Monthly Archives: April 2014

May 2014 Advocate – Survey to Evaluate Deans


Take AFT 1493’s Survey to Evaluate Deans

All faculty members have received a new survey designed by the union that gives instructors the opportunity to evaluate deans.  The survey is anonymous and provides a safe tool for faculty to register their satisfaction, and dissatisfaction, with their managers in specific targeted areas.  We urge you to respond to the survey and to answer the questions as honestly and completely as possible. 

We assure you that no personally identifying information, such as individual narrative responses, will be shared with the administration or the public.  Please note that the union survey is not an official evaluation tool of the administration.

The information from this survey will help the union advocate for improved working conditions for all faculty members.   The results will be tabulated by our parent union, the California Federation of Teachers, and we will share it–in percentage form only–with managers to help clarify areas of strengths and areas that need improvement.  In smaller divisions, we will be extra-cautious to safeguard faculty from being identified.  

Information from the survey may also be useful during contract negotiations and may help us represent faculty when dealing with personnel issues.  If you haven’t already done so, please take the survey today! 

May 2014

The Advocate – 37.6

May 2014 (pdf)

In this issue:

May 2014 Advocate – AFT 1493 awards scholarships


AFT 1493 awards two $1000 scholarships

The second annual recipients of the AFT Local 1493 scholarships have just been determined by the AFT selection committee, which consisted of Teeka James, AFT President, Lezlee Ware, Cañada Chapter Co-Chair, Dan Kaplan, AFT 1493 Executive Secretary, Salumeh Eslamieh, Cañada Executive Committee Rep, and Doniella Maher, Cañada part-time English instructor.

The winners of the AFT 1493 2014 scholarships are Jamela Brown of Cañada College and Larry Allen of CSM. Jamela and Larry will both receive $1000 from AFT Local 1493.

The AFT scholarships are awarded to “a student who is full time, part time, continuing, or transferring with a minimum GPA of 2.5, and participates in community service activities. Special consideration will be given to students committed to social justice issues and concerns, and/or have begun their college career in Basic Skills and/or ESL courses.”

The AFT awards two $1000 scholarships annually, a union tradition in the San Mateo Community College District that was started last year.

May 2014 Advocate – AFT 1493 elections

 

Vote for new AFT 1493 leaders by May 5

 

As all members of AFT Local 1493 should know, we are in the middle of the election process for determining the next elected leadership of the Local, and who will be on the AFT 1493 Executive Committee for 2014-2016. This election is being conducted using the tried-and-true paper balloting method. Ballots were sent out through campus mail on April 14. Only AFT 1493 members are eligible to cast a ballot in this election. 

Ballots should be returned via campus mail, and should reach the AFT Office at CSM by Monday, May 5.

Please contact Dan Kaplan at the AFT 1493 office (kaplan@aft1493.org or x6491) if you have any questions.

 

 

May 2014 Advocate – Faculty Unions Support Student Organizers


UNIONS AND COMMUNITY

Faculty Unions Support Student Organizers

 
by Cynthia Kaufman, Director, Institute of Community and Civic Engagement, De Anza College

 There is something very exciting happening in some faculty unions in California: Engaging students as organizers.

CynthiaKaufmanStarting in 2007, the California Faculty Association, faculty union for the California State University System has had a project called SQE- Students for Quality Education. Presently there are SQE chapters at 16 of the 23 CSU campuses. Students are trained as organizers. They work on projects such as challenging fee hikes and asking for more resources for the CSU. They help faculty get the word out on their needs. Presently they are working on fighting a unit cap limit in the CSU system

In 2012, Inspired by the CSU model, the Faculty Association at Foothill-De Anza Community College District began a program called FA-PAC Interns. Our union’s political action committee pays a faculty member to mentor students as organizers. Our faculty union pays for interns to do outreach for the union, and to work on particular initiatives, such as advocating for 2012’s Proposition 30 to raise taxes on the state’s wealthiest families, fighting to pass San José’s minimum wage law, and advocating for a “split roll” reform of Prop 13. 

This year’s FA-PAC interns organized a group of 40 students to go to a statewide Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges (FACCC) conference where they were trained in lobbying skills along with faculty members. Then, the students actually set up lobbying visits with 20 legislators or their staffs to talk about the urgent need for Proposition 13 reform to raise revenue for education and other pressing needs. 

Imagine what your union could do with some paid trained student organizers? The possibilities are endless. We have found at De Anza that having a strong organizing culture among our students is powerful for developing a campus culture conducive to all sorts of great initiatives. If you are interested in learning more about the FHDA FA-PAC intern model, please contact the intern supervisors, Nicky Gonzalez Yuen (yuennicky@deanza.edu) and Bob Stockwell (stockwellrobert@deanza.edu).

Cynthia Kaufman, pictured above, is the Director of the Institute of Community and Civic Engagement at De Anza College and teaches in its certificate in Leadership and Social Change program. She is the author of Getting Past Capitalism: History Vision, Hope (Lexington Press, 2012) and Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change (South End Press, 2003).