Sept. 7, 2005

Bienvenido in Cicero, Ill.

Morton College

Students in a study room in Morton College’s refurbished library.

President Brent Knight: “This is a community college. It should reflect the community.”

At 9 a.m. the expansive parking lot is filling up quickly. Students amble through the lot toward the main entrance, some more awake than others. They rush toward the main entrance. Above it is red, white and blue bunting and a sign: “Welcome, Bienvenido.” The students pour through the main revolving door, keeping it spinning like a merry-go-round on overdrive. The door spins students into an area in front of Erubey Diaz, Morton class of 2003, who mans the greeting desk. Around her curving desk spirals a translucent, foggy, pale blue glass wall: “welcome, bienvenido, welcome, bienvenido, bienvenido.” Bienvenidos spiral around Diaz. A man approaches, looking for directions. “You have to go outside, then turn left,” she tells him. An older woman wants Diaz to tell her when registration for GED classes begins. “La matrícula empieza en Septiembre sexto,” Diaz says. The phone rings. “No, we don’t offer radiology.”

Conversations in the hallway are the same. “Cómo estás?” “Pretty good, pretty good.” Diaz flips from English to Spanish effortlessly, all day long. Had there been a greeting desk at this community college 25 years ago, there would have been little need to accommodate the 6.6 percent of Morton students who were Latino. Even a decade ago, Latino students were still less than half of the college. Today, Morton has 5,162 students, a 30 percent enrollment jump from just last year. And Latino students, primarily of Mexican descent, are now 74 percent, up from 60 percent last year, of a college that is learning, like Diaz, to switch between English and Spanish all day long.

In parts of Texas or California or Florida and some other urban areas, those percentages might not jump out. What makes them notable is that they are taking place in the suburbs of Chicago, which has seen a huge increase in its Latino population in the last decade. And Morton is not alone in seeing a changing student body. Before Congress enacted an immigration reform law in 1986, which gave amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants who then brought family members, Elgin Community College, about 35 miles outside Chicago, had 500 Latino students each year. Now the college has 4,000, and spends $1 million a year on English instruction for those who speak another language at home.

A Changing City and College

Neither Hispanic culture nor higher education jump to mind for most people when they hear “Cicero.” “If you were going to write a story about Cicero from 1945 to today,” says Brent Knight, Morton’s president, “I promise you would say something about Al.” Al Capone, that is. “It’s not that he was even such a big deal here,” Knight adds. But Capone reportedly did have enough sway in Cicero that he was able to beat the mayor into a bloody pulp on the steps of City Hall in front of police officers. Cicero mayors since, called “town presidents,” have met with plenty of other problems. The previous town president, Betty Loren-Maltese, had to leave office to go to jail for racketeering, where she was joined by the police chief, who took illegal kickbacks for contracts, and a slew of other city officials. “I guess the movie The Godfather just makes that stuff stick for people,” Knight says.

In a gray suit and turquoise shirt, Knight is dapper. But he leans way back in his chair on the second floor, inviting all-comers to relax — despite what they may have heard about Cicero. “It must be the movie. I don’t know why,” he says staring out the windows at the landscaping he directed, nearby, the “Imagina lo que puedes hacer!” signs that he designed.

Shortly after he arrived at Morton in July 2003, Knight, who does not speak Spanish, did some of his own housecleaning of officials. One of Morton’s 20 top administrators was Hispanic when Knight crossed the threshold. Two years later, 12 of 20 are Hispanic. “This is a community college,” says Knight, 58, who became the president of Triton Community College, in Illinois ,at the age of 29. “It should reflect the community.”

So did those administrators agree with Knight and walk off into the sunset? How did he get them to leave? “I caused them to not be here anymore,” Knight says. The Godfather indeed? Actually, Knight is directing Morton’s transition into a reflection of the community, which once was predominantly people of Eastern European descent, not by intimidating Morton employees, but by winning their trust. “There’s a long history of distrust of the administration here,” said Steve Ginley, a speech instructor. And when Knight came in and started immediately clearing administrative desks, there was a sense of “what’s going on here?” according to a faculty member who did not want to be named. “But [trust is] starting to come around,” Ginley added. “Brent is 100 percent sincere.”

Change among faculty members, however, has been slow, because some have tenure, and, Knight acknowledges, with few Latinos in graduate school in Illinois, the pool is small. When asked if he wants the faculty — three of 50 full-time professors are Hispanic — to become more Hispanic, Knight smiles and says, “The community pays the bills. The college should reflect the community.”

Campus in Motion

Right now, Knight cannot sit still another moment. He hops up from his desk and starts throwing open doors like an explorer hacking through rainforest with a machete. First stop, the library. Two years ago, it was a “dingy maze,” according to one student. Now light floods through glass doors that bear a vertical “LIBRARY,” and “bienvenido” from top to bottom.

“People say, ‘Shouldn’t you have other languages,’” Knight says. “When we get 5 or 10 percent of another demographic, we can do that.” Students are apparently feeling more bienvenido at the library of late. Reference questions topped 3,000 last spring, up from 900 two years ago, according to Rebecca Schreiner, director of library and technology. The library is full of students. Knight rushes up the stairs and points out a painting on the second floor. It’s full of earthy reds, maize, and deep blue. Mexican people carrying corn pass in front of a church. “We commissioned it from an artist,” Ruben Garcia, “in Guadalajara,” Knight says. Near the painting are stick-figure like metal sculptures, “dudes,” Knight calls them, holding computers in their arms that students can use. “We probably should have called them ‘amigos,’” he jokes. “Patent pending.”

Hacking through a few more hallways, Knight stops in front of four flat panel monitors that have been put together to make one large screen on a wall near the front of the main building. There are flat panel screens all over the place at Morton, displaying schedules in English and Spanish. Knight crosses his arms and checks out the screens, like he’s appraising a house from the road. A bubbly cheerleader, obviously Hispanic, flashes across the screens. “Oh, Arlette,” Knight says.

Arlette Resendiz, 21, is not really on the cheerleading squad. “Brent asked me if I would do it,” she says. All of the students he asked to pose for the screen appear to be Hispanic. Morton’s Spanish technological revolution does not stop at faces on flat panels. For the first time this fall, all 5,162 students at Morton will have e-mail addresses, and Esteban Cruz, head of information technology, put all the enrollment, financial aid, and tuition information online, and in Spanish. Outreach online, however, only goes so far.

Jorge Nieves is director of student development. He knows that he needs to make the families of first generation college students feel at ease, so he allows and sometimes encourages a prospective student’s parents to come in. “We call them, ‘the avioneta parents,’” he says. “They hover around.” Some of the families are undocumented immigrants. “Then I refer them to Web-based information,” Nieves said.

Adds Ernesto Mejia, assistant dean of students: “You have to help parents understand it’s OK to take an income hit for this investment.” Illinois is one of eight states that provides in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants who have done at least three years of high school in state. Undocumented immigrants are welcome at Morton, such that Knight says he does not need to know how many are enrolled.

Now he’s skipping every other step en route to the third floor, where a few brand new science classrooms just opened and others are being built. In one biology classroom, white tubes dangle their funnel shaped ends down from the ceiling. They look like the periscopes Dr. Seuss might use if he owned a submarine. But here they are the ventilation system for the lab. Judy Bluemer, a biology instructor, is standing beneath one. All of her students speak English, but, like many faculty members, she likes to keep up with her Spanish. “Oh, estudio español,” she says. Many of the faculty members do.

Teaching Teachers and Students

Spanish language and culture courses, which they take with Morton students, are offered to faculty members for free, and they can receive a small stipend if they get good grades. Faculty members in the nursing program, one of Morton’s strongest and most popular, have taken most readily to the Spanish classes. “All of us have taken Spanish,” said Beverly Kawa, a nursing instructor. “Sometimes the students are like, ‘Oh no, I’m paired with a teacher!’”

Nursing instructors have no problem helping students get clinical experience in the handful of local hospitals they work in. “It’s great for us to have translators to help out,” says Pat Parise, a nursing instructor. Four of the five school nurses at local high schools are Morton alums. The pipeline from Morton to local schools is widening.

Elizabeth Romero is the co-director of Morton’s federal Title V grant, given to institutions that serve Hispanic populations. She graduated from Morton East High School, which is now over 90 percent Latino. “I’ve seen the shift from Czech, Polish, Lithuanian,” Romero said. “And I went to high school with the [current Morton East] principal!” She and Alejandro Padilla, director of the grant, are ramping up recruiting from local high schools. One of the programs they are most proud of is the Bridge Scholars Program. Padilla and Romero, send letters, e-mails, and make calls to high school students with high grade point averages who may not be planning on attending college. They put them through a seven-week “boot camp” to prep them for Morton, and then meet with them constantly. “Intrusive advising,” Padilla calls it, borrowing a term from a colleague.

Last year was the first class, and there was over 90 percent retention, with an average grade-point average of 3.2, of students who went through the boot camp. Last spring, Padilla helped run a workshop that brought in about 300 children – from kindergartners to high-schoolers — and parents. The point was to get families the information they need about attending college. “We need to get them on campus,” Padilla said. “It’s never too early to get the parents thinking about college. Nobody was turned away from the workshop, but it was clearly aimed at the Hispanic community. Jesus Negrete showed up to sing bilingual ballads about Latinos, education, and the town of Cicero.

Even some of the brightest students Padilla brings in, though, may hardly speak English. Morton has 1,234 ESL students this term, and a few dozen in the Intensive English Program, which began last fall, and gives students 12 hours of instruction a week, from reading The Da Vinci Code to writing research papers, so they can transition to normal English courses.

“I just pray they kept up over the summer,” says Carmen Lind, the non-Spanish-speaking director of IEP, who notes that students switch back to Spanish at home. Those who stop by between classes seem to have kept up. “If I would have gone to English 088, I wouldn’t have been prepared,” says Angelica Aguilar, 18, who took IEP. Aguilar used to “translate” in her head, or think in Spanish and try to translate verbatim on the page. “Nowadays I think mostly in English,” she says. Mario Garcia, 30, a grad of intermediate intensive English was hoping to take the advanced level before moving to other English classes. But the advanced level was cancelled this semester, due to low enrollment, and Garcia is in English 086 with “students more prepared than me,” he says. Garcia has stopped by between classes to talk to Lind, while other students flood the cafeteria.

Thursdays are “Spanish Day,” with burritos and Spanish rice. “I started it three years ago. I just saw a lot of Spanish students,” says Penny Baharopoulos, the cafeteria manager. Grace Perez, 30, is sitting in the cafeteria reading Human Disease. The place is filled with windows that look at the houses across the street, and light, and she “just like[s] the atmosphere.” Knight likes a quote from Ernest Boyer’s College: The Undergraduate Experience in America: “When high school students were asked how they chose their college, 62 percent said that it was mainly by the appearance of the buildings and grounds.” Children’s artwork adorns a wall outside the cafeteria. “Carlos the Bug,” by Carlos, fuzzy piping and potato chips on neon green construction paper.

Brent Knight is leaving the building, wearing huge tortoise shell shades. Past a massive wooden meeting table. “That’s a $20,000 table,” he says. “It was made by prison inmates. We got it for $2,000.” The chairs around the table are from Enron’s national office. “Used,” Knight explains. Past Carlos the Bug, past the cafeteria, past the cart that sells “paletas,” — Mexican popsicles – past the bookstore and its shiny new copies of Lolita and Hamlet, aside stacks of used Deep Rivers, by Jose Maria Arguedas, and creased and crinkled Open Veins of Latin America, by Eduardo Galeano.

Knight bursts through the doors, the sun reflecting off his glasses. He walks quickly around the main building to the north side of campus. “What we have to work on now,” he says, “is student success. That’s the next step.” He’s staring at the base of a wall, where the beginnings of vines — landscaped, of course — have climbed about a foot from the ground. “See, we have ivy-covered walls,” Knight says, stealing a glance at the homes just across the street. “They’re small now, but they’ll reach right to those windows pretty soon,” he says, gesturing proudly to the second floor. “They’re trying there. Just give them a year.”

— David Epstein

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Comments

2 Years later and no difference

Wow, after reading all these great comments and reviews, I am shocked to learn that after 2 years to the month, things are still quite the same.

I was not employed at Morton College before BK, but since being here, I see little emotional change. Yes, the campus looks prettier and prettier each month, but the moral of the majority of the faculty and staff stays the same.

Being new to MC, I never knew what MC was like before. All I know is what I’ve personally seen and heard first hand. And what I’ve seen is truly a sad place. One reviewer’s comments are very true. If you speak your mind or try and make change, you are mysteriously gone the next day.

Since I’ve been here (lest than 6 months), I’ve seen 12 people quit or get fired. Some leave long good bye emails, if they are lucky enough to get it through the fort Knox firewall. Most are just gone without a trace.

This is a place that is run by a very elite few. These are many of the same people that I’m reading here in this forum on the side of BK. On the other side, we’ll I haven’t found any of those folks left.

The fact is this; Morton College is a great learning environment for the community. The labs are great. The library is nice. The majority of the teaching staff is great. What is not so great at MC is the way these few run the place with iron fist.

So many people complain about this. So many faculty and staff members are afraid to speak out, make change or stand up against these few. Why and how does this happen? I’m getting to wonder the same as the review above... something fishy is going on here.

Maybe MC should hold a meeting with its faculty and staff and a blind ballot should be held with these questions. “Are you happy at Morton College?” “Do you feel Morton College is fair?” “Do you feel your opinion is valued at Morton College?” “Do you feel you can make change or speak your mind at Morton College?”

Coming from a diverse background of other institutions, Morton has issues. I feel the best thing for MC and its faculty/staff/administration is to have a town hall meeting. Better yet, a third party involvement to hear both sides and make an impartial judgment. I think the faculty/staff/administration would feel more comfortable talking with someone that is not MC.

I had no clue that this has been an issue for so long. I only started to do my research this month and have found so many of the same problems that existed years ago, still flourish today.

Someone has to make a change. This is affecting the students. They see the negative coming from the top down. I now this because I work with them both daily. I see both sides. I tried to make a change, make a difference, but I too mysteriously found myself out in the cold. Even though I have a stack of emails and pats on the back from Faculty and Staff telling me I have done a great job, these go unnoticed. I was let go with no reason. I think this proves yet another point about the power of the few at Morton College. Someone needs to intervene.

New Employee with Opinions, Staff at MC, at 12:40 pm EDT on September 6, 2007

Community Colleges

Community colleges serve as a resource to their entire community. Transfer, career training, continuing education, adult basic education, and English as a second language classes help all who live nearby make a better life for themselves, their families and the community. No matter what your background, community colleges provide a place where learning takes place and dreams can be achieved.

—- a CC grad, at 10:55 am EST on February 3, 2008

I agree

I agree. Community colleges are great. I was the first person in my family to go to college and I went to a community college. All my brothers and sisters went to community college. We couldn’t have afforded to go anywhere else.

KW, at 6:30 pm EST on February 6, 2008

Transformation

I have lived near Morton College for years and have seen a wonderful transformation of our community’s College since Dr. Knight started there. He took a college with outdated facilities and dismal learning spaces and transformed it into a cutting-edge, stunning environment that has won numerous national awards. I was curious about how the new facilities translated into student enrollment and asked someone at the college. Evidently, success breeds success and when students “rediscovered” Morton College, credit hour production has increased 20% since Dr. Knight took over the reins of the presidency.

RLS, at 10:50 am EST on February 7, 2008

Better Now

I started at the college a few years ago and now I’m back. It is much better now. The student union is great and the science labs are wonderful.

Morton Student, at 9:50 pm EST on February 11, 2008

Veteran employee

I’ve been an adjunct at Morton College for 15 years and particularly in the last four or five years have seen many improvements. I’ve taught at several other institutions and Morton really is a great place for instructors and for students.

pt08, professor at morton college, at 10:05 am EST on February 13, 2008

Tax payer’s money funding illegal alien U?

It seems that this institution has found a way to fleece the taxpayer. They trawl for current and future candidates for college educations that will be funded by government grants. I wonder ow many of these ambitious students would pass through a filter that only allowed those legally here to access taxpayer’s funds? As a citizen who is Hispanic, I feel this was a valid question omitted by the reporter.

Carlos Rodriguez, at 5:27 am EDT on September 7, 2005

Insanity: illegals/undocumented v. poor legal’s

How the Mexican/Latino/Hispanic issue got so chaotic is indicative of overall near-insanity.

Case in point: imagine a mid-size college town in 1993. Suddenly, dozens of out-of-towners quietly invade, driving up housing rental costs (living eight/room) and straining medical/social services, eventually forcing out long-time, low-income *legal* residents to move.

This is a long-term mess that has, once again, brought new meaning to the phrase, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” A day late and a dollar short — way late and lots of dollars.

No one — GWB, Teddy K., et al — really knows what is going on, in this situation. That is what is disconcerting. Just insane.

B.J., at 7:29 am EDT on September 7, 2005

why would you assume these people are undocumented. I would not assume that any more than I would assume you are a pendejo, just because you seem like one.Michael A. Olivas

Michael A. Olivas, at 8:43 am EDT on September 7, 2005

Bienvenido

I’m sorry the previous comments are so negative, so stingy, so much about nationalism and short-term self interest. I’m thrilled by the response of the community college. The research proves that students given a community college education become taxpayers. The corporations have long gone global. I wonder when U.S. citizens will begin to understand the world in those terms as well. My institution has also seen a rise in Hispanic students. I wish I could claim that we are as welcoming.

L. B., Prof. at Camden County College, at 9:25 am EDT on September 7, 2005

“Bienvenido in Cicero, Ill.”

Professor L.B’s remarks reflect great ignorance of the immigration issue and, even more troubling, about his/her lack of respect for the rule of law and American sovereignty. And the professor also shows absolutely no compassion for the millions of our own working poor who once worked for higher wages in meatpacking and poultry processing plants, construction, drywall insltallation and janitorial services. Our government looked the other way 25 years while their unions were being broken and their jobs given to illegal aliens who work for far less. Why is L.B. so enamored of “globalism” but strangely silent on the issue of economic justice for American citizens?

Dave Gorak, Executive Director at Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration, at 2:29 pm EDT on September 7, 2005

Educational Opportunity

It needs to be understood that institutions of higher education, like Morton College, are following the law. Providing undocumented students an opportunity to pursue their higher educational goals with in-state tuition cost is legal under Illinois Public Act 93-007, also known as HB00600. Following other states such as California, Kansas, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Washington the state of Illinois passed this legislation and signed it into law in the fall of 2003. Students who are eligible still have to apply, be admitted, and pay just like any other students interested in a higher education. As educators our job is not and should not be to act as immigration agents.Rather than create obstacles for individuals to become fully integrated into American society, students who are and want to continue being productive members, should be given an opportunity!

Morton College Administrator, at 3:36 pm EDT on September 7, 2005

Good article. Unfortunately I disagree 100% with Mr Steve Ginley coment regarding Dr. Knight. You have to work at Morton in order to understand the environment in which we all are living at.

E.M., Morton College Employee at Morton, at 3:49 pm EDT on September 7, 2005

Yes! I agree it is a good article. E.M. thank you for bringing this issue to our attention.We all are concerned about our president’s leadership style. One thing is to come here and find a bunch of money at the College to remodel and other is to bring real new money in; which we have not seen yet during his tenure. What he has done though is create a murky working environment in which is difficult to perform.

M.K, at 4:35 pm EDT on September 7, 2005

Speaking as a Morton instructor: Being unable to see into a person’s soul, I can’t vouch for sincerity, 100% or otherwise, but I have seen some dramatic improvements here in the past couple of years and Dr. K. deserves a good part of the credit — as long as his projects don’t put us in the poorhouse! We have a lot of work to do, & things are not perfect, but if we had gone on with the status quo of a few years ago, we’d be on the fast-track to obsolescence. There are of course some folks left over from the “old guard” who feel very threatened by the changes, & with good reasons. (Plans for “outsourcing” services don’t help.) As for faculty: though indeed most of us aren’t Latino, we are nonetheless part of this community that includes a Latino majority; we appreciate these cultures & are very involved in them. Several faculty members are fluent in Spanish, many others are learning. Morton students face a lot of challenges (not least the disturbing fact that a lot of people, e.g. a couple of the above commenters, seem to view them all as ignorant & illegal), but they are the best, & I think I speak for most of my colleagues when I say I’m proud to be able to serve them.

Morton Faculty member, at 5:53 pm EDT on September 7, 2005

Morale

I’m curious. Who does the “we” refer to in the message about how “we all are concerned"? I too am an employee here at Morton and I couldn’t be happier with both Dr. Knight’s initiatives for the school and his empowering leadership style. I was here both “before” and “after” and it’s like night and day. The school, the buildings, and the grounds were woefully neglected for decades while funds sat in the bank untouched. This community deserved better and Dr. Knight had the courage to give this community a school they could be proud of.

Morton College Employee, at 7:03 pm EDT on September 7, 2005

Bienvenido in Cicero, Illinois

The students at Morton College are great! Often they have to overcome obstacles that conflict for their time, attention and funds just to be able to attend college. These great students deserve the best, and Morton College is well on its way toward creating an environment where all students can feel good about learning and succeed. The college’s award winning library has more than doubled the number of computers available; students can reserve private study rooms and check out laptops with Internet access. The new state-of-the-art science labs compare favorably with those at any university. A main source of Morton College’s phenomenal increase in enrollment is word-of-mouth. Our students have always received excellent instruction, now they can feel good about where they learn and they are telling their friends. Our great students deserve a great school!

A. Styer, Morton College, at 4:38 am EDT on September 8, 2005

Reagrding Morale

Mr. Epstein, I love your story. Keep the good work! Unfortunately you were misguided by those who gave you the information. I was an employee under Mr. Knight long ago and I agree with what his actual staff is saying regarding the condition he creates in every institution he has worked at. From Illinois, to Texas to Louisiana and some other states you will find nothing but less than stellar comments from previous colleagues. I can see that Morton is not the exception. I would love to hear form those that weren’t “aligned” (instructed) to tell good things about his accomplishments. Why not asking them directly and find out more about the real working conditions they have and the real cost (and I’m not talking about $$$) that Morton, the community, the staff, the students and the administration had to pay to get here? Results are important, so too the ways used to get them.

M Smith, Administrator, at 11:39 am EDT on September 8, 2005

Can’t we all just get along?

I believe in helping to improve humanity. It doesn’t matter to me what ethnicity or gender you are. I like working at Morton College; in fact, I’m proud to work here.

There are so many real problems in this world. We are all very lucky.

Catherine Stukel, Teacher at Morton Community College, at 2:42 pm EDT on September 8, 2005

The positive comments mentionned above are the opinions of a very small minority. There is no doubt that enormous physical changes have occurred in the past two years.However, change for the sake of change or presenting merely a “facade” of improvement does not constitute qualty education. The atmosphere at Morton College is not promoting a good working environment. If employees are fearful and if changes seem to lack meaning and purposefulness then is it reasonable to assume that it’s difficult for a positive environment to exist. The question is will this negativity translate to the students?

P.C., Emplyee at Morton, at 3:41 pm EDT on September 8, 2005

Proud to be part of the Morton College team!

Bringing a previously sleepy school into the 21st century is a bad thing? There is no such thing as change for change’s sake at Morton College. Every step has been a carefully measured one, but some people obviously don’t even understand the topic let alone be able to converse on the subjuct in an intelligent manner. Brent Knight has done at so many institutions what others have been afraid to do. Ask any longtime employee of any stature in a post-secondary institution and you will know what the issues are. What BK has done is to create an atmosphere of student centered learning, and high expectations from both students, staff and administrators. Ethnicity, race, color or sex have are not the issues; the ability to take Morton College from mediocre and status quo or below, and move to exemplary in so many ways, is what BK is so good at. Were we to languish any longer while entire generations went elsewhere for their education? What about the positive effects that the changes at MC will have on all the members and families of the communuties that are served in this district now and fur future generations? People want to have quality education in their own neighborhood and that is what the improved MC is all about. The comments about morale are unfounded, completely and totally. It is always easy to complain and be downtrodden when you don’t even know what the issues are. Ask students, both old and new, what they think about “their” college. Ask staff, both previously employed and newly hired, and especially those that went through changes with previous presidents that didn’t make good on their word to improve the college, about how the school has changed. Is it easy to keep up the fast pace, and deliver an education that our students deserve? No, it is not. Is it necessary? Absolutely. People are commenting about the newspaper articles—controversary sells. But who is commenting about the legistative proclamation that says that we are the most improved community college in Illinois? Who is commenting about our best practices recognition from ICCB? Who is commenting about our aware-winning library that has quadrupled its usage both from current students and community members? Who is commenting about our nationally recognized academic programs and our outstanding science lab renovations? Ask those who know and you will understand why the renovations were made. Should the physical changes have waited and been discussed so much that nothing would have been accomplished? Who else has been able to effect so much positive change in so little time and with such great success? Brent Knight has no political agenda and is sincere. He has no need to prove anything to anyone, just as one of previous commentators mentioned. He could lead anywhere but chose to do so at this College. He was asked to make changes by those who represent the College and now is criticized for it? If you want answers, ask the right questions. Be informed before you judge. Those that dispute BK’s sincerity or willingness to help any student achieve his or her goals, just doesn’t know Brent Knight. They either don’t know him or don’t care to. Living inside a small little box leads to small, little minds as you can see from some of the previous comments on this page. I am more than proud to be part of the administrative team as well as a faculty member. A team is just what we are and all that we have accomplished has been under BK’s leadership. We are asked our opinions and our comments and ideas are welcomed. Where else could you have an idea one day, and make it happen the next? Many people work in jobs where they are stifled and discouraged from any type of change. Not so at Morton. We come to work excited and ready for the day’s challenges. Our students are encouraged to do the same. We lead by example—isn’t this what we try to teach our children, whatever age they may be? Could the countless tragedies that occurred as a result of Katrina have been averted if someone had had the courage to take charge when it was needed? On a different scale, and on a different, much less life-threatening level, the same issues were occuring at Morton College before BK arrived. The consequences of the status quo were slower to see but the results were the same. Dr. Knight had the courage to step up and weather the storm of criticism that he surely knew would come. But he didn’t back down and has been proven right in all areas. His plans and mission along with that of the Board of Trustees, tjhe majority of faculty and staff have gotten us to where we are today. I support Brent Knight 100% and can only count on one hand those that might disagree with me. Majority rules and we willbe the ones who take this College into the future, not the handful that don’t see beyond that same five finger radius.

MC Administrator/Faculty, at 8:59 pm EDT on September 8, 2005

Too much rhetoric

Either you must have a hand of 500 fingers or be so blind and deft to ignore the staff, students and faculty clamor for justice inside our beloved institution.That’s all I have to say JC

M.C., at 4:45 am EDT on September 9, 2005

Forgive the typos in the last entry—fast moving fingers. Opinion still stands—loud and clear.

MC Administrator/Faculty, at 4:45 am EDT on September 9, 2005

Latina/o Keys to Success Research

This is great work, I have to see if I could form a sub-group for my research. I would like to interview the students feed back regarding this perspectives and their success as Latina/no students in this community college. I am currently, in a sabbatical leave from my community college and following this article it is important to notice the impact that language has in the self-concept of the individual. This is great stuff to continue my cooperation with other institutions like ours. Congratulation to the President and the faculty that our learning Spanish (language is culture) Prof. Arturo Vazquez Jr.If any students are interested in being interview for my study please, dont hesitate to contact me thanks.

Arturo Vazquez Jr., Counselor/Prof. of Sociology at Elgin Community College, at 4:47 am EDT on September 9, 2005

I’m proud too, but not blind

Dear colleague, I cannot agree more with you regarding our role as educators. I cannot disagree more with you regarding your heavily skewed vision of Morton. Being a faculty member you should understand that we have the responsibility and obligation to research, study, analyze and present both sides of the issue to our audience in order to gain some credibility. It is a disgrace and huge irresponsibility to speak without enough elements and present only one side of the issue. I understand that your inexperience lead to confusion and to believe all that your boss is saying. I’m confident that you will grow and mature a long the way and will be able to discern between good and bad, wrong and correct otherwise your students will be in serious problems. There is nothing wrong with your lack experience; we all have a little bit of that. I’m confident that you will get that needed experience soon so that you could present more balance arguments later on. The problem here is that you are severely misrepresenting the facts. I will recommend that you go back and do your homework before you speak. Please, check Morton College numbers before and after Mr. Knight and you will corroborate that Morton wasn’t a sleeping institution, don’t be silly, Morton was healthy both financially and academically and running strong at the time that the cripple leader came in; the numbers speak by themselves and I assuming that you know where to find them (does ICCB rings a bell?). It was way too obvious that Mr. Knight came with a lowballing strategy causing chaos and trying to eliminate all history even hiding files in order for him to look good later. Come on we all not better! In closing, I would like to provide some assistance to you in your role as educator, please do not hesitate to contact me.Thanks…Sorry for the mistakes I have fast fingers too

faculty/administrator, faculty administrator, at 10:41 am EDT on September 9, 2005

Is anyone listening?

After reading the long tirade from “Proud to be at Morton College” I was struck at this individual’s need to convince us of how wonderful things are at Morton College. You have essentially dismissed anyone’s opinion that doesn’t support the president. People are entitled to not only have and express their feelings but to do so without being told they are wrong. Obviously, that individual has a different perception from yours. Your comments sound a bit like overkill. Let those who dissent have some respect.

MC emplyee, Morton College, at 3:30 pm EDT on September 9, 2005

Does 15+ years teaching at MC seem inexperienced to you? Having been at MC both pre and post BK, I have seen the numbers both before and after. I do have information and am well-informed. When you have the chance to wear more than one hat, you actually can form a more comprehensive picture. Sleepy in my rhetoric referred to changes in meeting the needs of our communities’ demographics, not the work of the faculty. I am proud of my colleagues on both the faculty and administrative sides and would like to see much better collaboration from both parties. My support of BK is reflective of his courage to attempt to change what needed to be changed and also attempts to counteract the previous comments in this blog that don’t have any information to back up the comments. You are right; there is always more than one side to any story and each party usually believes that he or she is right. I attempted to present another side to this issue and take out the BK card and let the true purpose of the original article be seen. Let’s focus on what we have accomplished as a whole and not on the person. BK is trying to focus on student success and the improvement of the physical study areas of the campus were just the beginning. No offense to any employee was intended by my comments and especially not to my fellow faculty members. As you say, everyone is entitled to their opinion and can support whomever they wish. My comments, however, do reflect the feelings of many faculty members, staff and administrators with whom I work everyday. I am glad that we can voice our opinions without fear of retribution as occurs in many other countries to this day. Pros and cons should be presented and both sides must be respected. We can work together toward the common goal and respectfully disagree, can we not?

Proud to be at Morton, at 9:11 pm EDT on September 9, 2005

What’s going on?

I read the article and every one of the comments. This is what I think.The short comments that speak about serious concerns within the higher administration of Morton somehow have more validity to me; they just sound more honest. I have a hard time believing that all those supposedly “faculty/administrators” with such “experience” are willing to in a ridiculously romantic prose in such a bias way for “their leader...” Mmm, I’m sorry but I just have a difficult time swallowing their story. I think there is something fishy going on in that institution that should be fixed for the sake of the students and the benefit of the community.

Yamil, Tenured faculty, at 10:56 am EDT on September 12, 2005

Voice our opinions without fear of retribution

Dear Proud, You don’t have to suggest that only in other countries you will be reprimanded if you voiced your opinions. Here in our country, in the Midwest, in Cicero at Morton College, WE have been seen so many of our colleagues voiced their opinion and lost their jobs immediately after. We, in this country have oppressive systems that are designed to limit balanced opinions. It is a shame that those systems are working in our institutions. Please, let all benefit from diverse opinions and establish a share government system in which all can express FREELY our opinions “without fear or retribution” contrary of what is happening here.Thanks

Staff @ MC, at 5:33 pm EDT on September 12, 2005

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