PCC Faculty Association Responds to Professor Placed on Leave

While and not for the paper’s coverage of PCC leadership, the college’s Faculty Association has its doubts.

A statement released Friday by the PCC Faculty Association reads:

It is most unfortunate that the PCC administration has seen fit to retaliate against the outstanding journalism of the students at the Courier newspaper by removing, without notice, their adviser Warren Swil from the campus.

The college has been in unprecedented turmoil for more than a year. Most recently, more than 90 percent of faculty responding to a poll expressed no confidence in the administration. This is the first time in PCC history this has ever occurred.

In addition, the Associated Students Board unanimously approved separate no confidence and censure votes which were presented to the Board of Trustees on March 13.

It is regrettable in the extreme that the ones to suffer most out of Swil’s forced departure are the students. The administration’s callous disregard for their interests speaks volume’s [sic] about its priorities.

“I made the decision that placing professor Swil on leave was legally required and was necessary for the protection of the complainant, pending an outside, independent investigation into the allegations,” wrote Robert Bell, the school's vice president for academic and student affairs, in an e-mail to staff and faculty, the Pasadena Sun previously reported.