CCC's Dr. Catherine Al-Maten of Religous Studies Attends OCCA Retreat

Dr. Catherine Al-Maten, part-time instructor in Religious Studies (Social Sciences Department) recently attended a Oregon Community College Association (OCCA) 2011 retreat, and agreed to share some of her notes with us.  Here are some excerpts from those notes:

The presentation on the Oregon State laws on ethics, and the clear outline of who and what these laws and revisions entail, was most helpful. This information is definitely important to share with the college community, since everyone in our college community is bound by these standards of behavior, and I do not think most people are aware of how complicated and intricate these guidelines are--and how all-encompassing. While the board and the president are the chief financial policy makers, and therefore are most bound to these standards, it is important for others in the college community to understand so as to avoid the appearance of being unaccountable rather than more accountable. I can see how sticking to such guidelines could be misunderstood. Clarity is important.

Much of what was discussed both formally and informally at the conference, dealt with the changing focus and function of education in Oregon. As a leader in educational reform, Oregon has mandated a significant change in the way we do education and in how we envision educational purposes, focus, and outcomes. Dedicating our resources to increasing levels of adult higher education, requires that we change. The use of distance and electronic forms of education and communication is a key issue that was touched upon here, but needs to be a higher priority than it seems to be. Distance forms of education and electronic technology both hold great potential to meet needs and create new challenges. I believe the benefit of distance education and technology far outweigh the challenges. I would like to pursue this topic further. The one session I attended on the Green technology certificate program encouraged me to consider other possibilities for building course and curriculum for certification programs and degree-based sharing among the community college community.

In the final session we received statistics on tuition increases and the information about the impact on vulnerable student populations (which is a fair share of CCC students), including the prevailing trends, which show an ever-increasing reduction of state and federal funding for education coupled with the trends among certain politicians and their constituents that favor neither immigrants nor education. These statistics indicate the depth of the crisis looming in public education. I believe Horace Mann and my Grandfather would both roll over in their graves if they could hear our country taking such a stand regarding the support of public education. Our educational system is what guarantees our freedom and a door to success. We, as a nation, are in great danger if we are unwilling to support public education that is accessible to everyone.

Since my earliest education in the 1950s, through all the innovations, reforms, and cycles of change that have come and gone and come again, I think one speaker hit the nail on the head. Unless we break the cycle, and develop a long-term vision and then set in place workable goals and steps to achieve those goals, we’re going to continue allowing our legislators and educational systems to keep on reinventing the wheel.

The financial basis for education is one piece of the transformation. How to use all the technology and innovations we already have is a bigger challenge, and I would say, a huge gift. There is so much that can be done using collaborative resources (faculty, technology, equipment, expertise, and creative ideas) that we cannot afford to waste time not doing something with what we already have. My hope is that the vision quest that we are on be one that opens us to a way that opens doors, meets needs, utilizes the bounty of resources we already have, and minimizes the political squabbling and polarization that goes on. Fortunately, I saw none of that during this conference, and that was refreshing. The biggest argument I observed was a petty debate about the difference between mean and median (a total distraction to the session about a very serious and important issue).

I would have liked to have heard that last session, which included the statistics regarding tuition increases and vulnerable student populations, earlier in the conference, and and I wished the presenter could have gone on longer. It’s important to know the facts, trends, and situation we are in when compared to other states and regions.

Updates from the Dept. of Community Colleges and Workforce Development
http://www.oregon.gov/CCWD/

Oregon Community College Association Board Member Resources
http://www.occa17.com/cc-board-policies

Spotlight on Board Member Susan McKenna, PTFA Vice President

Since September of 2003, Susan McKenna has taught 12 hours a week, four terms per year in the Skills Development Department.  She currently teaches Adult Basic Education (ABE), which includes reading, writing, and arithmetic, as Susan describes it, "for anyone who wants to improve those skills for any reason."  Susan explains that she comes from a long line of teachers, "including my mother," she says, "so teaching was a pretty automatic choice of occupation for me." 

Susan was drawn to teaching ABE because it presents what she refers to as "a maximum teaching challenge." 

"I love teaching my challenged and challenging students," she explains.  "Their hard-won accomplishments are hugely gratifying for them and for me."  

Susan says that the best thing about teaching in the Skills Development Department is the opportunity that it offers to work with a supportive, collegial, and respectful team of extraordinary teachers (including department chairs) and superb administrative staff. 

Susan says that she was happy to assume the role of PTFA Vice President because of the importance of the board's contribution to the colllective professional respect enjoyed by all PTFA members at CCC. "It's only fair to pay my dues of gratitude to the organization," Susan admits.

On behalf of the entire PTFA, we thank Susan McKenna for her service to the association and its members!  

Advocacy Report - Winter 2012

by Martin Kaplan

All Counts of Grievance Denied by Arbitrator

In mid-January, the arbitrator gave her final decision denying all of the Association’s assertions made in a grievance filed on behalf of three members of the math department.  All of these part-time instructors had worked at the college for a minimum of five years, without incident.  Yet, the college administration saw fit to remove them and not assign them further courses even though, by all reports, they had been doing fine work.

Some of the tortured arguments made by the arbitrator in arriving at her decision involved the following:

1. One issue was “Did the College impose de-facto caps in violation of Article 16C?”  Our previous contract specifically states in Article 16C that “De-facto teaching caps implemented at the department level will be subject to the grievance procedure.”   Yet, in this case limitations were placed on the number of classes assigned to the grievants.  The arbitrator concluded that without clear evidence that an instructor requests a specific number of classes then the college cannot be considered to have imposed de-facto caps. 
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2. Second, “Did the College violate Article 12A when it terminated…(two of the grievants)?”  Article 12 states that no employee shall be terminated without just cause during an academic term in which that employee has an assignment.  In the present case, the terminations were accomplished “after” the completion of a term.  In other words, since the term was completed and “there is no expectation of continued employment” thus, there is nothing that would “give rise to due process rights.”  In plain language, the termination did not take place during the term of employment, therefore the College does not need a reason to terminate an instructor.
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3. Lastly, the question arose as to the effect of Article 16A, Seniority, on making class assignments.  The arbitrator concluded that the language of the contract “clearly show that assignment of classes should be by level and date of hire.”  A few sentences later the same arbitrator says “…there is ambiguity as to what was the intent of the parties.”  From clarity to ambiguity in a few sentences.  In addition, the arbitrator found that implementation of the seniority provisions was not “consistent throughout the college.”  In the math department seniority was the basis for assigning courses “unless one of the criteria factors as determined by the Chair caused a less senior teacher to be assigned the class.”  After continuing her contortions, the criterion, “the need of the Department trumped seniority” trumped seniority.

As I read this opinion I have come to the conclusion that the Association must do the following:

1. In the next collective bargaining cycle we have to get rid of the damaging phrase, “needs of the program” in any new contract.  With it in place any Department Chair merely has to invoke it to terminate any part-timer or limit the number of course assignments he or she may have.
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2. We must bargain for seniority.  The College successfully removed that word from the new contract that was just approved.  While on the one hand the “College acknowledges the significance of past service by part-time faculty as an important criterion in making teaching assignments” we have to rely on the magnanimity of the administration in doling out assignments.  That situation should not be left to stand.
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3. The Association should take a more forceful approach in bargaining to protect and expand the rights of part-time faculty.
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4. Finally, members of the Association must take an active role in supporting our goals.  Come to meetings, join committees and not leave the work of the Association to a few dedicated souls.  Without you on our side the Administration will be able to do whatever they want, whenever they want.

President's Column - Winter 2012

by PTFA President Jennifer Rueda

It is with a sense of relaxation and an open heart that I begin 2012, ready to begin all the plans I’d made in my mind way back when I first became your president (a mere six months ago). Now that the 2010/2013 contract is nearly done, I’m looking forward to a renewed relationship with our members and the college administration.  This new relationship is based on a firm respect and admiration for all that CCC does for its students and the surrounding community.  We are so lucky to be educators, changing and transforming lives for the better, one step at a time.

In fact, I met recently with the president of the college, Joanne Truesdell (something I do every month), who shared that the college is working on a very positive visioning process. In her office, listening, I could feel myself being drawn in to the hopefulness of a new start. 

Have you ever walked in the forest, past a downed tree, whose bark is bursting forth with life? Really, is death so permanent? I don’t think so.  The death of that tree leads to a wonderful decomposure from which springs forth pretty little flowers, soon-to-be majestic ferns and tiny tree trunks that may become a thicket of vine maples.

Like that ever-changing forest, I’m excited to begin a new year with the following plans.  Although we are just finishing our last bargaining process, the new contract lasts only three years, one and a half years of which are already behind us.  This new contract will end in 2013; therefore, your PTFA board would like to start recruiting new people to become part of the next bargaining committee in Fall 2012. I’ve had discussions with the administration about doing a different kind of bargaining--something much less contentious than “positional” bargaining.

In order build our association, I would like to start a campaign by where the PTFA board and others try to get in contact with every single member (if we can). We just want to meet you, learn from you, and explain who we are (the PTFA/OEA/NEA). We’re not selling a thing. I’m not sure what this “meeting” campaign will look like, but I’m ready to implement some “active listening” training I went through in my NEA Emerging Leaders Academy (ELA). By the way, I’ll be graduating from that academy in early March. I get to go (all expenses paid) to Chicago and hang out with my fellow ELA buddies.
So, please stay tuned for an invitation to meet with a PTFA board member, a building representative or a friendly PTFA volunteer. We’ll just ask a few questions (e.g. Why did you become an educator?) and answer any questions that you might have.

Instructor Will Highlight Best and Worst Colleges for Adjuncts With Crowdsourced Data

Chronicle of Higher Education

2 year track

By Sara Hebel

Even as colleges' use of adjunct faculty members grows, comprehensive national data about those instructors' salaries and benefits remain scarce. One writing instructor is hoping to paint a clearer picture—and name names of institutions that treat professors off the tenure track well and those that treat them poorly—through a crowdsourcing project.

Josh Boldt, a writing instructor and education consultant at the University of Georgia, has set up a Google Document to which he is asking adjunct instructors to contribute data about course pay, benefits, retirement policies, and contracts. In announcing his effort on his blog, Copy & Paste ,Mr. Boldt said he had been prompted to collect the information by conversations at a national summit on adjunct faculty members, held last month in Washington, and by arecent essay by Michael Bérubé, the new president of the Modern Language Association.

Mr. Bérubé, a professor of literature at Pennsylvania State University at University Park, has pledged to use his new position to improve conditions on the nontenure track. His essay cites recommendations the scholarly group has made for fair standards of treatment of part-time faculty members. Those include a minimum compensation in 2011-12 of $6,800 for a standard, three-credit-hour semester course, or $4,530 for a standard three-credit-hour quarter or trimester course.

"Almost $7K per course!" Mr. Boldt wrote on his blog. "Most adjuncts have never seen anything close to that figure. I personally have taught at schools that pay right at or below $2,000 maximum per course."
Through crowdsourcing he said he wanted to gather enough information to be able to recognize colleges that are doing a great job in their treatment of adjuncts (a category in which he said his institution, the University of Georgia, falls) and to expose colleges that "have chosen to ignore the basic human rights of their employees and shortchange their students and their communities by devaluing the very education they pretend to celebrate."

Part-time employees represent just over one-quarter of all instructional employees at nonprofit, four-year colleges and 70 percent of all instructional employees at public, two-year institutions, according to U.S. Education Department data cited in The Chronicle's annual Almanac Issue.