UNLESS?

“Marymount College has been an important asset for Rancho Palos Verdes for 50 years. Your Yes Vote on Measure P will allow the school to build a state-of-the-art library and a recreational center available to every Rancho Palos Verdes resident"

Those are the words that begin the argument in favor of the ballot Initiative regarding The Marymount Plan.

On its surface, it would seem factually deceptive by not acknowledging that the exact same state-of-the-art library and a recreational center available to every Rancho Palos Verdes resident has already been approved of by the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council.

Now please, consider the word 'unless' and the ramifications the first words may actually confirm, if one reads the words as fact and/or between the lines.

It has been my assertion for some time that should Marymount College and its representatives fail in their war to get on-campus student housing approved, by any means possible, they will simply abandon the construction of every other aspect of both The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project AND The Marymount Plan.

Both the Project and the Plan are almost completely identical except for on-campus student housing and legal language allowing Marymount's representatives to make moot a number of city regulations and municipal codes.

Looking at the first words in another light and still considering the word, unless, it now is almost a verified fact by Marymount, unless they publicly deny this coming statement that:

Unless Marymount College is allowed to construct on-campus student housing, there will be no new construction of a state-of-the-art library or even a recreational center available to every Rancho Palos Verdes resident.

Furthermore, I challenge and strongly request that representatives of Marymount College respond to the sentence I created above this one and either accept that sentence as fact or publicly deny it.

Bluntly put, I continue to believe that if Marymount's representatives and supporters do not find a means to have on-campus student housing approved for construction on the main campus of Marymount College, that College will eventually fail to attract enough students willing to attend it, whether it is a four-year college or a two-year college, and that is may close its doors without even beginning construction approved by The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project, which I will continue to support.

Evidence of my assertions being truer than fictional are being brought to light by Marymount's representatives and legal team.

I strongly believe that no matter what the vote count is by November 3, 2010, litigation concerning on-campus student residential units will continue long after November, 2010 at a cost to the College, the city of Rancho Palos Verdes and/or the city's insurers.

I do not expect that Dr. Brophy will offer a decisive answer or correction to my assertions between now and November, 2, 2010, nor do I expect any truthful denial that my assertions are correct from anyone else representing Marymount College.

All of this can only be charged against Marymount's representatives' self interests in attempting to gain approval for something I find unsafe.

It continues to become more clear in terms that Marymount representatives do not want you to know is that it is dorms or no more Marymount.

It probably should come down to that as the most honest way of describing all of the fighting, lawsuits, and other problems that have grown during the last ten years.

At some point we all need to 'own' this fact and find personal responsibility for the potential outcome that might be in our city's future.

No dorms or no Marymount. That is what Proposition P is really about and I have had to assume personal responsibility that my consideration that on-campus student housing is so unsafe that I have to 'own' the concept that I could be a party in the disappearance of Marymount College as an active institution for higher learning in Rancho Palos Verdes. Even though I will continue to support it, I do not believe that The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project was ever really positively considered for implementation by representatives of Marymount College, without on-campus housing ever being approved.