December 12, 2012


San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, AFT 1493

Minutes of
General Membership/Executive Committee Meeting

Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at CSM, Building 10, Room 468 (College Heights Conference Room)

EC Members Present:

Lin Bowie, Teeka James, Anne Stafford, Eric Brenner, Lezlee Ware, Masao Suzuki, Rebecca Webb, Vicky Clinton, Sandi Raeber-Dorsett, Michelle Kern, Dan Kaplan, Nina Floro, Tania Beliz, Joaquin Rivera, Lisa Palmer, Monica Malamud, Elizabeth Terzakis, Zev Kvitky, Chip Chandler, Sarah Powers

 

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Statements from AFT (non EC) members on Non-Agenda Items

3. *Minutes of November 14, 2012 AFT meeting:

Approved with one abstention

4. Community College Council meeting

Alisa Messer from AFT/City College gave moving presentation about the situation there; the AFT local presidents should have signed a letter of solidarity. Main issue: PT faculty salaries are among best in the state but this is not the cause of the CC problems. Her presentation demonstrated value of union and working together to support teachers.

Kaplan: voter-approved parcel tax is not being used as it was designated. Meeting of board of trustees at CC tomorrow; many people planning to attend and protest.

5. Status of our demand to negotiate Board policies, including Academic Freedom

Little to report.

Harry Joel proposed a meeting between Joaquin and Teeka and Galatolo. Hopefully it will occur in January. The district has cancelled such meetings twice. Barbara Christianson is under pressure to get the outstanding board policies approved and settled. Bob sent some language on computer use, which are in the meeting notes from our last meeting.

Jing Luan’s MOU with a high school in China that district faculty would create a TOEFL-equivalent test and study guide has been tabled.

District has allocated $1.2 million to market and recruit international students, which is not even offset by the higher fees those students pay. Hired a program coordinator at each college, at the district, and an administrative assistant for each (8 people). Perhaps should be an Advocate article.

Monica: DAC is also upset about what’s happening with international education process, advisory committee, etc. Kathy Blackwood said the committee reports to the Chancellor’s cabinet, and most of the work is done by task forces, none of which focuses on instruction. Concern: lack of faculty representation.

Rebecca: are our traditional students (lower income, etc.) being bumped from developmental courses?

Dan: Jing Luan has presented several times on his advocacy, which is expensive (much international travel). The students who are coming are wealthy. BOT claims that the rationale is to keep more sections open.

Teeka: more research may be necessary

6. *Calendar for AY 2013-14

At the last meeting, we decided to roll over last year’s calendar with the exception of moving spring break a week. The VPIs got involved, insisting that option 2 was better. At issue: uneven days of the week and the flex day scheduled for Friday, March 7th. Joaquin proposed moving the flex day to Wednesday, March 5th, but keeping everything else as is. He and the district agreed to begin discussion of 2014-15 calendar during spring 13.

Anne Stafford: let’s reconsider shortening of winter break; she feels faculty needs a longer break to rejuvenate.

Masao: should we start earlier in August?

Lezlee: this means we need to move to a 15 week calendar

Teeka: let’s put this on Feb. agenda; if we do a survey, we have to find a way to elicit the reasons people advocate for their choices.

Nina: concern about when final grades will be due.

Teeka: at DAS meetings, faculty has said we want 5 working days before grade submission deadline. Rebecca: split finals has created scheduling nightmare for her evening courses.

Slightly revised “option 3” calendar passed with two abstentions

7. Workload survey:

Go live on February 1st? Get a committee to campaign for participation? Talk it up during January flex days? Each campus decides how to do it? Campus chairs can coordinate? Encourage PTers to head effort? Incentivize people with a contest, option to win lunch with colleagues, etc. Teeka, Dan, Katharine will work on poster to advertise.

8. Performance Evaluation Task Force update

Lezlee: the second evaluation meeting at Cañada was unattended, but the Cañada committee has been eliciting and receiving useful feedback via email, one question at a time. Goal: have something complete by Dec. Elizabeth: Also much information from other schools has been compiled (ex: evaluating librarians and distance ed). Frustration with people not paying attention and making opinions known.

Skyline: Nina has sent email requesting input, but has received no responses. Nina and Regina called two meetings to request feedback; nobody showed up at the first one, but some attended the second one (having food seemed to do the trick).

CSM: Tania has visited the Math and Science Division, as well as the Academic Senate. She will continue making the rounds through the divisions. She will adopt Cañada’s approach of sending emails requesting feedback on specific topics.

Each college website has set up a suggestion box, so that input can be sent anonymously.

Tania: timeline has built in consultation with faculty.

Teeka: Skyline Academic president wanted strict timeline.

Lezlee: there will also be a f2f survey at division mtgs. Perhaps the email should go district-wide?

Rebecca: are the issues related to the process or the form?

Elizabeth: we’ve already discussed creating orientations; possibly a handbook like DeAnza’s; we’re trying to hit people everywhere (div. mtgs. and online, etc.)

9. CFT election celebration party

Big party at Chevy’s with teachers, school board members, CFT rep celebrating. Mariachi celebration of propositions passage. Good, connected, feeling.

10. candidate search for the 2013 BOT election

Shelley Mazer is possible candidate; Lin will invite her to Feb mtg.

Teeka: should we recruit faculty members to run, perhaps by putting out a notice on the CCC listserv. Also should contact the three Bay Area AFT Local presidents.

11. PT parity campaign: focus groups

Sending out email in February to elicit participation of PT faculty.

Rebecca: we need to gather data on what people do.

Teeka: once we get our survey data in late Feb., we can glean level of interest in various jobs. Then we can share the data with the focus groups.

Rebecca: City College PTers make higher wages because cost of benefits is included.

Teeka: there is a research component as well

12. *Appoint representatives to campus Safety Committees

Teeka: according to our contract, AFT has an official appointee to each campus’s safety committee. Lin sits on the CSM committee for Academic Senate. John Galloway also sits on the committee. Motion: appoint Lin as our official AFT rep

Elizabeth: Cañada’s committee is in flux; Raj Lathigara is the only faculty rep.

Chip: both college nurses are on the committee as faculty reps; one other faculty person wants to be on it.

Teeka: maybe we should request adding a AFT faculty appointee to each committee.

Motion approved with no abstentions.

13. *SMCCD Foundation request (update)

Dan spoke with Tom Mohr; told him we decided to fund 2, $1,000 scholarships and in the future we may have a fundraiser to fund it. Also proposed making this a PT student scholarship. Tom was delighted; said we can structure it however we want. Appointed subcommittee of Dan, Teeka, Lezlee, and Michelle to draft criteria for scholarship. Lezlee has draft. Tom said to send it to Stephanie Scott, who runs the foundation.

Teeka: at next meeting, subcommittee will bring draft for vote

Eric: let’s combine fundraising and union picnic ideas

14. Statements from EC members on Non- Agenda Items

Monica: according to the joint VP/district academic senate planning committee meeting Monday, the official deadline for grades is Dec. 28th; ignore any other information. Someone should be available to assist if there are problems.

Also, the VPs said that distance education is done correctly and in compliance with Title V, and completion of SLO cycle are highest priorities for accreditation; they appreciate our continued help.

Sarah: If classes are shorter, do faculty get paid the same?