Please Help Save West Valley College Court Reporting Program

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COCRA MEMBERS

It has come to COCRA’s attention that in December of 2009, a recommendation was made to the WVC Academic Senate that several programs be discontinued, including the court reporting program.

One hundred percent of WVC students sitting for the California Certified Shorthand Reporters examination in the last five years have passed the rigorous Department of Consumer Affairs exam and went on to become successful members of our court reporting team.

Please support WVC by sending your letter/email out immediately.

Two of our favorite court reporters have made it easy for you. Below is the contact information you will need and two sample letters; one from Carol Karen of San Francisco Superior Court, CSR 8189, RDR, CRR, and the other from Patricia Dowling of San Francisco Superior Court, CSR 5388.

Please act today! The court reporting industry is a vital and vibrant part of our California judiciary. We need schools like WVC to teach promising men and women the necessary skills to keep California court reporting at its best!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please send email or letter correspondence to:

Mr. Jim Henderson
Business Division Chair
West Valley College
14000 Fruitvale Avenue
Saratoga, CA 95070
jim.henderson@wvm.edu
cc: linda.lawson@wvm.edu

Continue reading for sample letters.

Sample Letter One

From: Carol Karen
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:30 AM
To: ‘jim.henderson@wvm.edu’; ‘linda.lawson@wvm.edu’
Subject: West Valley College Court Reporting Program

To West Valley College Academic Senate:

It has come to my attention WVC is considering closing its court reporting program. As a reporter for over 30 years in both the freelance and official capacity, I have been able to witness firsthand the skill and professionalism of graduates from your school. Your institution is in a unique position to provide this quality education. The loss of the program would be realized not only by the potential court reporters who would study at your school, but also the Bay Area legal community and the public utilizing the court services, the hearing disabled, and television networks, churches and schools/universities that offer captioning.

It’s undoubtedly a goal of your school to educate people for thriving occupations that will enhance the quality of life in the Bay Area. With that in mind, I would like to bring to your attention a sampling of articles that address the recession-proof nature of the court reporting field:

At a time when people are losing their jobs in record numbers, I would encourage you to continue to educate students for meaningful employment opportunities that will be available for them when they graduate. If I can assist in any way, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,

Carol Karen, CSR 8189, RDR, CRR
Sample Letter Two

To whom it may concern:

I have been an Official Court Reporter in San Francisco Superior Court for twenty years. The San Francisco Superior Court’s bench is 100% supportive of Stenographic Court Reporting as the means of making the record. There is a need for Court Reporting services, and that need has not changed and will not change in the foreseeable future.

The demand for vocational careers is on the rise. The Court Reporting profession offers a stable, well-paying career. Court Reporting has been very good to me. I have been able to buy a home, and I am well-respected in the court community. I have fantastic benefits and a wonderful retirement package. My salary is much more than many of my friends with twice the years of education. I am forever grateful to City College of San Francisco where I was able to lay this wonderful foundation for my life.

The West Valley College Court Reporting Program is well-known in the Court Reporting community as a dedicated and well-run program for Court Reporting students. The loss of this program would be devastating for the Bay Area courts, and I’m sure the other arenas where Court Reporters are utilized. Please re-consider this very drastic measure.

Thank you for your consideration.

Patricia Dowling

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