On the road to nowhere, in Mountain House.

[SJDCwatch]

Dear Friend of SJDCwatch,

John White, long-time drama instructor @ Delta College, took some time
to get out and find the real Mountain House... and he wants to share
his experience with us....

Regards,
Steve Schermerhorn
====================================================================
My wife and I took a drive the other weekend to see the property at
Mountain
House. We at first missed it because there were not signs and shortly
after
passing the entrance we found ourselves in another county!! Could
they have
found a location any further away from our students. Mountain House
is a bit
like a ghost town. It has too many empty houses, abandoned in this
housing
disaster.

This summer the Drama Department did a summer show at the Tracy Grand
Theatre
which is walking distance from where Tracy initially offered
property. The drive
there from Delta was about 21 miles and easy to go from I-5 to the
11th street
exit to the theatre. The drive to Mountain House was SIGNIFICANTLY
further;
Mountain House is NOT as close to Tracy as being advertised. We felt
if we lived
in Tracy it would be easier and cheaper on gas to come to Delta than
drive
country roads to get to the campus, located on the edge of the San
Joaquin
County line.

Mountain House doesn't have established business such as a
supermarket; only a
small market to pick up chips, soda and beer. In Tracy there are
established
businesses that can meet the needs of students and staff outside of
campus
academics and activities.

The best part of the city's offer is the plan to build a
transportation hub
close to the Grand Theatre which will handle all forms of public
transportation.
IMAGINE, being able to take county transit from one campus to
another. A student
could take morning classes here at Delta and jump onto a 'jumper' bus
to Tracy
for more classes in the afternoon.

Remember, this idea of satellite campuses came from a growing housing
market
which developed a terminal disease and has flat lined. It was a
visionary idea
to expand the campus but times changed and we cannot hold up the
future of
education on a dream that transformed into a logistical nightmare. It
isn't
called 'flip-flopping' rather changing with the times. When Leaders
recognize a
plan is not working out they admit the mistake and change course.

Mountain House is a brain dead vision. The Board is behaving like the
relative
who refuses to pull the plug even thought the patient is brain dead.