freberg, Leroy Sievers and Loraine Sievers (1980) Right photo: Kristin

So, find the routines — and food — you like and enjoy the journey and smile a bit more. This just may make you happier.

Roger

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romancing the corazonas

Somewhere there is a gene for food appreciation and I think we all have it! As Aton Ego said in  Ratatouille , “I don’t just like food, I LOVE it” seems to capture many of our family gatherings.

Karla definitely has her food preferences and when she likes something, we ALL hear about it! Karla was most distressed when our favorite store  COSTCO ran out of Corazonas ( oat bars), but since they are back in supply all is well with the world!

Karla drew the little picture above to show her appreciation.

Roger