OPINION
A screengrab of a no confidence ballot (Photo – Graphics Dept.)
On May 4, PCC’s faculty senate’s vote of no confidence on the college’s leadership was ratified by all full-time faculty across campus.
By Melissa Michelson
Full-time professors at Pasadena City College were given one week to ratify the resolution of no confidence that had passed the Academic Senate on April 12. Loosely following Section 6.1 of the senate’s bylaws related to initiatives / referenda, the referendum of no confidence on the president and the board of trustees was administered as an anonymous online ballot to full-time faculty only. Part-time faculty do not qualify to vote in senate initiatives.
276 out of 415 full-time faculty participated: 163 members voted in support of the Academic Senate’s vote of no confidence, 95 faculty voted against it and 18 abstained. The Academic Senate’s resolution, which also cited the Board of Trustees, was not included with the ballot, but can be read here.
The vote passed despite an op-ed published in the Pasadena Star News on April 26, in which former PCC president and chancellor of California’s community colleges Jack Scott, praised PCC President Erika Endrijonas. “I am citing these highlights because a vote is now being circulated among the PCC faculty on a divisive, ill-advised referendum questioning Dr. Endrijonas’ leadership.”
“Some faculty believe the return to campus instruction was too swift,” writes Scott in his article, referring to the forced return of students to on-campus classes away from classes on Zoom, in mid-January 2022 when the Omicron strain of the COVID19 virus was peaking in LA County.
On April 23, Endrijonas was seen at the centennial of the University Club of Pasadena with Jack Scott, whom she referred to on Twitter as her “awesome date.”
A screengrab from PCC President’s social account (Photo – @pccprez)
PCC Professor Shannon Maraghy questions Endrijonas’ motivations for aspirations toward chancellor and she shares why the vote of no confidence was appropriate.
“President Endrijonas failed to engage in shared governance, despite the fact she is legally obligated to, according to Title 5 Educational Code of California. She ignored two protests held on campus, as well as the 2500 student signatures on the change.org petition asking to stay remote for a few more weeks until it was safe.”
“She unilaterally mandated the return to campus on 1/24 without consulting any of us stakeholders, without doing any polling to see how we felt, without any compassion for our fears that it wasn’t yet safe.”
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