Smoke and Mirrors with the Bookstore Monkey Biz

HILLSBOROUGH

Community College

HCC Community Communication #2

Ms. Larsen: A faculty member says that no other communication has appeared college-wide to her knowledge about this bookstore committee. Is this really number 2, or is that a deliberate mislead?

May I have copies under the Sunshine Law of previous emails on this subject that went college-wide?

This email—the first, I infer—looks, I fear, as it were a cover up for what has happened on this project backstairs in the GK bunker in state-secret mode.

According to an email I received from HCC Bookstore employee Maida Bello, the administration summoned three of the Bookstore women to GK to discuss what sounds like the end of the project that you claim below to be just beginning. Maida says a lawyer was present. She says y’all told the bookstore women they would get three months’ insurance in the bookstore deal with the new vendor. That announcement sounds like an endgame strategy to me.

May I have a public-information copy of the confidentiality statement that you made the committee people sign? Why make the project hush-hush, and now all of a sudden, you are beginning a bookstore-transfer festival of meetings? Why was it confidential in the first place? It’s public business. It should have been totally transparent.

Public-information request: Give me a “yes” or “no” to the question of whether you made the attributed comment below about Beverly Muller and Leann Horwood in open committee. Would others who sat in this committee say in a deposition that you said it or that you didn’t? If you did say what this anonymous Deepthroat sent me via letter about compiling a damaging file on Horwood and Muller who appeared before the Board on this issue, the Board should tell Dr. Stephenson to fire you for abysmal ethics. Under what authority do you have the right to tell other GK people to start spying on two women because they appeared before the Board of Trustees and urged that they on the two and log their conduct for possible retaliation evidently? And how is it that you made this comment and request in an open committee meeting as if spying on people and compiling damaging logs on them were standard operation procedure for the GK administration, which it apparently is.

If this indeed was your quote, you behaved in a vile manner indeed, one not worthy of a college administrator. You should resign or be fired.

Please, yes or no to my question about your saying the quote that Deepthroat attributed to you about Horwood and Muller.

lee drury de cesare

Sent me by mail by a GK Deepthroat:

Hi LLS BOROUGH

HCC administrators have made sure that your voice is not heard amongst HCC rank-and- file faculty and staff.

This past year, the administration has subtly pushed to eliminate hard-earned employees’

rights and benefits.

This past November, (If I gave you exact date/time/location my identity would be revealed; I would face immediate dismissal.) HCC vice president Barbara Larson while speaking to HCC -- 1j 11] - said the following, quote: I can see those two bookstore workers who spoke up at the board meeting are going to be a big problem. Start documenting things against them. I then said the following, quote: I’m already on it. v_’blacked out
Barbara Larson was most likely referring to the two HCC bookstore supervisors (Beverly Muller and Leann Horwood) who spoke up against outsourcing HCC bookstore operations at the 11/15/06 board meeting. I enclosed for you a copy of 11/15/06 board meeting minutes.

I’ve been with HCC for many, many years. and have witnessed administrators and their eager and willing department heads punish those who speak a differing voice. I fear that those two courageous bookstore supervisors will be punished for speaking out.

Back in 1999, Gwendolyn Stephenson. Sue Flaig and a bevy of managers, made up false charges against a HCC bookstore supervisor Miriam Del Rio. The bogus charges were later dropped ( hired attorney John W. Bakas, Jr.), but she was Deliberately harassed and eventually had to file a claim with the EEOC. I enclosed for you copies of internal HCC documents on that matter.

The lengths to which HCC administrators go to eliminate perceived threats to beyond human decency.

Please post this letter on your blog for others to see.

/i’CC 44va MpiV

‘i ) ,ipibAf r,

Community CoIIegeH

Lee Drury De Cesare,

iL5

DISTRICT

ADMINISTRATIVE

OFFICES

Date: January 12, 2007

To: HCC Community

From: Barbara Larson ]~L,

Subject: Bookstore Review Process

As part of my efforts to keep you fully informed, I want to update you on the bookstore review process. As you are aware, the College is conducting a review of bookstore operations through a formal review process including a Request for Proposal (RFP), an invitation to companies to present the College with proposals for bookstore operations reflective of the 21st century. Which other century could it reflect? The 14^th perhaps? Or is the meaning more subtle: that the process reflects HCC’s contribution to globalization via dumping employees into the hell hole of minimum-wage slavery with no benefits? We also requested that our current Bookstore management participate in the process based on what they feel should be invested and developed to better enhance bookstore services to students, faculty and staff in the future. When did you bring in bookstore management? What specific date?

This process in no way guarantees that we will ultimately recommend that

bookstore operations move to a private vendor. The word I get is that it is a “done deal”; that it follows the usual management flimflam of GK to decide inside the bunker and then put on a PR out-story to bedazzle the proletariat. After reviewing proposals from outside firms, the College has the right to reject all proposals. Rather we believe the process will serve to clarify the best option for the College in terms of service and convenience to students, This redundant comma splits a compound object of a preposition. and financial benefits to the College.

I want to update you on the status of the current process.

The request for proposal (RFP #2403-07) was issued on November 8, 2006, with

proposals from external vendors due on December 12, 2006. Was the Committee formed then? If not, when? The original RFP plus all addenda issued in response to vendor questions may be viewed at the Purchasing Department’s web site http://www.hccfl.edu/purchasinfl/Bidpa.qe.htm. I assume that all committee meetings and any emails discussing this subject, indeed, any data even if on a piece of scrap toilet paper will appear in this file. The Public-Records law requires everything if a person wants to see it, and I do.

The College received three responsive proposals from vendors; Texas Book Company, Follett and Barnes & Noble. One proposal from a fourth vendor was determined to be nonresponsive and was rejected. Per the State of Florida’s public records statutes, these proposals became public documents 10 days after proposals were opened, Redundant comma splits a compound verb. and may be viewed in the Purchasing Department. Please call Rebecca Morrison, Buyer, lower case at x 7151

if you wish to view these documents on site. The College’s bookstore was given a

longer period of time, until January 17, 2007, Redundant commas: restrictive adjectival prepositional phrase. The bookstore had a longer period until January 17, not until January 18th.to submit its own business plan for consideration.

A representative team of faculty, staff Standard English retains the final comma in items in a series. Check the current English departmental grammar book: it should reflect this rule. HCC is an academic institution, so you should follow standard punctuation. and students is serving as the Bookstore Review team, and are The subject of this verb is “team.” The verb should be singular. You would assist clarity by splitting the overloaded sentence to two clauses: “and we list its members below.” listed below. These members are currently reviewing the written responses from the three external vendors in preparation for a consensus ranking meeting to be held on Friday, January 19, 2007. This meeting is an open meeting to college community and members of the public interested in observing the deliberations. How would the people in the public know about this meeting unless they had taken an interest in the project because the administration shut down their email? Does an audience member get to ask questions? Or is this openness palaver simply to assume a virtue though you have it not?

The process requires that team members have access to computers so that proposal

evaluation software called eRFP, Redundant comma: “called eRFP” is a restrictive participial phrase. There are many kinds of proposal-evaluation software according to Google. may be used to assist in this work. The meeting is scheduled for Dale Mabry Learning Resources Center Room 317 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Comment on the writing style: It is wordy, and flabby passive verbs pack it.

Book Store Team Members

Co-Chair, Elizabeth Johnson, Dean, Assoc, Sci. & Technology, Dale Mabry

Co-Chair, Steve Shields, Director Risk Management, Safety and Auxiliary Services

Anthony Murphy, Business Faculty, Dale Mabry

Cindy Hewett, English for Academic Purposes Faculty, Dale Mabry

Steve Wall, English/Humanities Faculty, Plant City

Dr. Susan Miletta, Biology Faculty, Ybor City

Michele Martinez, Accounting Faculty, Brandon

Dr. Emery Alford, Dean of Academic Affairs, Ybor City

Joanne Heald, Campus Business Assistant, Brandon

Virginia Perez, Financial Aid Manager, Brandon Campus

Sandra Strobel, Academic Advisor, Plant City

Alex Thierren, Student Government Representative, Dale Mabry

Mary Carter, Student Government Representative, Ybor City

Carol Alford, Equity Program Manager, District

Team Resource Persons (non-voting)

Mr. Darson Bullard, Auxiliary Services Officer

Ms. Rebecca Morrison, Buyer, Purchasing Department

Mr. William Wimberly, College Bookstore Manager

As with any formal, public purchasing process, our goal is to conduct a fair and open evaluation process. Therefore, team members were requested not to discuss specific proposals among themselves, Redundant comma: Don’t split compound adverbial prepositional phrases. or with vendors outside of team meetings, Redundant comma: “But” does not signal a contrasting element. “Not” does. but to participate with their colleagues in an open and deliberative setting. This This what? Vague pronoun reference does not preclude team members from seeking and hearing your Who is this “your”? input as the process moves forward. Also, the team plans to hold open forums on campuses to gather input from students, faculty Comma: items in a series and staff. The tentative schedule of events over the next several months is as follows:

Timeframe Activity

You need semicolons or bullets with these items.

January 17,2007 colon HCC Bookstore Business Plan submitted to Purchasing

Department

January 19,2007 colon Bookstore Review Team meets to reach consensus

ranking of outside vendor proposals based on written

Early February proposals only’ This fragment makes no sense.

Bookstore Review team conducts tours of other

Colleges, colleges’ bookstores? both self-operated and contracted

Mid to late February colon Selected vendors invited to provide formal, No comma: cumulative, not equal, adjectives oral presentations to the committee and open presentations to the College lower case community.

Timeframe Activity

Early March Bookstore Review Team identifies highest ranked external vendor and provides analysis of HCC

Bookstore business plan, HCC Bookstore invited to

provide formal, oral presentation for the committee and

open presentations to the Colle~ie community.

Mid-March Bookstore Review Team makes Recommendation to

President’s Cabinet

April 2007 President makes Recommendation to Board of

Trustees

Please contact a member of the Bookstore Review Team if you have questions or

concerns as the process moves forward. Thank you.

c: President Gwendolyn Stephenson

District Board of Trustees

This email confirms my expressed contention when I was still teaching at DM that the GK administration needs an on-site editor to clean up basic writing errors it stumbles into when its scholars manqué put words on a page. Error-festooned productions such as Ms. Larsen’s disgrace the college and mock the taxpayers who think they pay the bloated salaries of people who know enough to function at peak literacy in the academic world. The flagged Carsen errors are not esoteric: they are the kind that English teachers insist remedial-English students weed from their writing before advancing into freshman English.

If Ms. Larsen will give me the name of the outfit that granted her a baccalaureate, I will write the president and tell him that she has standing to sue the place for malpractice. People who can’t handle standard punctuation protocol should not get bachelor’s degrees even from diploma mills, a source of many administrators’ faux credentials.