Overflow Crowd Urges Board to Drop Gov as Commencement Speaker

By Ann Williams
Special to The Lookout

June 8 -- In the latest turn in an escalating controversy, an overflow crowd urged the Santa Monica College Board Monday night to “disinvite” Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as the commencement speaker at next week’s graduation.

The large group -- which included students, faculty, regional activists, residents and about a dozen journalists and TV camera crews -- was unusual for a Board of Trustees meeting and may be a preview of the protests planned for next Tuesday night’s graduation ceremony.

"We're just in shock and dismay about the college inviting the Governor to come here," former Mayor Paul Rosenstein told the Board, expressing the majority view of the more than 60 protestors who came to be counted.

"This Board is accountable to the public," Rosenstein said. "You must find another way to disinvite this Governor and not bring shame to this community."

While meeting rules did not allow the board to respond to public comments, Interim President Thomas J. Donner had prepared a written statement about the Governor's appearance.

"The college is honored that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be our commencement speaker,” Donner said. “He is the governor of the state of California, he is an alumnus of Santa Monica College, and he has been very supportive of community colleges -- his budgets reflect that support."

Cindy Kelly, a student, made it clear that she doesn't want her graduation turning into a political free-for-all. She will be graduating Tuesday, the first in her family to finish college. Her family will be at the ceremony.

"It saddens me that nine days before my commencement this is going on,” Kelly said, her voice trembling. “I don't care if Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks.

“All I want is a graduation that is free from demonstration and a graduation that really puts the honor where it needs to be placed, on the students and their achievements," Kelly said.

The dispute extended into the ranks of staff and faculty leadership at the College.

"Right now there's a glaring indicator light going off in regards to bringing the Governor to graduation exercises," said Carl Gettleman, president of the Classified Senate, likening the reaction of classified personnel to a warning light on a car's dashboard which shouldn't be ignored.

The Governor "threatens to end the defined benefit pension plan that enables public workers to retire while advocating the outsourcing" of their jobs, said Gettleman. "Naturally the classified employees of the College find him to be a poor choice for a keynote speaker."

On May 10, the Academic Senate voted 32 to 8 in favor of a resolution opposing the Governor's policies towards education, said Lesley Kawaguchi, president of the Academic Senate which represents College faculty.

Calling their position "a middle ground," Kawaguchi said, "We do not wish the Governor's appearance to be misconstrued as an endorsement of his policies, leadership and initiatives."

The Academic Senate "isn't calling to disinvite" the Governor and "recognizes that commencement is about and for the students of Santa Monica College and will honor their achievement with respect,” she said. “However, there is anger over the Governor's selection."

There were plenty of speakers who disagreed with Donner's evaluation of the Governor's budget and its effect on California's schools.

"California is currently ranked 46th nationwide for education performance and we're spending over $600 less per year per student than the national average," one student speaker pointed out.

She and others cited tuition hikes and the $2 billion that the Governor promised to pay back to California's schools this year, a promise the State Department of Finance claims he cannot keep in this "difficult budget year."

"What are we modeling here?” said Marcy Winograd, president of Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles. “Imagine sitting in the audience, you're a senior about to graduate and up on the podium is this thief.

"He stole $3 billion from education, and if he continues on this current trajectory it will be another total $6 billion," she said. "Why don't we just go to San Quentin and find a thief to invite to this commencement ceremony."

Winograd was part of a coalition that organized last night's protest to the Board.

The organizers were so successful that all of their speakers couldn't fit into the board room. Campus police had to split the crowd and put the overflow of about 30 into the next room, where they could listen to an audio feed of the meeting.

"This is what I call procedural intimidation," said Shawn Casey O'Brien, a radio show host from KPFK who had come to speak against the Governor's presence.

The board made sure all of the people who wanted to speak were able to do so.

The College has been in an uproar for more than a month since it became public knowledge that the Governor was coming to speak at its commencement exercises.

Piedad Robertson, the former President of the College, had invited Schwarzenegger to speak at the 2004 commencement in 2003 after he appointed her to his transition team. He is speaking at this year's commencement because he was unable to come last year, college officials said.

Many complained last night that Robertson's invitation was issued without any input from student, faculty or staff organizations.

"This has never been an issue before" said Bruce Smith, the college’s spokesman. The invitation, which has always been made directly by the President to the speaker, has never generated this kind of controversy, he said.

The Governor, who took general education classes at the College from Spring 1971 to Fall 1974, will speak at the commencement exercises which will be held on Corsair Field, the athletic field at Santa Monica College, starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, 2005.

Because of the crowds that are expected, seating will be limited to graduates and their friends and families.