Steve Cassady: Sun-Star wrong to pick on Merced College

I marvel at the Sun-Star’s blitz on the Merced College administration – sound and fury with agendas attached. One front-page account solicited a weekend ticket writer eight months on the job, characterizing college leadership as deficient. “Credible source”? Another airs the Faculty Association president opposed to teaching four days a week during a 175-day teaching year. The big one: the contract for law enforcement services. The Sun-Star retails wild accusations of malfeasance in a matter as banal as changing vendors after a contract has lapsed.

I have served Merced College four decades as an English professor/softball coach/athletic director. My opinion differs from what the Sun-Star’s coverage suggests. Susan Walsh insists on service to students; demands employee accountability; gets things done. A case in point: Since February, when she was appointed acting president, Walsh has overridden decades of neglect.

We’ve never had a district budget line for game uniforms. That changed. The gym interior hadn’t been painted in 30 years. That changed. She has propelled stalled projects through the system and addressed Title IX issues and redirected rightful funding. In athletics, Walsh is an exemplary CEO, and we aren’t alone in thinking so. She understands cooking an omelet means cracking some eggs.

I’d suggest the Sun-Star widen its lens. Ask pertinent questions. Gain a perspective. Stop accepting without corroboration the exclusive and dyspeptic opinion of eggshells.

This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Steve Cassady: Sun-Star wrong to pick on Merced College."