COD's 'Boycott Three' becomes 'Bizarro Three' boycotting own meeting

The glimmer of hope that the three boycotting College of DuPage Board members, Erin Birt, Dianne McGuire and Joe Wozniak (the Boycott Three), would show up for work to help the College of DuPage grapple with its unprecedented two year probation, and simply function operationally, were dashed Thursday when we concerned DuPage residents were greeted by their three empty chairs. What is astonishing about their collectively orchestrated work strike was their boycotting their own special meeting they called for after boycotting the December 17 meeting, the first called since the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) put College of DuPage on academic probation. By denying the Board a quorum, no college bills were approved, including one to hire a consulting firm to provide ethics training to correct ethics violations cited in COD's probationary status. Three new academic programs languished in limbo and no action was taken to select a new member to fill the seventh Board member vacancy.

What we did see at the meeting was a thorough and thoughtful discussion of the issues and urgency surrounding efforts to address COD's probationary status. A February, 2017, deadline was set to address every facet of the HLC list of problems that must be addressed, so HLC will have sufficient time to assess them prior to the November, 2017, deadline for COD to keep its accreditation.Trustee McGuire, spokesman for the newly named 'Bizarro Three' called the continuing boycott as necessary due to their meeting being "hijacked" by Vice Chair and duly authorized (by COD counsel and now the Illinois Community College Board) Acting Chair Deanne Mazzochi. This is their true priority, pretending that Mazzochi has no standing to lead a divided Board.

When they were part of a six member majority, the Bizarro Three enabled or ignored every anti faculty, anti student and innumerable financial and ethical deficiencies that placed COD on probation. They even castigated and censored the sole member who called out the mis-governance and led the reform movement which has swept away every visage of poor COD governance. Correct that: all but one vestige, the three remaining holdovers, Birt, McGuire an Wozniak, who not only opposed every reform measure when they attended as a minority, but now boycott like infants when given the power to deny the college and the community a quorum.

The patience of the COD community is wearing thin as evidenced by all but one public comment speakers yesterday. The Bizarro Three's supporters are few and dwindling. Many community folks are calling for their resignation, or even the more drastic removal from pubic office. There is a better way forward for them: show up for work and do your job leading COD out of the probationary pit for which you bear much responsibility. They would be wise to consider Woody Allen's adage on success that "85% of life is showing up." When your show up rate is 0%, chances of success are about the same.