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This coming November, voters will have a chance to decide who can best lead San Joaquin Delta College amid concerns that include declining enrollment and determining how best to serve the student population. Six candidates in three districts are vying for seats on the board. Most are Delta College insiders, with experience on the board or as college employees.

AREA 3

Three people are competing for Area 3 seat, which represents North Stockton: Eddie Brown, Janet Rivera and Richard Vasquez.

Eddie Brown, a retired Stockton police sergeant and relative newcomer to Delta politics, graduated from Edison High School in 1968 and graduated from San Francisco State University with a vocational education degree.

Brown was a Stockton police officer for 28 years before becoming part of the Civil Service Commission for the City of Stockton.

After attending some board meetings at Delta, Brown feels that one of the campus’ problems is accreditation.

“They’re in the process of getting prepared for accreditation,” Brown said. “And they were short in a couple of areas in regards to the trustees doing their part, in regards to the accreditation. Each trustee was assigned a particular issue to follow up on and to complete, and it appears that those things weren’t coming together the way they should be.”

Brown didn’t specify any further what work he believed the trustees fell short on.

Brown also said that Delta is not doing well in terms of enrollment and

thinks there should be more emphasis on keeping students on the path to getting an associates degree or job certificate, allowing them to go to a four year or vocational school.

Brown said one way to improve the school’s ability to provide students with what they need is to make sure that the resources are available to help students succeed.

“I think Kathy Hart is doing an excellent job, but I think there’s those presently on the trustee board that sometimes try to undermine the president,” said Brown. “I’ve seen people in a meeting almost blindside the president, bringing up stuff in a public forum that should be addressed in a closed session.”

Current board member Janet Rivera is an alumni of Delta College, U.O.P, Stanislaus State and Sac State and has been on the Delta College board for 24 years.

With her educational experience from working in different school districts in San Joaquin County, Rivera said she understands what students needs are and has fresh ideas on getting students to come to Delta College.

Rivera said that Delta College is serving its students well with the variety of classes and programs it offers to them.

“I think that the students that we currently serve are getting most of their college education in need to transfer,” Rivera said. “And I think that with our career education technology programs, they also have an opportunity to get a certificate in eight or six weeks and apprenticeship programs. We have various avenues that students can choose from.”

However, Rivera thinks one of Delta’s biggest issues is enrollment and would like to come up with ways to fix it if elected.

Rivera also believes that Delta has not met the needs of its constituents in north county locations like Lodi or Calaveras County, but hopes to change that.

Richard Vasquez, the former board president who represented Area 4, is now running in Stockton.

He had been living in Lodi, but resigned his seat over the summer because he moved to Stockton, which is in Area 3.

However, he said it is time that he came back to Stockton and get back on the Delta board.

“I love Lodi,” said Vasquez. “I was the arts chair for the commission, I sat on the board of appeals for Lodi. So I got the chance to involve myself in the community of Lodi, but now I think it’s time to involve myself in Stockton, where I’m from and will be the most useful.”

According to Vasquez, he loves Delta College and only sees positive things about it, but he is concerned by the lack of a north county campus.

However, if elected, Vasquez plans on tackling this issue by leading the way to building a new Delta campus for the north region.

Vasquez also plans to oversee the five-year master plan, making sure that the Stockton campus is fully functional, as well as trying to initiate a new bond and getting an agricultural program started for Delta.

AREA 4

In Area 4, representing Lodi, Galt and parts of the Delta, voters will choose between two long-time Delta insiders — former dean Charles Jennings and retired English Professor Diane Oren, who both feel that Delta is struggling in terms of enrollment.

Jennings is a retired dean of learning of assessment, general education and transfer and division dean of fine arts at Delta College, as well as a music professor.

To help fund his campaign to run for a position on the board of trustees, Jenning’s campaign received a loan from Dr. Jessie Garza-Roderick of $10,000.

According to Jennings, his campaign has received support from a lot of people and he has campaign loans that loans to the community.

Jennings said that Delta is a strong institution with a comprehensive set of programs that offers great services to the community.

However, he acknowledges that the college has its faults.

“There’s been a sagging enrollment taking place,” Jennings said. “And one of the things I would like to do is help try and turn that around, and get the college growing again.”

If elected, Jennings plans on doing that by working with the board of trustees, along with the administration of the college to reach out to the community in places like local service centers throughout the San Joaquin County.

Diane Oren is a former Delta College English professor and taught high school English at East Union High School.

She did her undergraduate work at UCLA and received a degree in English and speech, along with other works in psychology she did for U.O.P.

Oren feels that, like all community colleges, Delta is facing growth issues as far as its students completing their education in a timely manner.

“I believe that Delta College had addressed these problems and is addressing them,” said Oren. “Unfortunately, we live in a community where students can’t afford to live and go to school at the same time. We have a large enrollment, but students aren’t taking the classes because they can’t afford to do it.”

Oren says expensive books are part of the problem — not just the cost of tuition.

Oren, said that as a former faculty member, she sees students as her primary concern, as well as faculty and knows how what the college does impacts them.

“I think I’m a candidate who will reflect community in that respect,” Oren said.

AREA 7

Catherine Mathis, a current member of the Delta board, is running unopposed in Area 7. The district represents Lathrop, Manteca and portions of the south county region.