CSUN University News Clippings

Ventura community college board cuts some jobs, adds others

(October 14, 2009)

By Jean Cowden Moore

The board that oversees Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges has abolished 10 jobs and created nine others, hoping that a reorganization will make the campuses run more efficiently.

“The idea behind this was to strengthen services on campus,” Chancellor James Meznek told a crowd at Tuesday’s meeting of the Ventura County Community College District board.

Five of the abolished jobs, and six of the new ones, are in the district’s information technology department. In addition, the district is laying off its three public information officers, who worked at the individual campuses, while adding a marketing specialist who will work out of the district office. The Oxnard College bookstore lost two jobs and gained two.

The board voted on each of the job categories separately. The vote on the information technology jobs was 4-1 with Trustee Art Hernandez opposed. The board voted 3-2 on the public information and marketing jobs, with Trustees Cheryl Heitmann and Hernandez opposed. The vote on the book store jobs was 5-0.

The board also eliminated an 11th job that was funded through grants on a 5-0 vote.

About eight speakers opposed the layoffs, arguing the board should not dismiss the expertise of longtime employees, particularly in public relations.

“Each college has different histories and strengths, and serves their communities in different ways, so to clump them together as if they’re one won’t be as effective as having one P.R. person for each school,” said Kathleen McBride, a student at Ventura College. “How can someone new to the job, working off campus, perform as effectively as these three people?”

Publication: Ventura County Star