Second in a series
Re “Embattled Rocha Seems to be Sounding Retreat on Student Blowup” and “Another PCC, Rocha-Driven Firing. New Petition Is Out”
[img]1769|left|Dr. Mark Rocha||no_popup[/img]Dateline Altadena – Penalized Pasadena City College English Prof. Mark McQueen, allegedly threatened three weeks ago by a hostile student, “is a perfect victim,” his arch defender says.
“There is just no way,” Prof. Roger C. Marheine, president of the Faculty Assn., aggressively said aen route to demonstrating the unpopular administration of President Mark Rocha acted irrationally in promptly suspending the teacher with pay.
“Mark is 64 years old. He has a heart condition and a bad eye. He is not the kind of guy who would be violent.
“The college realized they made a big mistake.
“On the other hand, the college has not backtracked yet,” Mr. Marheine said. “We have to keep pushing. Our legal counsel is on it.”
][img]2285|right|Professor Roger C. Marheine||no_popup[/img]Mr. Marheine, also a member of the English Dept., said that the Faculty Senate’s lawyers are pressing the Rocha administration for relief.
“We also have a letter signed by more than 40 English faculty, and we also have a petition that is separate,” he said.
Does placing Mr. McQueen on paid leave ameliorate the situation?
“In the last two years at the college, five people have been put on leave, all on paid or administrative leave. A couple of them are gone.
“The important name to remember here is (school paper advisor) Warren Swil, the journalism professor (http://pulse.pasadena.edu/2013/04/professor-warren-swil/). We met with our attorney a week ago about him, and we are hoping to meet with college representatives before the holidays. Their investigation on Warren Swil (of alleged sexual harassment) was extremely vigorous. I sat in on his interview/interrogation. Five hours. It was grueling. I never had seen anything like it.
[img]2284|right|Mark McQueen||no_popup[/img]“When I sat in on Mark McQueen’s, they were out in an hour and 15 minutes.
“They were out to get Swil (who was suspended by PCC last March),” Mr. Marheine charged. “The investigator found, as he said, Swil (61 years old) had acted inappropriately by showing pictures. That was it. He never dated students. He never went for drinks with students. There was no sexual harassment (a charge brought by a 49-year-old student) other than that particular incident.
“The investigation also found Swil did not, in any way, bias himself by giving (an undeserved) grade to the student, as the student alleged.
“From our point of view,” the Faculty Assn. leader said, “the investigation found exactly what we were saying. He should be reinstated.”
(To be continued)
