The Day That Changed JCCC

Walking on the Ledge

Notes on a Scandal

Five years ago today I walked into Charles J. Carlsen’s office with a reporter’s notebook, recorder, and a folder full of documents. I ask the then president of Johnson County Community College if he sexually harassed an employee.

I wasn’t scared. I passed scared 13 months earlier when I first learned of the allegations. I was terrified — terrified, but focused.

At some point I may post the audio recording of my meeting that included Carlsen; Susan Lindahl, vice president of College Relations and Strategic Initiatives; and Anne Chrisitansen-Bullers, adviser of The Campus Ledger.

I kept a log of that time just in case I found myself in court. On this fifth anniversary of that meeting, I want to share an edited version of that day’s entry. I edited it because during my 13-month investigation into the allegations, I spoke with many brave JCCC employees. Because of their bravery, I promised to hold certain information private.

This edited version is not an attempt to reframe history but rather an attempt to continue honoring my promise.

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Trustee Causes Chaos

Hodge Admits Trustees Lack “day-to-day” Contact with Campus

Hodge

I guess I should thank Ben Hodge for unknowingly validating one of the cornerstones of my campaign for JCCC Trustee as he fired back at JCCC  college president Terry Calaway.

Hodge, a JCCC trustee and fellow candidate for the April 7 board election,  issued a press release in response to the statement Calaway released Tuesday.

Hodge answers specific points made by Calaway and charges the board with misinterpreting the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA). As a student employee I’ve had my own experiences holding the board — including Hodge — to KOMA and Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) provisions. However one phrase in Hodge’s statement exposed one of the board’s long-standing weaknesses:

“As is often the case with board members (who don’t experience the day-to-day environment of the college), I really do not know what the average employee thinks about all this – or whether the average employee even knows or cares.”

That’s quite an admission. It also highlights one of my unique strengths as a candidate — a strength no other candidate in this race can claim — I walk these halls on a daily basis. I know this campus. I am a leader in student clubs and serve on employee committees. When I take my seat as a trustee, I’ll continue walking these halls as a student.

Read Hodge’s entire press release here.

Filed!

I’m officially a candidate for the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees — again.

From The Latino Reporter