Edel Alonso: Mr. Berger, some things need fixing

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In a Letter to the Editor published in The Signal Oct. 29, College of the Canyons board member Mike Berger, in his endorsement of incumbent Bruce Fortine, stated, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

Mr. Berger, my view is some things are broken and need fixing:

  • Recently the college was involved in expensive lawsuits. The attorneys’ fees and settlement costs for two lawsuits totaled in excess of $1 million.
  • A review of the Valencia campus accessibility for disabled students revealed 6,859 instances of non-compliance with the Americans with Disability Act.
  • Measure C moneys were used to construct a Student Services building to house multiple services. Approximately one-third of the building is unusable hallway up to second story skylight, one-third administration and one-third services. So much for the one-stop model of access.
  • Every semester 4,000 students are placed on waiting lists, delaying their graduation or transfer to university.
  • The only building students have asked for in 15 years has been a parking structure, and yet six other new buildings were built and other buildings expanded – none of them addressing students’ major concern.
  • The budget development process is ignored and resources diverted to special projects – this at the expense of programs that have been ignored and under-funded and desperately in need of improvement.

The solar program, the nanotechnology lab and the sterile clean room are samples of programs and facilities that have been sitting empty for years after costly investments.
If elected by the voters of the Santa Clarita Community College District, I will:

  • Use common sense and sound judgment to avoid costly lawsuits.
  • Make sure the campus is accessible to able and disabled students.
  • Advocate for enough classes to meet student needs.
  • Make decisions based on budget priorities that put students first.
  • Live stream/televise board meetings for accountability.

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