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LAWRENCE
C. JORGENSEN
LOS ANGELES VALLEY COLLEGE, Van Nuys, California
JANUARY, 1997
FROM: CHUCK JORGENSEN
WARNING
TO ALL STUDENTS IN ALL MY CLASSES
For the past several semesters, several woman students have independently
informed me that one of their woman professors (the same professor in each
of the cases) has asked/ suggested/ promoted that they, the students in that
class, keep a record of any/all professor's/ professors' name(s), and the
examples of "sexual harassment" being perpetrated upon the female
students by the conscious or unconscious sexual harassment actions,
comments, gestures, and/or whatever, by their male professors.
In addition, that same woman professor has on several class room
occasions, I have been told, specifically referred to me by name as an
example of male professors who are trying to maintain their “traditional
right to sexually harass their women students.” How much more of this
speech and behavior directed against me that is going on, and by whom, I'd
be interested to know.
What these unhappy casualties of the fall of Berlin Wall are about looks
like a contemporary re-visitation of that most conformist period in recent
United States' history, the 1950s and the resulting "Mc Carthyite"
assault upon non-conforming or independent action, speech, art, writing, and
ultimately to the attempted policing of thought and belief on campus and
off..
You will have an opportunity to hear about or read the original complaint
against me, as well as some of the comments about that complaint. Certainly,
you will hear my comments about "it all."
Be warned, therefore, that there are among us, and perhaps in every one
of my classes, those who wish to visit ill upon people like myself, and most
importantly upon "academic freedom" itself. They may well be
keeping records, notes, files on fellow students, as well as professors. It
has happenned before.
Do not be confused by political labeling; throughout history the
authoritarian persona has embraced flags of various hues, vocabularies of
various causes and symbols of various faiths. Judge folks by their actions.
FASCISM IS AS FASCISM DOES

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WARNINGS II
BIGOT: 1.a. A hypocrite. b. A superstitious person --1664. 2. A person
obsti-nately and unreasonably wedded to a creed, opinion, or ritual
--1661. BIGOTED: Ob-stinately and blindly attached to some creed, opinion,
or party, and intolerant towards others. (OUD. 1955. 178).
BIGOT: 1. a person who holds blindly and intolerantly to a particular
creed, opinion, etc. 2. a narrow-minded, intolerant person. BIGOTED: a.
having the character-istics of a bigot; narrow-minded; prejudiced.
BIGOTRY: 1. obstinate or blind attachment to a particular creed;
unreasonable zeal in favor of a party, sect, or opinion; excessive
prejudice; intolerance. (Webster Unab. 1983. 181).
The primary or most common source of bigotry is ignorance, a lack of
knowledge, contact or familiarity with those kinds of information, ideas,
peoples, and cultures that differ from one's own. It is almost a natural
condition to being raised in a particular religion, ethnic or national
group, culture or sub-culture.
Formal education, particularly at the College and University level, has
as a primary goal the offending of the bigot, of creating an environment
hostile to big-otry. Generally speaking, this institution and most
particularly this professor (Lawrence C. Jorgensen) considers it essential
to critical thinking that bigots and bigotry be affronted.
Don't take it personal; I've been there myself. Sometimes, I find myself
there once again. Life is Change. Life is learning to live with those
changes that enhance the human condition, yours included, and rejecting
those that do not, that are de-structive to humanness. And sometimes it is
difficult to tell. Thus, keep an open mind. Be thou not a bigot.
A second kind of bigotry springs from a serious and traumatic personal
victimiza-tion, or from a morbid Preoccupation with historic Victimization(s)
in general. This class, and this professor, is not designed or Structured to
deal with this latter form of bigotry. Indeed, if a student feels that they
belong to this Second category, DROP THIS CLASS. - . DO IT NOW. - - JUST GET
Up and LEAVE. You'll feel bet-ter, less offended; and I'll feel like I can
then do my job of assaulting ignorance.
Thanks. LCJ

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JANUARY, 1997
WARNING READ ASK QUESTIONS
Greetings, one and all. I'm Chuck Jorgensen, an accused sexual
harasser.
That statement has been my standard introduction
in all of my classes ever since that charge was first directed against me by
this College and the Los Angeles Valley College District in September, 1993.
I think it only fair to alert everyone about the professor into whose
political science or history class they have enrolled. Of course, I will
also distribute copies of the original complaint so charging me, along with
other materials. I also request that all students read and sign a statement
that they are aware of the charge.
About a year ago, those charges were withdrawn,
but no one has officially declared them to have been baseless, and in error,
from the beginning. In addition, secret official files detailing that charge
against me are being kept in several places. Thus, the College, the District
and the individuals responsible are preventing me from completely clearing
my name. Because of that "sex offense" charge, for which no one
will apologize, I am unable to change teaching venues.
For example, my wife and I were thinking of
retiring and moving out of the Los Angeles area. However, an important
auxiliary consideration to that retirement was my intention to teach part
time in the community to which we moved. You can certainly understand that
no college or university administrator is going to consider hiring, even for
a part time position, an instructor who has been so charged.
We had four places on our list: Santa Rosa,
California; Phoenix and Prescott, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico. Initial
face-to-face investigations relative to part time employment were most
positive. . . until all this. They all understand the unfairness of this,
but given the contemporary highly charged, sexual/political climate no one
wishes to invite a political hassle upon themselves. I do not agree with
their position, but I can understand it.
Be all that as it may, "and the good Lord
willing," if that expression is not also politically incorrect, I am
not going to leave Los Angeles Valley College until my 30 plus year teaching
record has been cleared; the unconstitutional restrictions upon class room
speech and materials lifted; and . . . well, stay tuned.
And, Fascism is as fascism does, remember.

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Society is produced by our wants,
and government by our wickedness. |
Thomas Paine. Common Sense (1776) |
We the People
As most of you are increasingly aware, something called democracy was not
the original intention of the founders of the United States government. For
over 200 years, countless Americans have labored, struggled, fought and died
to expand the definition and include greater and greater numbers into the
initially narrow "all men are created equal" pronouncement of the
Declaration of Independence. At the same time, the "We the People"
of the Constitution's Preamble has been also expanded to include many not
originally intended. But have the tasks been completed? No way! Do we still
have a lot to do? You bet!
Public Education Alert
But what we do not want is to go backwards. However, right here in Van Nuys,
at Los Angeles Valley College, policies are being promoted and implemented
that can only corrupt your college education. The future you hope for
yourselves and your children, in part based upon that college education, is
clearly being subverted by policies and actions of numerous individuals too
corrupt or too stupid or too insipid to be able to do you well. Indeed, you
as a real person (and not some ID number on a computer printout, or simply a
justification for increased state financial allocation) with hopes, dreams
and aspirations for yourself as well as your children, do not seem to even
count in all this growing national educational mess.
Serve and Protect
All governmental bodies and agencies, public institutions, government and
public employees only exist to serve and protect the people for whom and by
whom they have been established, Public education is no different. Public
institutions, and most particularly public schools, ought not to be used as
employment pools for the inept, career steps for the status conscious,
therapeutic activities for the pathological, or opportunities for the
impotent to dominate others. The next few years will be very difficult ones.
All previous political, social and economic bets are off. Corruption,
stupidity, pathological behavior, and a generalized craziness will all
become increasingly prevalent, as a new generational configuration emerges.
Quality and Credibility
Your future chances at whatever it may be that you wish to pursue partly
depend on the quality and the credibility of the education you are receiving
at the Community College. To the extent that other institutions will not
accept the credits or the little piece of paper issued by this college, that
is the extent to which they have wasted your time, that they have wasted a
portion of your life, damaged your future. Your life, not theirs or mine.
Remember, this is the 1990's, not the 1790's. You are now a part of
"We the people You must go forward, not backward. You have a right to
be here. It is your college not theirs. It is your time, not theirs. And
most importantly, it is your life, your future, they are screwing around
with.
Oh well, let's calm down a bit. As
e.e. lynlar used to say, Do what you want; but do something. Just
don't live on your knees trying to kiss someone’s ass. |
-- Chuck Jorgensen. August 1996 |
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