Layoffs are at the center of a Southwestern College controversy following the approval of a reorganization plan developed by Superintendent Dr. Raj K. Chopra and approved by the governing board at its April meeting. Five active employees were laid off and 16 positions were eliminated overall.
A college spokesman said the layoffs will not directly affect services to students. Some faculty and staff disagreed, one calling the decisions "really out of touch."
Two positions that were very high profile were eliminated. Performing Arts Coordinator Silvia Lugo and Web Technologist Elisandra Singh were both laid off. Lugo is the producer and marketing force for the School of Arts and Communication. Singh is the creator and manager of SWC's well-regarded Web site.
Larry Lambert, online structural support specialist, said he was puzzled by the layoff of Singh, whom he described as a talented and hard-working employee who loves SWC.
"What she does is very obvious," he said. "Everything she produces is the face of the college to the whole world. Even though her title is the web technologist, she is the web designer. She's the one who comes up with the look and feel of all of the web pages that are directly connected to Southwestern College."
Michael Kerns, vice president for human resources, said the Web site will continue without Singh. Even with a 50 percent decrease in staff, the work functioning capacity of the team is not expected to change, he said.
"It was determined that as we continue to review and enhance the services that are part of the web team," said Kerns. "It's believed that position out of the two is the one we can continue to operate without."
Kerns acknowledged the importance of the Web site.
"Educational programs are continuing to move in the direction of technology," he said. "It is a major venue for students and the public to reach us."
Many faculty members agree that technology is a growing area of importance, but do not see how the recent decision to cut the web team supports SWC in this endeavor.
"Technology is becoming mission critical to educational operations," said Lambert. "These decisions do not reflect this change in education or support the growth in technology - web technology in particular."
Like Singh, Lugo's responsibilities were varied and expansive. She assisted all visual and performing arts faculty with planning of seasons, contracts, securing rights, pre-production, casting, marketing, insurance, front of the house, security, box office and more, according to Dr. Jeff Nevin, director of Mariachi activities.
"Having no performing arts coordinator is like having a science class with no one to supervise the lab," he said.
Nevin said without Lugo's position, teachers would be faced with two unfortunate options. Either they assume her responsibilities, which are not part of their job description and may be outside their skill set or they cancel performances.
"We will not be meeting the obligation we have to our students if there are no performances," said Nevin. "How is that not affecting them?"
Kerns said the details of Lugo's responsibilities are being worked out as the reorganization transitions.
"There have been no recommended changes in reference to the art gallery or scheduling plays and different productions through the arts/communication department," said Kerns.
Kerns said that even one individual being impacted is still major.
"The goal was to have the least amount of impact possible while still preparing for ongoing budget problems," he said. "There was no other way to accomplish that type of savings."
Kerns said that the five individuals who were affected had nothing to do with performance.
Chopra refused several requests for interviews on this subject over a period of three weeks. His office staff referred all questions to Kerns.
Faculty members have pressed administration to explain who will absorb the duties of the eliminated positions.
"We're in a transition as a result of the reorganization," said Kerns. "Those fine details are still being worked out. We will definitely make sure all laws and education code provisions are followed."
Employees whose positions were eliminated received a notice informing them they could either accept paid administrative leave for a period of approximately 60 days or remain at their position. Lugo was the only person laid off who elected to stay. She said she wanted to help faculty and students mount end-of-the-year events.
If Singh had opted to stay the college would have reassigned her to another department, Kerns said, because it would be in the college's "best interest."
In addition to the web technologist and the performing arts coordinator, Director of Grants and Development Linda Gilstrap, Director of Community and Media Relations Nevada Smith and Director of Outreach Fernando Poveda also had their positions eliminated. Smith, Poveda and Singh declined to speak on the record on advice of their attorneys.
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