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Compton
Community College Board Gives Nod to New MOU
Compton, El
Camino officials say new agreement clarifies original one
By
Cheryl Scott
Bulletin Staff Writer
The
Compton Community College Board of Trustees has approved a new Memorandum
of Understanding with El Camino College District that will take effect
on July 1. The new agreement is meant to be a refinement of the original
MOU and a clarification of the responsibilities and obligations of
each party.
“We’ve been working together with El Camino for two years
now,” said
Compton Special Trustee Peter Landsberger. “In any partnership,
issues come up that need clarification after time. The purpose of this
new agreement is to move toward the dual goals of enabling the Compton
Community College District to stand on its own two feet and manage
its own finances.”
Thomas Fallo, superintendent and president of El Camino Community College,
told The Bulletin, “El Camino has brought forward our expertise
to help Compton manage its day-to-day operations in such a way as to
be in a position to be re-accredited within eight to 10 years.”
Attached to the agreement is an outline delineating steps toward accreditation.
According to the agreement, “Obtaining accreditation for the
center will be a multi-year process. Based on the Eligibility, Candidacy
and Initial Accreditation Manual published by the Accrediting Commission
for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), the parties have outlined
the steps required to gain accreditation and an anticipated time frame.”
The new agreement clearly delineates the process by which the college
will be accredited once all qualifications for accreditation have been
met. El Camino will apply for accreditation of the Compton Center as
a satellite facility. If accreditation is approved by the ACCJC, the
center will simultaneously be delivered as an accredited college to
the Compton Community College District.
At least once a year El Camino is required to submit a report to the
Special Trustee summarizing progress towards obtaining accreditation
for the center, the remaining steps required to gain accreditation
and a current anticipated time frame for the center’s accreditation.
“There is no change in the plan to get the college accredited
again,” said
Landsberger. “We have just defined the process, which is in accordance
with federal and state laws regarding accreditation of educational
facilities.”
Both Landsberger and Fallo said they are aware that there is misunderstanding
in the community of Compton regarding the intent to restore Compton
Community College. “In this process, we have had to completely
eliminate all reference to ‘Compton College’ in our official
printed documentation, advertising and correspondence,” Fallo
said. “This is not because we want to take over the college permanently.
It is because when it’s time to apply for accreditation, we will
have to apply under the name of El Camino for a separate college that
will, at that time, be part of our operation. Once the accreditation
is received, it will be transferred as an accredited school back to
the Compton Community College District, which can change the name to
whatever they want at that time.”
Input received from the community and from members of the Compton Community
College Board of Trustees indicates that there has been widespread
dissatisfaction at the change of name to the El Camino Compton Center.
Fallo said, “It’s important to note that El Camino is responsible
for the accreditation process. Obtaining accreditation of El Camino
Center as an independent college and a unit of the El Camino College
District, and the simultaneous transfer of the newly accredited college
to the Compton district is what has been intended from the very start.”
The attachment to the new agreement defines clearly the steps that
will be taken to address every issue that caused the college to lose
its accreditation. Those steps are based on the FCMAT report issued
last year that outlines in detail unacceptable practices at the college.
“We don’t want the community to stop thinking of this college
as theirs,” said Landsberger. “People can call it Compton
College colloquially, that’s fine. But when we are dealing with
legal documents and printed materials, we must refer to the college
as El Camino Center. In dealing with the ACCJC, El Camino is functioning
as a different entity. As of now, Compton College has no legal standing
with the ACCJC.”
In addition to addressing the process by which accreditation will be
obtained, the agreement clarifies the responsibilities of El Camino
in the operation of the center. “All institutions, student services,
student activities, curriculum and class availability are provided
by El Camino,” said Fallo. “Since the center is formally
a unit of El Camino, we have to make sure that operations there do
not affect our accreditation. At the same time, the agreement addresses
El Camino’s obligation to build curriculum that fulfills the
needs of the community of Compton.”
There has been controversy over the last year about classes being cancelled
and only offered at El Camino’s Torrance campus. “We are
fully aware that the community of Compton has different educational
needs, and the agreement ensures that El Camino will provide educational
opportunities in accordance with those needs,” said Fallo.
The educational programs and services offered by El Camino College
at Compton Center will continue to include a full range of credit and
non-credit courses; library and learning resource center services;
counseling; admissions and records; financial aid; student life; categorical
programs such as EOPS, DSPS, CalWorks, GAIN and TANF; transfer center
services; a child development center; and special programs and services.
The Associated Student Body organization at Compton Center is distinct
from the Associated Student Organization at El Camino College, and
the intercollegiate athletic teams are separate from the teams at El
Camino’s main campus.
There will be a continued focus on recruitment, retention, marketing
and enrollment management to meet the needs and expectations of students
and ensure their success.
The full text of the agreement is available at www.compton.edu/campusinformation and www.elcamino.edu/administration.
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