From the pen of Neill Bell...

The MPFA Infrequet Flyer and News

We've been getting lots of kudos about the flyers Neill has been putting out. You've probably seen them in your mail boxes. They're timely. They're interesting. And now you can read Neill's gnarly verse right here on the MPFA web site. Take it away, Neill! (By the way, if you want to speak directly to Neill just click here):

DATELINE: UKIAH CAMPUS, Monday, Nov. 25, 1998

Dear Part-time Faculty Colleague,

We're doing it again!  Yes, our last informal get-together for 1998 will be held:

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, at 5 p.m., at the Rainbow Restaurant, 2599 Lakeshore Blvd. in Lakeport. From Ukiah and Willits, take Highway 29 south from Hwy. 20 to the Hill Road-Park Way exit. Go left onto Park Way to Lakeshore Blvd., then turn right onto Lakeshore for about a mile, and voila the Rainbow. 

And, as an added attraction, make plans to see MPFA president, Linda Guebert appear
(she's visible!) in HARVEY.  The play starts at 8 p.m. at Lakeport's new downtown playhouse on Main Street.  You can order tickets from Linda (279-4514 by Wednesday, Dec. 2) or buy them at the door. Hey an MPFA social and a cultural opportunity on the same night?  How can you resist?

MPFA Website - Did you know there was one?  It's true, and whether you are an old web surfer or a novice still nervous about using the machines in your assigned "resource office," you will find news and views about part-time issues at. . .((If you are reading this you are already at the web site)).

Thanks to the efforts of MPFA webmaster Jon Degallier and subwebmaster King Collins (and zapcom.net for providing the site), we have a place to post news and events electronically.

Scholarships - At least for 1999, the cheese will stand alone. The MC scholarship office has instituted a new procedure for selecting recipients (a notice was put in your mailbox, dated 10/23/98). Donors like MPFA will not be able to make their own selections, but will be allowed only one extra representative on a college-constituent-based selection committee. MPFA officers and board members found this unacceptable. Our reasoning is that we part-timers have a special place in the college educational program, and that we bear the responsibility to our students and our dues-paying membership to make Erica Enzer Scholarship recipient selections ourselves.  This will require us to do a lot of additional work, since we must now advertise and screen students with little or no help from the scholarship office. Those who have served on screening/selection committees in the past all feel that giving scholarships to students is among the high points of their college experience. If you are interested in helping out with scholarships this spring, call Neill at 463-1461 or drop a note in the MPFA mailbox in Ukiah. ((See also the letter Neill wrote on behalf of the MPFA regarding the scholarship.))

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MPFA Fall Techno-nerd mini-survey  (please check any that apply, hit MPFA box)

___ I do not own a computer, and I don't plan to use the net, web or e-mail in this century.

___ I do not own a computer, but I'd like to use one in a college resource office and receive e-mail.

___ I have a computer at home or work, but I don't have an internet connection or use e-mail.

___ I have a computer at home or work, an internet connection and my own e-mail account.

___ Even though I have an e-mail account of my own, I'd like a college account that could be  forwarded to me at my home or work. (Please write any techno comments on here)

((You can respond to this survey by sending email to Neill. One way to do that is to copy the above form and paste it in an email to Neil. Soon, we hope to be a little more interactive so that this kind of survey will be very easy to set up and respond to))

New Dean in Ukiah - Dr. Greg Hicks, current director of MC Health and Human Services programs will be the new dean of instruction in Ukiah. He replaces Phil Hartley, who left MC in August to become VP of a Southern California community college. Dean Hicks will start his new job in January, administering instructional programs that include math, the sciences, business, economics, computer science, child development and related fields. Besides administering the health, human services and administration of justice programs, he teaches health courses and fencing (the kind where people get stuck with something other than barb wire).  Touché.  Remember folks, although this appointment was made more than a month ago you may have heard it here first, because we don't even get TBA in our boxes anymore. For other news about the college, check the website at <http://www.mendocino.cc.ca.us/> It has class schedules and all kinds of interesting stuff. Really.

Negotiations for the 1998-99 MPFA contract with Mendocino College are ongoing.  Exactly what is going on, however, remains to be seen. The MPFA negotiating team (Janet Chaniot, Bill Russell, Hans Delyser and CCA rep. Alan Frey) met with the admin team on November 5 to receive a counter-proposal to our spring opening. The counter included the following:

· Evaluations for part-time faculty, counselors and librarians will be done every 6 semesters (after the initial one during the first semester) and will be completed by Jan. 31 (for fall semester) or June 30 (spring semester). 

· Office hour pay will be explored "at such time as the District's p/t faculty hourly rate reaches the statewide average.

· Effective for fall semester 1998 and the future, a 5% pay increase2.26% COLA and 2.74% "equity increase, the contract to run until June 30, 2001.

The MPFA team countered this with a proposal that called for the district to:

1) give priority assignment consideration to instructors who have taught the greatest number of classes in a particular location during the last four semesters; 

2) grant a second evaluation in case of an unsatisfactory evaluation;

3) provide written reasons whenever a class taught for the last two semesters is not offered to an eight-semester "continuing adjunct employee;

4) pay part-timers with a 40% or greater load for one office hour per week;

5) make benefits available as a paid option, with the district picking up the percentage of the cost equivalent to the employee % FTE load; and

6) grant a pay increase (COLA plus "equity) of 9.5% for a one-year term ending June, 1999. 

The MC Board of Trustees will consider these proposals and the negotiators will meet again on December 15. Stay tuned, and don't spend that retro check just yet.

Not so incidentally, Janet, who has served on our negotiating team since before Abe left Illinois would like to find a replacement for herself next year. If you are good at getting some of what you are asking for, don't mind difficult working conditions, have rhino-like emotional skin and would consider doing something that may injure any chance of future employment, let us know (463-1461). 

Communications
If you want to get in touch with your MPFA officers here's how

President:  Linda Guebert 
279-4514 (Lake County)

VP: Hans Delyser
459-5310 (Willits)

Secretary: Neill Bell    
463-1461 (Ukiah) 
nbell@pacific.net