There has been recent criticism of misinformation, largely from vested administrative interest, emanating from the recent protests. This is most likely due to the climate of opacity at PNCA, over a malicious impulse to misinform. Hard facts are often difficult to come by in a climate that forces new employees to sign legally binding non-disclosure agreements regardless of their exposure to sensitive proprietary information. Furthermore, the administration and/or the College Cabinet--an entity whose goals are “to facilitate transparent communication, bring a holistic view to major concerns and provide a forum for spirited discourse, guided by the College Core Themes.”--have themselves not provided any documentation that confirms or disproves said “misinformation.” We will continue to collect, and request, evidential documentation and share it here. At the same time, we encourage the administration to provide evidence when denying allegations coming from the PNCA community, rather than simply asking them to take their word for it. Finally we encourage the College Cabinet to actively pursue their primary goal and proactively share pertinent documentation with the community.
In an email to the college responding to the protests, Interim President Casey Mills writes (our responses will be between his points in bold):
“Dear PNCA Community,
In response to the protests that have taken place outside the 511 Building yesterday and today and the notices placed around the building, I want to reiterate my understanding that the protest relates to the practices for retaining or not part-time faculty for the fall semester. I believe the protesters to have positive intentions, and I welcome a constructive dialogue going forward.
We believe this too, and welcome the dialogue!
In the meantime, regarding the many issues listed on the notices authored by People Over Profit PNCA, I am including the following information to correct and /or illuminate some of these statements made by the protestors.
- A presidential salary of $400,000 was cited in the flyer by People Over Profit. In fact, former President Tom Manley's compensation for 2014-15 was $211,526, as reported on the college's IRS Form 990. For reference, the average among AICAD presidential salaries last year was $327,403.
IRS forms 990 for 2014-2015 are not yet publicly available on Guidestar. If the administration is as interested in dispelling misinformation as they claim to be, we welcome them to submit relevant documents to this site. The figure used to generate the $400,000 sum was likely sourced from the 2012-13 form 990 (Pg 7) which claims the “Reportable compensation from the organization” paid to Tom Manley as $303,033. In addition it claims “Estimated amount of other compensation” as $32,559. As has been previously reported on this site, this makes for a total of $335,592. It’s not hard to imagine that other raises or incentives for the move would be paid later on top of these (2013) figures, bringing a reasonable projection of his compensation very close to the stated number. Looking towards the underlying issue here, should a college president make a salary that is so much higher than that of its educators?
- PNCA's tuition ranks 24th among the 35 AICAD schools. Through our donors, we provide as much financial aid as possible each year. A high percentage of PNCA students receive aid.
This doesn’t refute the stated tuition figure so much as it attempts to provide a positive spin. Again, we encourage the administration--or anyone else--to submit evidence of these statements.
- The 511 Building does not have a mold or lead problem. This was verified in 2015 by OSHA and independent environmental firms after lead-abatement procedures and air quality testing were conducted. The building's LEED Platinum status means it has achieved the highest ranking in terms of energy and environmental design.
The 511 building did have these problems and whether they still do is open to debate. Our interpretation of the final Geodesign report (Pgs 3-4) is that there remain elevated lead levels in the print studio. OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standard for safe lead levels is 200 micrograms, while the report cites levels in the studio as being in excess of 600 micrograms. The only debate lies in whether the print studio has surfaces “with which workers would routinely be in direct contact, including floors in changing areas, storage facilities, lunchrooms/eating areas.” PNCA appears to believe that the print studio is not such an area, hence constitutes an acceptable risk for elevated lead levels. None of Mills’ statement refutes the ongoing problem of painting studio ventilation discussed in Student Council on 4/19. LEED certification is a red herring that has nothing to do with a building’s threat to the health of its occupants. Further, operations costs to maintain the expensive equipment associated with LEED certification (although environmentally responsible) have lead to financial problems. Once more, we encourage the administration to submit evidence that the lead problems, outlined in the OSHA report, have been resolved.
- The first-year residency at Art House provides incoming students with a supportive and welcoming environment as they transition from high school to college and learn to balance the demands of classes, often while adapting to a new city. The experience in Art House increases a student's likelihood of remaining in school for four years and positions her or him for success in their college career.
This may be so. Is there a study that PNCA has conducted to back this up? As with the statement regarding tuition, the actual cost $1000-$1200/month for a shared room is readily verified by students. While we appreciate Mr. Mills’ apparent interest in progress, he makes frequent use of these sorts of straw man arguments. We encourage the administration to conduct a student survey concerning their experiences at ArtHouse. In addition, we urge the administration to submit the portions of PNCA’s contract signed with Project^ (ArtHouse developer) that have anything to do with students and overall financial obligations.
We hold the student experience as our highest priority at PNCA and will continue to seek new and innovative ways to be responsible stewards of this college. We will not always be perfect but we will act in good faith. As a case in point, a moratorium has been placed on third-party rentals while we sort out if this type of activity, while important fiscally, can be palatable to our community.
We appreciate this change and the spirit of re-imagining the college in good faith. We will also not always be perfect, but are also attempting to act in good faith.
Finally, I would like to say that I am proud to be part of an intellectual community that thinks of its students' well-being, not just their education, by providing a host of services that support each individual's development and ultimate success during their college experience and beyond.
Lastly, while we appreciate Interim President Mills’ later offer of clearing up misinformation via personal correspondence, we believe this information should be part of the commons--shared on the College Cabinet Homeroom Site--, supported by evidential documentation, and provided proactively if indeed interest in progress is as earnest as Mr. Mills expresses.
