Erik Hansen Home

whistleblower.ucsc.edu

University of California

UCSC

ucwhistleblower.ucop.edu

Commitee On Educational Policy (CEP)

http://senate.ucsc.edu/cep

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/committ.html

Academic Senate

http://senate.ucsc.edu/

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate

Whistleblower

Student Judicial Affairs / Student Organization Advising and Resouces (SOAR)

http://www2.ucsc.edu/judicial/handbook.shtml

Academic Student Employees Union (UAW)

Academic Student Employees - United Autoworkers Union (UAW)

UCSC Staff Human Resources

5. Outreach / Retention

"The University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUHES) identified service learning as another area of strong interest by undergrates seeking to enrich themselves with new skills and experiences. Many students want part of their education to involve a deeper connection to the larger community, and are interested in
academic programs that promote civic engagement."

There are at least 50 youth folklorico dancers within 15 miles of of UCSC.
Another 100 in Salinas, more in Gilroy.
Los Mejicas has contact with none of these young people. The retention benefit to
mentoring UC students would equal the outreach benefit to the local kids. The two
kids folklorico groups in Santa Cruz were founded by individuals from Los Mejicas yet there is no interaction with these groups. Los Mejicas does not visit them and
they are not invited on campus to bond with Los Mejicas members.

Effective retention and outreach can only be achieved by a strong company.
The general public can also promote a sense of belonging and identification in
any performer. Local community groups in the county feel abandoned by a now
politicized organizaion that prefers focusing its energies on the ivory tower.

Ironically, Los Mejicas also has a weak presence on campus.
One student did not hear about Los Mejicas until senior year.

The low standard of performance promotes negative stereotypes about UC.
It is understood that UC stufdent organizations have a lush rehearsal situation:
nice mirrored practice space,lots of funding for great costumes, convenient location,
prestigious UC identity affording many invitations to perform. disappointingly mediocre
performance level indicates politics and the culture of corruption.

None of this encourages the desire to participate.

"Olga doesn't like video."

The course description implies competent dance instruction by qualified faculty
with the University of California providing oversight and accountabiity.
In fact, all of the instruction is provided by students who are learning the material
as they try to learn to teach without a teacher taining program.
"Aesthetic, cultural, and historical dimensions" are touched upon during one
workshop per quarter. This is a recent development.

The course description implies competent instruction by professionally qualified faculty,
with the University of California providing oversight and accountability.

Teaching LALS 129 was attributed to"The Staff". LALS 81A and Anthropology 81A
give credit to the professor for the teaching, a substantial professional advance. In fact,
the teaching is always done by student and community members of Los Mejicas.

3. Dance Instruction / Performance

"Now that we are institutionalized..." Professor ONR

Until the "institutionalizing of the student organization Los Mejicas De UCSC the
company followed the standard rehearsal procedure of every dance company I
have seen. This is the format followed by Alberto Morales for the first practice
when Al was co-director in 1997:
* 30 minutes footwork drill with the mirrors.
* 30 minutes drill across the floor
* 30 minutes partner work - 5 minute rotations
* 30 minutes choreographed formations - 10 minute rotations

Within a few weeks, most of the 2 hour rehearsal is spent on choreographed
formations, with drills as needed. Within 2 months at most students are performing
easy choreography in front of a live ausience. At least one performance monthly
with the full company in costumes is required to rise above the recital level.
More optional "small" performances are available for those who wish to excell.

The universally practiced method is to introduce steps then quickly move to
partner work and choreography. Uou learn the steps more easily in context.
The material makes sense

Unfortunately for us, Al had to move and direction went back to the anateur level.
Student directors can produce good dance if the have 3 times as much time as a pro
would need to do the job.There is a lot of demonstration, repetition, glossing over
things that are hard to teach, counts and transions in particular. With enough time,
an appropriate amount of material, and a constant performance shedule, things will
self-organize.

Folkloristico

This is what Los Mejicas used to do and they had a reputation around town as
exciting performs. Things changed with the "institutionalizing" of the company.
There was a painful transition while the students tried to perform regularly as
usual and to learn enough material for a full concert at th end of the year.
The directors had their hearts broken. They had to ask Al Morales to come
back and assemble the show. Humiliating for the directors and no fun for Al.

Student directors over the years have developed some solutions:
Stick to drilling footwork in the mirror during Fall and Winter Quarters.
Only introduce partnership and choreography when the regions are set and
they only have a small number of people to work with.

Here is how things have self-organized around too much material:
6- 8 months of drill in a miror.
Virtually no partner work until the last month.
Vitually no choreography until the last month.
Waiting this long is too late for effective performance.

During the last decade performance experience and effectiveness has diminished
annually. Each year he final setting of the choreography has been put off an additional
week. Two of the regions i danced in last year were not complete until the week
of the concert. And they were not completely finished.

The material had its debut in rough form the first evening and closed the next.
The performance standard is half what the students are capable of.

There are other problems besides a weak ineffective perforrmance standard.
New people are discouraged and leave because of an avalanche of material
presented in a hurry so that the excessive amount of material can be covered.

The concert: during finals.
Every ethnic organization at UCSC has a yearend celebration.
There is music, dance, song, skits, a poetry (brief).
Only Los Mejicas features two hours of mostly dance,
This is twice the amount of dance that a general audience can handle.
It is also twice the amount of material that thae students can master.

imitating the big prestigious companies in Mexico, but weakly.

This bad pedagogy will be passed on to students who will use the harmful
methodology in programs they start in public schools.

4. Soar / Judicial Affairs Handbook

"Where are all the young guys?"

70.12.1 POLICY ON REGISTERED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
A student organization seeking recognition as a registered campus organization,
including sports and recreation clubs, student media organizations, and college
clubs, shall furnish a document that includes:

1. a provision that non-students are welcome to participate in its activities,
but they may not represent the organization as an authorrized representative.

======================================================

* age of non-student co-directors:
Control of student orgs by non-students in their late twenties is against SOAR policy.
Dominant position of older non-student members discourages participation by students
in their teens, especially males. "Where are all the young guys?" asked one
female student I have seen a male community member yell at a female teen-aged student
who burst into tears. Out of eight new "guys" in Fall and Winter quarters of 2005,
only one stayed.

<website: move this down>
* Los Mejicas has been waiting for five years for a website from SOAR.
   I offered to show how to set up a bare bones site on Yahoo/Geocities.
   One hour would have given text fields, images, and links from either.
   This would have been fully functional for posting official emails and
   basic information. It was not in-house so it never happened.
   Los Mejicas still is waiting for its website from SOAR.

* When I raised the issue of non-students holding office in Los Mejicas in 2005,
   quoting the Policy On Registered Organizations, Judicial Affairs H andbook,
   70.12.01, Professor ONR came back with the assurance that SOAR had found code
   allowing non-students to hold office as long as all money was handled by students.
   The professor explained that "we" could surely rely on SOAR to interpret administrative
   code for us. No code was quoted and there was no discussion or debate. Clearly "we"
   had heard enough and the topic was closed. I am unable to find this code.
   In any case, the intent of 70.12.01 is clear: students run student organizations.
   A lack of participatory democracy defeats the purpose of student organizations.

   Community members are even less Mejicas than students. In the Fall of 2005,
   at the first rehearsal just three months after the above exchange, ONR stated,
   "I hope we will be able to continue using community people."
   The royal we again. Draw your own conclusions.

   The point is that in a non-Mejicas organization like "Olga's class" the students are
   not learning to think and act for themselves. The reaction to any idea that was not
   practiced last year is, "You'd better run that by Olga." or "Olga doesn't like video."
   The result is a culture of obiedience and mediocrity. The dance standard reflects this,
   Students do not earn the approval they would get from strong performances.
   Leaders cannot get the benefit of being real leaders unless "The buck stops here."
   Los Mejicas has become a weak, mediocre dance company through no fault of the students.

   This "between the boards" (faculty and administration) situation requires specific ethical
   guidelines. In the usual Independent/Field Study there is a "faculty sponsor" and an
   "organizational sponsor." In this case the "faculty sponsor" is ONR and the
   "organizational sponsor", Los Mejicas is controlled by... ONR. On the faculty end
   there is no oversight by professionals in performing arts. SOAR people are not
   educators nor have they tenure.There are no checks and balances. There is nothing to
   prevent a loss of Mejicas by a student organization when faced by an aggressive,
   ambitious "advisor".

   Chancellor Dynes refered to "appropriate review and control" in a speech to the
   State Senate Edcational Committee when asked about questionable UC practices.
   Appropriate review and control are needed here as well to protect the students.
   In this uncharted area of wholesale Independent/Field study, there are no established
   ethical guidelines. These must be created now.

<use quote >
   The Judicial Handbook specifies advisors- who may, of course, be faculty members.
   On the first practice of each quarter, ONR announces herself as "The Faculty Advisor"
   establishing control. A search of the Student Policies and Regulations Handbook for
   "faculty advisor" yielded "Total instances found: 0".

Elected student (or frequently non-student) directors say a few words in attitudes of
   subservience (stooped shoulders, weak voice, etc.) Then "The Faculty Advisor", the
obviously dominant personality, speaks for ten minutes or so. Now she leaves and
   the new students are told they will be taught by the formerly obsequious "core"
   members. "It was wierd." said one student.

   An unqualified, unskilled faculty "advisor" has created a personal fiefdom and ersatz
   credentials in a field not her own. The students in the student organization have paid the
   price.

2. UAW - Academic Student Employees Union

"Students and community members teaching a UC class?"

Anthropology 81A and LALS 81A are sending students to the student organization
Los Mejicas De UCSC to be taught Mexican folkloric dance and its "aesthetic, cultural,
and historical dimensions." The "teaching" is by student and community members with
no professional training, though the course description implies professional instruction.
The students and community members receive no pay and no acadenmic credit for
their work. The teaching is necessarily sub-professional.

Autonomy
For
Los Mejicas
De UCSC

Home

Key Issues
1. Misleading Course Description
2. UAW - Academic Student Employees
3. Dance Instruction / Peformance
4. Judicial Handbook / SOAR
5. YYY - Outreach / Retention

Erik Hansen Home

Letters

Resume

Summary

Sheldon Kamieniecki Dean of Social Sciences

http://socialsciences.ucsc.edu/administration

1. Misleading Course Descriptions

"I thought I was going to learn something, but all we did was dance."

Anthropology- 81A. Mexican Folklorico Dance (2 credits). F
Provides instruction in the aesthetic, cultural, and historical dimensions of
Mexican folklorico dance. Students are taught choreographed dances from
various regions of Mexico and also learn dance techniques (tecnica) and
stage make-up application. additional workshops and lectures offered to
supplement class.

Open to all students; no previousexperienced required.
(Formerly Latin American and Latina Studies 129F,Mexican Folkloric Dance.)
(Also offered as Anthropology 81A. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.)
May be repeated for credit. (Geneal Education Code(z): A ).Najea Ramirez.

LALS 129. Mexican Folklorico Dance. (2 credits).
Provides instruction in the aesthetic, cultural and historical dimensions of Mexican
Folkloric dance Tradition. Each year a specific repertoire of dances from various
regions of greater Mexico will be taught in preparation for public performances both
on and off campus.
May be repeated for credit. The Staff.

LALS 81A and Anthropology 81A have identical course descriptions.
Both send students to Los Mejicas to be taught by un-trained student teachers
of widely varying ability.

Notes & Quotes

abuse of process
see the light of day
amateurish
ethics quidelines
skirted their own rules
clout
power differential
professional director
student director
political director
can't ask student to commit academic suicide
truly objective observer
system wide issue
imprinted, formatted, bonded, internalized
insularity, group think
field / individual study: organizational sponsor // faculty sponsor
vested interest
practice space = $10,000 per year
storage space = $2,000 per year
costume upkeep = $2,000 per year
tens of thousands of dollars worth of gorgeous costumes.
air brush
finger in the pie
patronage
power differential
almost no retention:
arogance
lack of transparency
cronyism

@ teaching
7 out of 8 males were driven away last Fall and Winter by bad teaching. Los Mejicas
students are given an excessive amount of material to learn so things get rushed.

QUOTES
Chancellor Blumenthal
"issues that are front and center"
"recruiting and retaining"
"maintaing distinction"
"spreading the word"
"building positive relationships with the local community"

Al "3x"
This is a valid issue" Mike Rotkin
"assuring excellence" UC spin
"It was wierd." first practice
"She made the video, but we never viewed it."
"More damning proff that UC leaders have flunked as quardians of the public trust"

William Ladusaw, Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education

http://www.ucsc.edu/administration/office-vpdue.asp

George Blumenthal, Acting UCSC Chancellor

http://chancellor.ucsc.edu

David Kliger, Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

http://ww.ucsc.edu/administration/office-evc.asp

sja@ucsc.edu

California Code



		To: The Governing Board Of Regents Of The University Of California Re: Protecting the autonomy of student organizations Background Bad Instruction Bad Retention Bad Outreach Stress During Finals Shakedown Coverup Remedy Credentials in Dance Instruction and Direction BackGround "This is completely misleading." Mike Rotkin, UCSC Community Studies Field Studies Coordinator when shown the course description for Anthropology 81A and LALS 81A. Members of the student folklorico organization "Los Mejicas De UCSC" and non-students are doing the teaching for Anthropology 81A and LALS 81A while credit is claimed by Professor Olga Najera-Ramirez. Students teaching receive no pay and no academic credit for their work. They have no professional background in dance instruction or dance direction. In the late 90's the professor, then an advisor to the group, arranged for members to receive credit for participating in Los Mejicas if they chose. This was not discussed, negotiated, or voted upon by the Los Mejicas membership. The professor has no professional credentials as a dance instructor or director. Bad Instruction "Nothing is changed." stated the professor. Since then, Los Mejicas has devolved from an excellent dance company known for tight spirited performances and a strong commitment to the local community, to a weak third rate activity known in the Social Science division as "Olga's class." Los Mejicas only performs as a full company for 2 performances at the end of the year. Dancing twice as much material as they can handle eliminates the need for guest performers and their directors. Everything is kept "in-house". During the first few years of this program, student directors broke their hearts trying to maintain the tradition of excellent performance during the year while covering the excessive amount of material required for the concert. Every community or university dance organization that I have seen balances its repertoire between the desire for fresh material and the understanding that survival depends upon effective performance. In addition to cutting back on performance, the non-professional instruction is now accelerated beyond what beginning dancers can handle. Bad Retention Statistically 2 out 5 Latinos will flunk out. Of the 5 men who showed up in September 2007 for the first time, we lost: Gillermo Javier Omar Oscar We have kept (so far): Leo These five students came to us not primarily to dance, but to find a human connection. A bond. A family. The hope in their eyes in September slowly dulled. We ran them right out the door. We are a drop-out factory. We retain 2 men every 4 years, one man out of the 20 who come to us. I can remember when there were 12 to 14 men in rehearsals. Advanced dancers generally leave because of the lack of good company performances. The quality has degraded to the point where we received no invitations to perform on Cinco De Mayo 2006. I have never in 10 years of folklorico heard of a company that did not receive invitations to perform on Cinco De Mayo. Extra rehearsals are required for the "small" performances. Material from past years is usually used because this year's material will not be ready until right before the concert. First year people generally do not volunteer, do not get to dance. Every other company has something simple to get people into performance immediately, by October at the latest. Los Mejicas was a kind of family, a home away from home. Now it is a "class". A group like Los Mejicas is the best possible antidote to the alienation and disconnect that precede flunking out of school. The bonding in a performance company has been compared to that of people in combat. This means monthly performances by the whole team throughout the year. Weekly for some. A recital once a year looks good on paper but does not do the job. Bad Outreach The bad "teaching" methods that have mutated from an impossible learning load are taken by Mejicas members into the community to teach kids. Without the lavish UCSC funding, these programs have failed and Mejicas members have gotten their hearts broken. Again. When we do perform for schools we typically have around 8 members performing. Performing as 1 or 2 couples, not at all together in impressive formations. Performances in the community used to function as effective outreach. Community leaders I have spoken with feel that they have been abandoned for ivory tower agendas. They miss Los Mejicas. You can hear the hurt in their voices. On campus, "small" performances by volunteers are few and ineffectual. One student did not join Los Mejicas until senior year because, "I didn't know." (of the group's existence.) The most demoralizing aspect is the way the students are formatted into a culture of mediocrity. They do not realize that they are capable of doing A level work because "program" teaches them that their best efforts produce C level results. A Students plus "A" people + "F" Program = "C" results. The appearance of UC endorsement means that students blame themselves. On paper it all looks good. The funding is not indexed to oversight by performance professionals. Academic entities are free to invent valuable career credentials as dance impresarios. Stress During Finals The other ethnic groups are finished with their Spring Concerts by mid to late April. Los Mejicas puts its people through a grueling schedule during May. What should be a demanding but enjoyable study break is now an unnecessary stressor. During Spring quarter, before and during finals, far too many rehearsals are called. Other UCSC dance groups like Haluan and Sabrosura have their material mastered by early spring quarter and complete their spring concert well before finals. Every other ethnic group at UCSC presents a balanced program of dance, song, instrumentals, skits etc. The learning burden is appropriate to students taught by peer instructors in a student "org.". Shakedown Los Mejicas performances at the Theatre Main Stage have usually been about half full. I just found out after 10 years that the $15.00 we have been paying for practice CD's is making up the shortfall. We have been paying to play. Following this example, a student co-director required Los Mejicas members to buy $10 worth of lottery tickets for the Multi Cultural Festival with which she was involved. Lotteries are illegal so the lottery was called something else. The money paid a name musical act that played in the evening. Mejicas played at 1:30 p.m. Paying to play again. A leader using Los Mejicas to bolster her resume. A cascading culture of corruption. Coverup The "studies" conducted by the Dean did not address any of the above problems. Those responsible held colloquy and determined that they had overlooked nothing. Although I have extensive credentials as a dance director, and made the initial complaint (orally to the Regents) I was not interviewed. Aside from some letters, my website was not perused, they said. Real performance professionals were not contacted for their opinions . You can't be held responsible for a problem of which you claim ignorance. The celebrated cover-ups of our time involve initially small infractions followed by a "lack of transparency" and public outrage at the arrogance of those abusing a power position. Remedy A wholesale enrollment process academically crediting work in student organizations is an excellent idea. Code is needed to assure autonomy for student organizations by providing checks and balances. The very real power of tenured professors with their own career agendas cannot be ignored. A UC system-wide policy is needed protect student organizations from being appropriated by unqualified careerists. Credentials in Dance Instruction and Direction Faculty at USC Workshops at UCLA, CSU San Luis Obispo, UCSC Extensive dance instruction for LA Community Colleges Square Dance Calling Directed dance teams performing everywhere in the LA area from Disneyland to basketball courts to rodeos. The lack of returning students led to community people assuming most leadership positions in Los Mejicas. After my speaking to the regents, UCSC adopted new rules limiting official membership to enrolled students. We community/alumni are now a resource, as is right. This small step took me 10 heavily contested years. I am fully prepared to advocate for another 10 years to assure autonomy for Los Mejicas and all other student organizations. These programs are very important. More detail at <www.erikhansen.org> Erik Hansen Porter College 1996, UCSC erikhansen@ucscalumni.com http://www.youtube.com/erikhans08

	only in Mej - Everything is in-house. There are no real directors on the set. - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Stanford invite Los Mejicas to perform in their shows yet the favor has never been returned - Local foklorico dancing students have never been invited to rehearsals or contacted by the group as a whole. - A weak group allows individuals to be a big frogs in a small pond. The chances of getting a desirable role or elective office are doubled

		Except for Los Mejicas: - companies invited Mej, no invite back - every ethnic group has a diverse concert with dance, music, skits. - every group was pleased to be the subject of a tv special. In Los Mejicas: Everything is kept in house: No website for 5 years because noone could build one A culture of mediocrity has developed: With the program built around one performance at the end of the year, individual self-interest rewards a small weak company. Members have a better shot at desirable roles, elected position, increased status. :ersatz authority: Students are routinely misled about ticket sales. "You can still get tickets for Friday night!" Friday night was half empty. end :ersatz authority: using "I'm OK, You're OK." language a willingness to excercise restraint is misinterpreted as a sign of weakness always the royal we.