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Journalism faculty continues to bail

September 2, 2010

By KAREN VELIE

Three tenured faculty members have bailed from Cal Poly’s journalism department in the past few months leaving the department with five vacancies and only three full time faculty members remaining.

The vacancies will be filled with temporary lecturers, including former KSBY news anchor Tony Cipolla, while the dean begins the search process.

In the past few months, Doug Swanson, Nishan Havandjian and John Soares have left or announced plans to leave the department which is swirling in controversy.

Last month, Cal Poly Liberal Arts College Dean Linda Halisky ousted department chair Bill Loving amid allegations by professor Teresa Allen that she had been treated unfairly.

Loving has asked for a public hearing in front of the Academic Senate as part of a grievance he is working on with the California Faculty Association.

Halisky warned that if the faculty is not getting along by March the department will be shut down. The plan is to have the different concentrations absorbed by other departments.

The recently announced departures will leave the department without a chair, a public relations professor, a broadcast professor, one of two tenured track multi-media teachers and a multicultural and general media class professor.


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Tony Cipolla was a nice guy but not a news person. He was fed us watered down worthless information for years. There was no true reporting, no 4th estate as we need in this county, no checks and balances to keep the political process in line and protect the vested interests of the taxpayers. Tony and his milktoast team of puppets performed well. I gringe at the thought of what he will teach the students about journalism. Posture and the proper whitening toothpaste can be covered in one or two lectures and thats about all he has to offer.


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Yeah, and I bet Tony was a lousy proof reader too!


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Thats a bummer, I had Doug Swanson for a few classes and he was great. Cal poly has some major issues, talk to people that work their, the drama is everywhere. Need to keep focusing on the education of the students and not the quabbles of the staff.


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What in the Nazi hell,,,Halisky warned that if the faculty is not getting along by March the department will be shut down.” who made him/her the dictator.


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If I’m not mistaking, I recall that Halinsky was passing “the word” on down ranks, as it had been conveyed to her by her overseers.


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If Tony Cipolla can teach future journalists the value and responsibility of facilitating freedom speech in the way our forefathers intended, unlike what poses for so-journalism in our county’s print AND online media, I wholeheartedly support him as a lecturer in my community.


I would also agree with others in this forum who would like to see Mr. Cipolla as a permanent replacement at Cal Poly.


It’s time to see objectivity, professionalism and excellence in our media outlets once again.


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I understand the Gail Wilcox is available on a part time basis. Might be a perfect fit for a guest lecturer.


The SLO County Employees Club have her tied up at the moment doing a compensation survey. Of course, with Gail “doing” is the key word. Come to think of it, having Gail in a “Learn by doing” setting might be the perfect fit. Poly certainly is a target rich environment for a cougar like Gail.


She sure could show those students heading in to public service a thing or two about servicing their way to the top. And could she be any more of a screwed up human being than this group of petulant Poly misfits? Well educated (and well intentioned) people with way too much time on their hands.


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She sure could show those students heading in to public service a thing or two about servicing their way to the top…..LOL,,,, right on the money kudoes from chese like it or not. Do cougars like chese? Bulwark I like your post.


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Cipolla is an outstanding choice for the interim, if not the permanent. He had always presented a professional style on that local TV station. It is time for Cal Poly to address and fix the real problem before their loose the entire program.


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Has anybody figured out that the problem is with the Dean, yet? She doesn’t possess the maturity to function in the position of a Dean or to manage the manipulating whim’s of Teresa Allen. Loving’s hearing will be most enlightening.


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