1967-1986: Chicano Cultural Center

Racial and political confrontation came to the campus early in the Jensen administration. A story in the college newspaper that was critical of a presentation made by an off-campus speaker at a "Black Culture Day" program led to a demand by the Black Student Union that the paper's faculty adviser and student author be dismissed. Another confrontation occurred when four students locked themselves in the staff lounge of the Campus Center, a pressure tactic that eventually led to the establishment of a Chicano Cultural Center on the campus. Student concern was also expressed by demonstrations in opposition to the Vietnam War. During the period of greatest activism, a "free speech area" with a permanent podium was established at the southeast corner of the Quad, in front of the Campus Center.

Dr. Jensen's last years were trying ones because of the reductions and retrenchments made necessary by changing financial conditions. As early as 1975, concerns were expressed about insufficient funding resulting from the imposition of a state apportionment "cap" which threatened for force one of three options: limiting enrollment, requiring a local tax increase, or cutting program offerings. While a new school finance bill removed this threat in 1976, a more serious problem emerged in 1978 with the statewide Jarvis Initiative (Proposition 13). Both the Board of Trustees and the Valley College Academic Senate passed resolutions opposing the measure, but such opposition had little effect on the outcome, and the measure passed easily.

The results of the passage of Proposition 13 were immediate. The 1978 summer session was cancelled. Class offerings in the fall of 1978 were reduced by ten percent. Faculty and staff vacancies were largely left unfilled, hourly help was drastically reduced, and many part-time faculty were released. Budgets for travel were decreased, and a virtual freeze was placed on the purchase of new or replacement equipment.

The introduction of state-mandated tuition in 1984 also had an impact on the college. For the first time in many years, the student enrollment dropped below ten thousand. The decreasing enrollment in turn meant less revenue from the state, since state funds were allotted on the basis of enrollment. Financial considerations also brought about the transfer or elimination of some occupational programs to prevent duplication of effort between Valley College and Crafton Hills College.

Dr. Jensen retired at the end of the 1985-1986 academic year. He had served as president for nineteen years, longer than any of his predecessors.

1992: Earthquake Damaged Library

The Singer years were filled with a variety of challenges for the institution. Faced with increasing enrollments and a cap on state funding, the college faculty and administration held a forum in 1991 to discuss "Whom Shall We Serve?" Initiatives to bring new populations to the campus were reduced, while state mandated tuition was increased, resulting in a sharp drop in enrollment. An earthquake in 1992 severely damaged the book stacks on the main floor of the Library, causing the facility to be closed down for the summer while they were being repaired. The college came to the attention of the media when it became the focus of two lawsuits. One complaint, lodged in 1992, charged an English professor with creating a hostile environment because of the nature of his assignments and the language he used in class. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later ruled in the professors favor, resulting in a landmark sexual harassment decision. In 1995, another student filed a suit because she was not allowed to enroll in an English class designed to provide supplemental support for minority students.

During the winter break for the 1995-96 academic year, trenching began to determine the vulnerability of the campus to future seismic activity. The results of the study revealed that seven of the fifteen buildings on campus straddled or were near the San Jacinto earthquake fault, and would eventually have to be taken down.
 

1995: President Bill Clinton Visits SBVC

A high point of the Singer years was a visit to the campus by President Bill Clinton in February 1995. President Clinton spoke to a standing-room-only crowd in the Snyder Gym, and also met with a select group of students, faculty and administration to discuss educational issues of the day. A second celebrity visitor graced the campus in 1996, when Hillary Clinton visited the campus and spoke in the Auditorium.