Open Letter To CCSF BOT Pres. Shanell Williams & Bd: Do You Know Who Dr. Rajen Vurdien Is?

Open Letter To CCSF BOT Pres. Shanell Williams & Bd: Do You Know Who Is?

Open Letter To CCSF Board Of Trustees President Shanell Williams & Board: Do You Know Who President Dr. Rajen Vurdien Is & His Record At Pasadena City College & Why Are You Hiring Him?

"Terms of the contract being offered to Dr. Vurdien include a salary of $340,000 plus benefits for one year and up to $10,000 to reimburse him for moving costs."

Dear CCSF Trustees,

I would hope that before you approve of the contract* to hire Dr. Vurdien as CCSF’s interim chancellor that you verify the accuracy of two articles cited below.

One accuses him of discriminatory hiring practices. The other concerns his being fined for violating Government Code Section 87207 for not disclosing gifts from a company that sells bonds while he was president of North Orange County Community College District.

If either or both of the articles are accurate, please inform the college community what you plan to do.

Excerpts from two articles are below.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Rick Baum


From: https://www.pasadenajournal.com/black-audacity-at-pasadena-city-college.html

August 2015, under President Dr. Rajen Vurdien, 36 new employees were hired and not a single one was African American. At the time, Black Student enrollment represented 6% of the PCC Student Body (Source: California’s Chancellor’s Office)

Since 2015 PCC has had two President’s, four Human Resources Vice President’s, two Vice President’s of Instruction, two separate Chief Business Officers and countless other personnel changes.

The institutionalized discrimination, which has continuously and boldly passed from PCC administration to PCC administration, for at least five years if not more is what prompted the Pasadena NAACP to release in March 2020 “Pasadena NAACP Demands Solutions for the Hidden Figures at Pasadena City College: Black Women.” The full two-page document is available by request by contacting the Pasadena NAACP office….

Allen Edson, Pasadena NAACP President, and his predecessor, Del Yarbrough received numerous inquiries to the revered civil rights organization by black employees, yet they have been told over the course of the past five years by various PCC presidents, administrators and Trustees that they were “looking into the matter.”

The lack of respect showcased in the five plus years “looking exercise,” has resulted in no investigations nor corrected behavior by the Aspen award winning institution.

Over the years various local media including the campus newspaper, The Courier have also investigated and raised concerns about discrimination at PCC.

Black employees’ concerns are valid, yet they have been placed on the proverbial back burner, which has a compounding negative effect when ignored, of stress & income inequality as they juggle the lack of upward mobility and not getting a fair share of promotions.

“PCC has not arrived in the 21st century. It has stuck with discriminatory employment practices that most of us assumed had ended long ago. The invidious discrimination at PCC is not limited to an isolated incident - it exists across the board - at an institution that is fundamentally important to our City and society. I am outraged to learn that such discrimination still exists in the hiring and promotion process at PCC.

Supporting the leadership and call of the Pasadena Branch of the National Association of Colored People, I have a reasonable belief that the new President of PCC, Dr. Erika Endrijonas, will take all steps necessary to remedy the situation post haste.” - John J. Kennedy, Former President, Pasadena NAACP, Former Senior Vice President; Los Angeles Urban League; Former Vice Mayor and Current Pasadena Councilmember.

https://ocpolitical.com/tag/rajen-vurdien/

According to the Sacramento Bee one of the bond advisers named in giving gifts to the seven NOCCCD officials is E.J. De La Rosa & Co., Inc , which has underwritten 375 bonds totaling $14.5 Billion for local governments since 2009.

Below is the stipulation and order by the FPPC for the seven NOCCCD officials due to gift reporting violations:

Staff: Political Reform Consultant Adrianne Korchmaros, Legal Analyst Tracey Frazier, and Law Clerk Kyle Levy. In this matter, Respondent, Rajen Vurdien, as the President of the North Orange County Community College District, failed to timely disclose gift(s) of: one meal valued at $153.86 on his 2010 Statement of Economic Interests; and one meal valued at $180.00 on his 2011 Statement of Economic Interests. All gifts were from E.J. De La Rosa & Co., Inc. and all omissions were in violation of Government Code Section 87207 (2 counts). Total Proposed Penalty: $400.

_______________________


*FYI: terms of the contract being offered to Dr. Vurdien include a salary of $340,000 plus benefits for one year and up to $10,000 to reimburse him for moving costs.


Pasadena Commmunity College Students protest cuts at Pasadena City College by Mark Rocha Who Was Hired By CCSF Shanell Williams & BOT and given over $400,000 in a pay. off to go away because of his wrecking operation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4jFkA8yWFs

Stop The Closure of CCSF Ft. Mason & Other Campuses & Classes At SF Community College
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUlfNdGgUVY

A rally was held on June 22, 2020 at San Francisco Community College Ft. Mason campus which has been shut down by the Board of Trustees with the pretext that it was costing too much money to run.

Speakers discussed the fact that the Community College was actually getting funding from the state for the classes and functioning of the college.

Speakers also reported on the destruction of elderly classes, vocational classes and the cutting of classes for Black and ethnic studies.

This event was sponsored by a variety of students and public education advocates including Fort Mason Task Force, Restore the Dream, CCSF Collective, HEAT, San Francisco Bayview Newspaper, SF Gray Panthers and others.

Additional media:
CCSF Art Students Do Art & MusicTo Save Ft. Mason & Stop Privatization Of Balboa Reservoir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3jdKvOHzls

Protest To Stop The Destruction of CCSF Through Elimination of ESL, Shuttering of Campuses, Privatization & Union Busting
https://youtu.be/GzGEZRrOWqY

Stop The Cuts! Hundreds of CCSF Students & Faculty Protest 300 Class Cuts AT BOT Meet-SF & CA Demos Lead The Attack On Public Education
https://youtu.be/7ohpgRD_cOg

CCSF Board Of Trustees At Meeting All Support Chancellor Rocha Cuts & Union Busting
https://youtu.be/2uwdqug6Ii4

AFT 2121 CCSF Faculty Speak Out On Rocha Budget Cuts & Public Education
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCjhCG0wunc

Students, Faculty & Community Demand STOP The CUTS At CCSF With Funeral
https://youtu.be/2caDc_WN60g

Shooting Yourself In The Foot & Increasing Executive Salaries At CCSF By Chancellor Rocha
https://youtu.be/3esO55xUlp8

Speak-out On Privatization of Balboa Reservoir For Developers Which Threatens SF City College
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbeRvY-HRhY

BUSTING up CCSF! CCSF Chancellor, Bd President & Bd Majority Wrecking City College
https://youtu.be/pizpoBQcQuQ

The Downsizing & Privatization Of CCSF "Vision 2025" & The Secret Illegal CCSF Board Meetings
https://youtu.be/JhDq_BakeQo

Privatization and Destruction of CCSF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnDjK5RAkes&t=2s

Build The PAEC NOW! Stop The Privatization & Developers Rip-off Scam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkGMe_w6JaU

Conflicts of Interest, CCSF & The Attack On Public Education Privatization With Kathy Carroll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux4mRloWBEA&t=3s

Public Education, Privatization, Corruption And The
Destruction Of Our Schools
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_eu5u70tTE

"Are You Out Of Your Minds"? AFT 2121 Faculty Challenge CCSF Board On Mark Rocha Appointment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEZpOS8p4gQ

For more information:
https://ccsfheat.wordpress.com and endorsed by the
CCSF Collective
https://www.ccsfcollective.org
Production of Labor Video Project
http://www.laborvideo.org