I wouldn't normally share something like this, but I feel very close to many of you and wanted to spill my guts, so to speak. I spent 7.5 years as a College Board member of PCC, and like any role, there were time when things were going well and of course there were times where things didn't go well. In general, I rolled with the punches because I felt the overall good being provided by the Board and by the College outweighed the political BS that came with the role. Early in 2016, I (and the Board as a whole) was blindsided by an effort on the part of the College to support a "grassroots" effort to put on a "Whiteness History Month" event (more here: https://www.pcc.edu/about/diversity/c... ). Silly me, I felt that the purpose of an institution of higher education was to educate students, not to indoctrinate them. Fast forward to November 2016. Another "grassroots" effort on the part of "the students" came forth to demand (not request) that the College be deemed a "Sanctuary College". While there is no legal definition of that term, it clearly carries a political meaning that I do not personally subscribe to nor could I get behind. The Board consists of seven members, and from my conversations I knew there were four members in support of this request, so this was going to pass no matter what. If there is some comic relief to be had from the Board's vote to affirm that declaration, it was that the Students in attendance at the Board Meeting were angry that the Board didn't go far enough for their liking. https://www.pcc.edu/about/administrat...

The College is making two major mistakes, in my opinion: (1) they are perceiving the voice of the students to be the voice of the majority, but instead it is the voice of a very vocal minority of students; and (2) they feel that the student, as the customer of the College, is always right, but as we know the customer is NOT always right.

Below is the letter of resignation I sent to the President and College Board on December 20:

President Mitsui and Board members,

I have spoken to each of you, so it should not be a surprise that I was not aligned with the College's decision to deem itself a "sanctuary college". As I've shared with you, I felt that the decision to use the term "sanctuary college" politicizes the college, places risk on the backs of the 40+ percent of the college's students that receive Pell grant monies (and ultimately on the college's Federal funding), and alienates a percentage of voters as we approach the college's next bond campaign. From my Intel career, I understand and have embraced the importance of "disagree and commit" in order to provide a one-voice on matters. However, on this issue I cannot commit. For that reason, I am resigning my position as Board Chair and as Board Member serving Zone 6.

I wish the Board and the College well.

Best regards,
Your_Name_Goes_Here (smile)