Story by Ana Acosta
Forty faculty members have signed a petition asking the Faculty Senate to consider the performance of President/Superintendent Joi Lin Blake’s leadership.
Two English professors, Rafiki Jenkins and Barbara Kelber, presented the petition to the Faculty Senate on Sept. 23. Kelber requested Faculty Senate to conduct a poll for full time faculty members to determine the level of confidence in President Blake’s leadership.
The petition calls for immediate consideration of President Blake’s job performance, claiming Blake has failed to “consistently observe the policies and procedures established through shared governance.”
The petition also states that Blake has shown failure in leadership, citing that multiple administrators have resigned under her Presidency. The document also claims that she has failed to maintain fiscal responsibility.
The Faculty Senate will host a vote whether faculty members have confidence or no confidence in the future of Blake’s presidency.
Professors Lesley Blankenship-Williams and Shannon Lienhart are among those who have signed the petition. Both professors have a history of repeatedly expressing dissatisfaction in Blake’s leadership through the Palomar Files blog (www.palomarfilesblog.com) and during public comment at Governing Board meetings.
The Faculty Senate will provide full-time faculty members with anonymous voting ballots. At the Sept. 30 meeting, members will approve the wording of the poll and then confidential ballots will be distributed and witnessed by an independent third-party.
If the vote is significant, it will be presented to the Governing Board, where board trustees will make a decision on how to respond to the vote.
UPDATE: President Blake has chosen to withhold comment until the poll is completed.
Here are the Departments and faculty members who signed the petition:
English Department
Jerry Rafiki Jenkins
Barb Neault Kelber
Brent Gowen
Martin Japtok
Pamela McDonough
Andrea Bell
Jennifer A. Backman
Behavioral Sciences Dept.
Netta Schroer
Frederic Rose
Jim Eighmey
James Fent
Business Administration Department
Michael Gilken
Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences Department
Mark Lane
Cathy Jain
Biology Department
Elizabeth Pearson
Lesley Blankenship-Williams
Sara Krause
Math Department
Wendy Metzger
Jay Weistling
Cynthia Anfinson
Shannon Lienhart
John Harland
Library Department
Linda D. Morrow
April Cunningham
Reading Department
Melinda Carrillo
American Indian Studies Department
Seth San Juan
Patricia A. Dixon
Art Department
Mark Hudelson
Nursing Department
Julie Van Houten
ESL Department
Nimoli Madan
Tracy Fung
Gary Sosa
Speech Communications and ASL Department
Chris Lowry
World Languages Department
Beatrice Manneh
Political Science Department
Peter Bowman
Christopher Johnson
Public Safety Department
Kevin Barrett
Athletics, Health and Kinesiology Department
Lacey Craft
Joe Early
