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PCC Statement

PCC June 7th Statement


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FAQs

Q: What should I know about this situation that I might not have seen in media reports to date?

A:

  • The District Attorney's office first contacted PCC on May 7, 2012. Since that time the college has worked openly and fully with investigators. PCC will continue to do so until this case is concluded.
  • PCC follows set procedures when hiring employees. These policies can be found at http://www.pasadena.edu/HR/polices.cfm.
  • Mr. van Pelt and Mr. Hutchings were the only two employees identified by the DA's office as targets of the investigation and have been placed on administrative leave.
  • PCC is conducting an internal investigation. If it reveals improper conduct or violations of District policy, then there will be a recommendation to the Board of Trustees that employment of these two employees be terminated.
  • The College and District will conduct a review all of operations and learn how we can improve oversight and insure full compliance. A preliminary internal review of our books indicates that all funds are intact and properly accounted for.

Q: How will the college adjust personnel-wise to continue to conduct business?

A: The duties of facilities supervisor and Vice President of Administrative Services have been distributed to various departments at PCC. An independent accounting firm has been retained to assist as well.

Q: Is it true that the College knew nothing about this situation prior to being notified by the DA's office?

A: Sadly, yes. While we still don't know for certain what happened and those under suspicion have not been charged, the fact is that if a determined and intelligent person sets out to hide misconduct, it can take a while for the truth to surface.

Q: Could others have been involved in aiding the suspected individuals? Do you think you'll be putting anyone else on administrative leave and/or terminating their employment?

A: There is absolutely no reason to believe anyone else in the PCC community had anything to do with what occurred. That said, we are cooperating closely with the DA's office and proceeding with our own internal audit to ensure this is the case. We will not, ever, tolerate illegal and/or unethical behavior by College employees.

Q: What has the accounting firm of Vicenti, Lloyd, and Stutzman been hired to do?

A: To temporarily handle Administrative Services tasks and to conduct a forensic audit to confirm our belief that College finances were not directly impacted by these events.

Q: What should I do if the DA's office contacts me?

A: If you are a College employee, they won't contact you, they'll contact the College's General Counsel. If you are not a College employee, you can choose to cooperate with them with or without an attorney present.

Q: If I have concerns about how this news might affect ME, who can I contact?

A: Contact the College's Director of Public Relations, Juan Gutierrez, at jfgutierrez@pasadena.edu for all questions; if he can't help you directly, he'll find someone who can.