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Volume 38 Issue1
August 28, 2000

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In search of leadership

LEGEND'S VIEW
MESA LEGEND
Submitted August 28, 2000

We are embarking on an important semester at MCC.

As students. As voters. As free speakers and thinkers.

In fact, Fall semester 2000, the first of the new millennium (we know — we promised never to use that word again!) may be the most intriguing of  MCC’s 35 years in existence.

Former Chancellor Paul Elsner left an indelible mark on the Maricopa Community College District — his name is on the library and high-tech center for a reason — and led the expansion of MCC to become one of the largest community colleges in the country.

While Elsner’s 22 years worth of contributions were grand and justifiably applauded, we continue to uncover areas of opportunity which new chancellor Fred Gaskin must tackle head on.

Searching for alternatives to funnel funds to our ever-expanding budget other than raising students’ tuition should be at the top of a long agenda for Gaskin, followed by promoting diversity on our campuses, recognizing the contributions of adjunct faculty and truly becoming “in touch” with our students’ needs.

Gaskin has the ability to at least continue to make wise choices in the best interests of students, such as his decision earlier this summer to keep guns out of the hands of MCCD certified peace officers.

The proverbial ball is in his court.

What is up to us, the student population, is in peril of losing all respect for its impact. That opportunity is our right to vote.

Sure, times are astounding. It is understandable that our level of interest in the talking heads and flesh-pressers that make up our system of government is going to be a bit low.

However, it has become increasingly clear that we, as a student population, believe that the decisions made in regards to where this city, state and country will be going in the next four years are not ours to make.

As many of us know, nothing could be farther from the truth. As students, we carry both the pen and the sword, and nothing is mightier than the two.

Consider this a challenge to everyone a part of MCC, from students to faculty and the administration. Fall semester 2000 is the chance of a lifetime.

A school year awaits. An election awaits.

The proverbial ball is in your court.

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