Open Letter To Marymount's Board of Trustees

The following is an open letter to the members of the Board of Trustees of Marymount College.

It is informally addressed to:

Mr. Burt Arnold, Chair of the Marymount College Board of Trustees
Mr. Alexander Cappello, Vice-Chair of the Marymount College Board of Trustees
Dr. Michael Brophy, President, Marymount College
Sister Antoine-Marie Baurier RSHM, Secretary of the Marymount College Board of Trustees
Mr. Ty Bobit
Ms. Patricia Dilligan
Mr. Richard D. Farman, LL.B.
Mr. Bonifacio Garcia, J.D.
Mr. Richard Grotz, B.S.E.E.
Mr. David A. Herbst, B.A.
Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, Ph.D.
Mr. Brian W.G. Marcotte
Mr. William P. McGinn
Sister Alice F. Molina, RSHM
Mr. John Murnane
Sister Gregory Naddy, RSHM
Sister Mary Leah Plante, RSHM, M.T.S.
Mr. Timothy G. Psomas, B.S.C.E.
Ms. Lia V. Reyes
Mr. Thomas S. Ricci, B.S.
Ms. Caroline A. Sayers, J.D.
Dr. Sue Soldoff, Ph.D.

To the members of the Board.

My name is Mark Wells and I oppose passage of Measure P, The Marymount Plan because I cannot find that having students of Marymount College residing in on-campus residential housing would be safe and I am willing to discuss and debate my points with anyone.

I have been a member of several Boards and I know that Board members have a responsibility and charge to maintain the highest level of integrity, honesty, morality, openness, fairness, lawfulness, and accountability for the organization they serve.

I am a vocal and constant supporter of The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project and I want that Project to succeed beyond imagination. However, recent developments and events have caused greater alarm that even The Project might not have any chance of moving forward because of so many problems I feel are being caused or escalated by Dr. Brophy.

As trust should be very important for the reputation of a College seeking greater enrollment and improved academics, responsibility also plays a large factor in the success of an institution. That institution should instill trust, responsibility, great education, leadership, and good citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, administration, and others now represented by Dr. Brophy as "the Marymount Community."

As the President of Marymount College, Dr. Brophy in my opinion has the greatest responsibility and accountability in dealing with all matters regarding Marymount College and its community.

Unfortunately for many of us who are vocal opponents of Measure P, The Marymount Plan, we no longer have the trust and faith that Dr. Brophy is communicating to you and others with the highest degree of integrity, believability, accountability, and responsibility. Since I do not have faith that a letter addressed to each of you addressed to the Marymount College campus would ever get to you, I am writing this open letter to you on this blog.

Having Dr. Brophy remaining as President of Marymount College without some major changes in the direction of the campaign is creating a greater divide among more and more residents of Rancho Palos Verdes and Marymount College’s community. Dr. Brophy’s credibility is now in question.

Dr. Brophy’s comments to the City Council regarding keeping on the “high road” and Marymount College being a “good neighbor” no longer seem true because of many actions and comments by Dr. Brophy.

There are also instances where veiled or real threats of litigation leveled by Dr. Brophy, his representatives and/or Marymount’s lawyers have created the appearance that litigation is superseding honest debate on discussions.

Dr. Brophy’s continued failure to, in my opinion, answer all questions honestly, completely, using the whole truth, displays some of the worst examples of campaigning for a cause that is still clouded by misleading statements and incomplete accounting of the facts.

When Dr. Brophy, as President of Marymount College allows mailers and other written information that doesn’t offer that almost every part of The Marymount Plan has already been approved, he should be held responsible for continuing to confuse and probably mislead voters in Rancho Palos Verdes into believing what may not be truthful at all.

Trust, honor, ethics, morality, excellence in education, continuance of tradition, honesty, goodness, and faith should be so very important for everything and everyone associated with Marymount College.

If you find that Dr. Brophy can remain as President of Marymount College, I hope you instruct him and every other member of the Marymount Community to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and that responding to all residents of Rancho Palos Verdes in more reasonable, realistic, responsible, and respectful ways is taking the high road good neighbors strive to do.

Regards

Mark Wells
aka M Richards
www.eastrpv.blogspot.com