Letter: College board fails to notice crisis

The past few months at Yuba College have been an academic hell for me as well as many of my peers. Students and professors have gone through many hardships this semester, including the complete elimination of our summer school program as well as a massive number of classes; the firing of 58 much-needed classified staff members; and clear lack of respect toward the students, staff, and faculty by the school board which needs to be heard by our community.

I have attended many meetings held by the school board, where they have made it obviously clear that the faculty, staff, and students have no voice or decision whatsoever in the decision-making process. When asked to attend a meeting held by students who simply wanted to know what the board was doing to protect us, the board ignored our invitations. Aren't board members supposed to protect us from atrocities such as what we are facing?

I am tired of constantly having my rights as a student violated by the very people who are supposed to look out for the institution. Weren't the Board of Trustees elected to protect the students, the professors, the staff, and everything that the community college stands for? Sadly, it seems not. I'm begging our community to hear our cries, pay attention to the crisis, come to the board meetings and write to the Board of Trustees so that they realize that the decisions they make are being scrutinized by the community at large.

Andrew Berman

Biggs