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On Tuesday, 15 December 2009, three newly elected trustees were sworn-in at Compton College. For the first time in years there is a quorum on the Board of Trustees. The new group's first order of business was to elect a new president and vice president.

Things have not always gone so smoothly at Compton Community College.

The college’s recent history has more drama and intrigue than a Perry Mason episode. As Daniel Hernandez of L A Weekly tells the story, the school’s troubles began in 2004 when the state took over management and initiated an investigation of the school’s officials for misuse of state money. Omar Bradley, although not connected to the school, was mayor of Compton at the time: he was sentenced to three years in prison. Compton College Trustee, Ignacio Peña, was convicted of pilfering over a million dollars from the school coffers and sentenced to four years in state prison.

Prior to the debacle, the college was autonomously governed by a board of five elected trustees. Afterwards, in part due to a bill sponsored by Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, a sole “special trustee” was appointed to oversee the school’s affairs. The bill effectively stripped all power from the elected trustees. Adding to the woes, three of the five trustee seats have been vacant for about four years.

In the midst of the fray, the state’s Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges stripped Compton College of its accreditation. The school is currently being administered by El Camino College as a satellite “learning center.” As Hernandez so eloquently put it in his article, “… there’s a maddening Catch-22 at play: The commission says the college can’t be accredited unless it’s governed by a local board, but the state takeover nullified the powers of the local board. And the state says it won’t leave Compton College until it helps it restore its accreditation, which can’t happen until . . . and so on.”

The college remains under the control of the special trustee, but the swearing-in this past Tuesday is the first step toward reaccreditation.

The three newly elected trustees are Charles Davis, representing Area 1 (Compton), Dr. John Hamilton, representing Area 2 (Carson) and Dr. Deborah Leblanc, representing Area 4 (Paramount). The new board elected Davis as President, replacing Lorraine Cervantes, and Dr. Leblanc as Vice President.

The next order of business was a presentation by Belden, Russonello & Stewart who is currently conducting market research for the school. Surprisingly, the study revealed that over half of the local residents interviewed thought that the school should remain under the auspices of El Camino College. Not so surprisingly, nine out of ten residents surveyed thought that it was important for Compton to have its own college - regardless of who runs it.

The students surveyed said that the school was as good as or better than most colleges because they believed that a smaller school affords them more personal attention. Almost 64% of the students thought transferring from Compton to a four-year school would not be an issue.

Conversely, the overwhelming concern expressed by students was safety on campus and the area surrounding the campus. The students also cited bad guidance from councilors, the condition of some of the buildings, safety at night and the school’s reputation.

The study, thus far, indicates that the five trustees have their work cut out for them. The safety issue might be illusionary inasmuch as the school is located on the border of Compton and Long Beach (Artesia @ Santa Fe Avenue off the 91 freeway) which has a considerably lower crime rate than the school's namesake. Nevertheless, as long as "Compton" is in the school's name, any negative news from the city will continue to attach itself to the school. Consequently, the demos of Compton sell the school: it is unlikely that sophisticated marketing will overcome the city's perceived image.

Clearly, the past has left its scar on Compton College, however, a scar forms only once the wound has healed. Moreover, catharsis begins with acknowledgement. Denying Watergate cost President Nixon his presidency: coming clean about Iran-Contra probably saved the Ronald Regan Administration.

The new Trustee - President, Charles Davis, said “I believe that we have to be accountable for what we do. That’s going to be the board’s tone – accountability.” Dr. Hamilton said “I have a good feeling about this. I think we have made it clear to ourselves and the state that we are looking for accountability and responsibility.” Vice President Leblanc said “I know that this college is on the road to recovery. This is a hurtle that will be crossed: the best is yet to come.”

Dr. Leblanc's felicitous optimism was shared by many local dignitaries who attended the swearing-in: Tim Lee, representing Congresswoman Laura Richardson’s office, Compton City Councilman Willie D. Jones, Lestean M. Johnson, President of the Compton Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor of Paramount, Diane J. Martinez.

Will the new board turn the college around? Time will tell. We can nevertheless be absolutely certain of one thing: a new era has begun at Compton Community College.