Sierra staff blasts back: College interim president praised for message accusing Simmons of stifling faculty members

Auburn Journal
By: Loryll Nicolaisen, Journal Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 9, 2006 10:36 PM PDT

ROCKLIN - Dr. Morgan Lynn, Sierra College interim president, received a standing ovation from a packed board room Tuesday evening for her "thoughtful and heroic message" accusing board president Jerry Simmons of trying to quiet staff members who are board critics."

I am so proud she took a stand, finally," said Kent Pollock, who is one of three Sierra College staff members named in Lynn's e-mail accusing Simmons, which was sent to trustees Friday and caused a flurry of further e-mails throughout the campus community.

Tuesday's board meeting at Sierra College was packed with school supporters and community members who spilled into the hallway when chairs were no longer available.

The meeting continued into Tuesday night, and trustees had yet to respond to public comment by the Auburn Journal evening deadline.

Pollock spoke out against Simmons and trustee Aaron Klein during public comment at Tuesday's board meeting.

"Your pattern is clear," he said to Simmons. "You create a non-issue, usually at someone's personal expense, then you build up the non-issue into a problem, then you righteously claim credit for solving a problem you created."

Lynn mentioned in her memo to trustees that Simmons asked that Pollock, a part-time faculty member and adviser to the school's student newspaper, be disciplined after an editorial Pollock wrote was published in the Auburn Journal."

He indicated that 'the college newspaper is awful and if Kent were doing his job instead of writing op-ed pieces, the paper might be better,'" Lynn said.

Pollock said Tuesday that he agreed with Simmons, that Lynn's memo "misrepresented the tone and substance of your conversations with her."

"You didn't say the newspaper was 'awful,' you said it was, quote, a 'piece of (expletive),' and you said that when you were screaming," Pollock said.

Elizabeth Hubbs, the 20-year-old editor of The Outlook student newspaper, put the finishing touches on what she wanted to say to trustees Tuesday afternoon.

Hubbs heard about Lynn's letter and Simmons' remarks through Pollock, who told her not to take anything personally."

How could I not take something like that personally?" Hubbs said. "I live here, this is my life and for someone to criticize it ... it just hurts." Hubbs thinks The Outlook is already at a disadvantage, and Simmons' comments add insult to injury."We're lacking in staff and resources here and we're trying to do our best, and when people say our best is awful, it hurts," she said.

Dr. Lynn also said in her letter that she met with a "visibly upset" Johnnie Terry, academic senate president, on Thursday. Terry has received a message from Simmons through Winsome Jackson, Sierra College Faculty Association President, saying "essentially that Johnnie needs to 'back off,'" Lynn wrote.

Lynn also said in her memo that Simmons asked Lynn to discipline Anthony Maki Gill, president of the classified senate, for sending a campaign flier via campus e-mail.

Lynn said in the memo that this was not the first time Simmons sought to discipline Gill and that she informed Simmons that Gill could not be singled out."

Jerry is not the college president and we don't need this kind of micro-management, not to mention that we do not treat our employees in this manner," Lynn wrote.

Everyone's entitled to their opinions, Simmons said Monday."I do believe in free speech for everyone but not in political campaigning on a government e-mail system and not leaking attorney-client privileged information through the media," he said.

Johnnie Terry said Tuesday that whenever he has conflict with someone he asks, "What did I do?"

"Jerry, when I read the e-mail detailing your request for a stellar employee like Anthony Gill and a multi-prize winning journalism instructor like Kent Pollock to be disciplined for speaking out, everything was clarified," Terry said.

"Jerry, it's not me. College community, it's not us."

Joe Medeiros, coordinator of the college's interdisciplinary program, received a forwarded copy of Lynn's letter, which he then sent along to all faculty and staff Monday via e-mail.

Medeiros said Simmons and trustees Nancy Palmer, Aaron Klein and Scott Leslie, have "sent Sierra College into a tailspin."

"It's apparent you have no idea how to get it out," he said during public comment Tuesday. "I suggest a new crew in the cockpit, starting with the captain."

The Journal's Loryll Nicolaisen can be reached at lorylln@goldcountrymedia.com.