Ongoing Suspension Threats By Judith Penchansky

Here is the recent email correspondence by and between myself and Santa Monica College Assistant Dean of Judicial Affairs, Judith Penchansky. I just sent this email to her and I am reposting it on my SAVE SMC blog to bring public awareness to this issue.

-- Des Manttari,
Editor-in-Chief,
Phoenix Genesis

(c) 2006: Phoenix Genesis

------------------- MY MAY 8, 2006 EMAIL TO PENCHANSKY ------------------


ATTENTION: DEAN JUDITH PENCHANSKY

Dear Ms. Penchansky:

I am in receipt of your request to meet with me by this Friday, May 12, 2006, and wish to advise you that I am retaining new counsel and am requesting a two-week continuance to prepare for the meeting. Let me know if May 26th, 29th, or 30th works best with you and Mr. Robert Sammis so that I can schedule in advance with my attorney and with anyone else I may bring with me to this meeting.

Please indicate on which of these dates my attorney and I will be able to examine Mr. Jim Keeshen regarding his accusations against me upon which you are basing your proceedings. Additionally, please indicate on which of these dates my attorney and I will be able to examine Mr. Thomas J. Baker regarding his accusations against me upon which you are basing your proceedings. Additionally, please indicate on which of these dates my attorney and I will be able to examine any witnesses you intend to use against me to justify your wrongful disciplinary measures.

Additionally, I promptly expect to receive all documents you have in your possession regarding this matter so that I may forward them to my attorney for review. I have been informed that you have caused to be created a petition against me that you have allegedly forced students to sign and I am requesting a copy of this petition at your earliest convenience.

Additionally, please be advised that I intend to record any and all meetings with you and that anything you may say will be potentially forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement or governmental agencies in charge of investigating this matter. Alternatively, as I stated previously, I am willing to resolve this matter through written dialogue. I am still awaiting your response to my legitimate questions I emailed you. To date, you have not provided me with your witnesses or evidence against me, have not allowed me to question my accusers, have not provided me with all police incident reports, and have not indicated in writing what is the purpose of this meeting.

I remind you that you are attempting to re-open matters that you have formally closed in writing pursuant to your letter to me dated June 6, 2005. Not only are you in violation of my Constitutional rights regarding this matter, but by virtue of your petition against me and Mr. Keeshen's March 1, 2006 hate speech and threats to his students, you are in essence creating a lynch mob mentality that is causing me to wrongfully endure a hostile learning environment.

Additionally, by virtue of your statement that you are proceeding with the disciplinary process as a result of what you consider unsuccessful meetings with District representatives, you are violating my rights by using an administrative proceeding to settle a civil dispute of which you are a named defendant. Furthermore, Mr. Sammis, Mr. Joshua Morrison, and you have violated my rights by forcing me to attend a meeting on April 21, 2006 with both attorneys on threat of suspension knowing full well that I was still represented by legal counsel at the time. Accordingly, I should have been afforded an opportunity to be represented by my legal counsel.

Furthermore, I have been informed by representatives of the district that you are basing your threats of suspension against me due to my publishing information pertaining to you on my SAVE SMC blog. This is a clear violation of my First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and freedom of press. I have been further informed that you are basing your threats of suspension due to my request for public records and the subsequent lawsuit I was forced to file. This is a clear violation of my rights to redress legitimate grievances and to obtain vital public records.

Again, I object to the wrongful disciplinary hold placed on my student records and request via this email that the hold be removed forthwith so that I can register for classes.

Thank you for your kind understanding.

Des Manttari

--------------------- PENCHANSKY'S ORIGINAL EMAIL TO ME -------------------

From: "PENCHANSKY_JUDITH" PENCHANSKY_JUDITH@smc.edu
To: "Phoenix Genesis"
CC: "SAMMIS_ROBERT" SAMMIS_ROBERT@smc.edu,
"PENCHANSKY_JUDITH" PENCHANSKY_JUDITH@smc.edu

Subject: RE: Proposed Meeting and Request for Documentation and Records

Date: Fri, 5 May 2006 11:43:23 -0700

Hello Des:

Due to the fact that your meetings with the District representatives have been unsuccessful, I am proceeding with the disciplinary process. Please set up an in person meeting with me by next Friday, May 12, 2006. At this meeting you may be bring an attorney, a staff member or a fellow student. I am reminding you that if you bring a student, they may not interrupt the meeting; I am also reminding you that you may not tape record (video or audio) this meeting. If you do not meet with me by May 12, 2006, I will begin suspension proceedings. A hold remains on your record and you may not register for summer or fall classes.

Thank you,
Dean Penchansky


Feel free to link or print this; just include the SAVE SMC URL: http://savesmc.blogspot.com/

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