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profile
by Michael Moreau, English
Division A ‘Process’ Kind of Guy |
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A few years back Mike Allen argued persuasively for a new text for one of the math classes he regularly taught. A colleague preferred another book. Mike’s side won out and the text was approved. When he later found out that the colleague was personally offended by the face-off, Mike wrote a letter of apology that he read before the entire division. He had won the battle, but was sincerely sorry that he might have overlooked the feelings of his colleague. Although Mike is what Peter Stathis, chair of the math division, calls “a process kind of guy” who likes to look at all sides of an issue and do what he thinks is both reasonable and right, he also doesn’t like to see his opponent devalued. On the other hand, he also doesn’t mind going into battle over a cause, whether it’s through the Faculty Guild, to which he was elected president last spring, or for tenant rights in Glendale, where he lives and where he worked on a successful campaign for the city’s Just Cause Eviction Ordinance. These are the things Mike likes to talk about. When the discussion turns personal, he is a little more guarded. In a recent interview in his office, he turned to stare at his computer screen when asked about his childhood and family life. He passes quickly over a divorce that left his ex-wife with a now-valuable piece of property. He has no children of his own, but loves being an uncle. His father was a firefighter and union man, whose formal education ended at the eighth grade. His mother, a high school graduate, stayed home to raise two daughters and two sons. Both parents encouraged their children to do well in school. And that’s what Mike, the oldest child, did. Mike was born in East Los Angeles and grew up in Montebello, which he said had a “crappy” high school. Long before he graduated, he had already run out of math classes to take. When he was 13, he started taking classes at Cal State L.A., where he finished his freshman year while he was still in high school. He would later earn master’s degrees in math and philosophy from UCLA and Cal State. When he came to Glendale College, he was one of the youngest adjuncts. He was hired full-time at 25. He’s now 39. Math colleague Steve Marsden recalls that when Mike came for his job interview he wore a suit and tie — maybe for the last time. His attire for many years consisted primarily of shorts and an eclectic collection of T-shirts. He would often wear one with a picture of Pancho Villa and a caption that read: “Viva La Revolucion, Cabron.” One that he reserved for important on-campus meetings said “Your Ridiculous Opinion Has Been Noted.” For finals in his math classes he often wore a shirt with “WHINING” in a circle with a line drawn through it. Since becoming union president he has upgraded his wardrobe — somewhat. He now mostly wears polo shirts, and he usually wears long pants. Appearance doesn’t mean much to him. He cares more about getting things done. Peter Stathis was on the committee that first interviewed Mike. When the applicant left the interview, the consensus was “There’s a bright guy.” Peter organizes trips to Las Vegas every year for the math department. On those trips there is a fair amount of gambling and partying — Saturday afternoons are reserved for outdoor activities like basketball or touch football — but there is always a themed dinner at the end. Peter usually picks a theme to trigger discussion. One year, he said, everyone was to pick a trait to be valued above all others. “Mike picked objectivity.” “I’m a shoot from the hip kind of guy,” Peter said. “He’s called me on that. He’s very process oriented. He sets a high standard for himself, and doesn’t suffer well people who don’t also meet that standard. “While he can be playful, Mike is interested in the dual nature of man. The intellectual and emotional is a tough bridge for him. Emotions seem to be a troubling nuisance.” Mike protests that he can get emotional over things. Things like politics or situations where he doesn’t feel people are shooting straight with him. Steve Marsden believes that Allen’s interest in process — he did graduate work in rational choice theory — serves him well as Guild president. “He knows the contract inside and out, and he knows the politics of the local community. In dealing with the board, he may be our strongest asset.” Steve adds that Allen will “work toward a consensus.” It’s not all union work and teaching though for Mike. He also likes to read nonfiction books, particularly books relating to rational choice theory, which he explains to a slightly baffled questioner as basically about “why we call certain choices rational and others not rational.” He also likes to travel and sees a lot of foreign films. “If the film isn’t any good, at least I get to see another part of the world,” he says. As for the future, he intends to retire from Glendale. And though he won’t always be Guild president, he plans to stay active on campus as long as he’s here. Teaching is the main thing. Peter Stathis says that Mike gets consistently high marks from students and is very innovative in his teaching. “He teaches more eclectic classes: liberal arts math, PACE, and the higher-level classes.” And the math chair adds: “He gets down to business, he pays attention, and he’s not above self-criticism.” & |
