Fall 1998 Happenings

These pages are a collection of articles, meeting minutes and reports collected during the Fall, 1998 semester at Mendocino College.

Neill's Infrequent Flyers

 

Negotiations for our new contract

Janet Chaniot points out that the MPFA has had a proposal in front of the administration since last spring, but the administration has not responded to that proposal. Janet said she was very displeased by the way the administration acted (or didn't act) at the last negotiations. We're with you, Janet!

 

Here's our Proposal (that was ignored by the administration.) Let's look it over.

UPDATE: The Administration Responds At Last

UPDATE: MPFA Counter Proposal

UPDATE: Administration Counter Proposal

The Administration offers something for office hours! (See above.) Stay tuned, and don't spend that retro check just yet.

 

UPDATE: Our negotiators like the latest contract offer and they recommend that we ratify it. It will be in your mailbox soon.

 

Summary notes from the executive committee meeting

The MPFA Executive Committee met Friday, November 13 at the CTA office (in the Victory Theater complex, 300 block of N. State Street). Neill Bell took notes which will be posted here when we get them. Here are a few highlights:

Better Communications Infrastructure Supported: We discussed the "Proposal for a more effective organization of the MPFA." The proposal calls for a commitment of about $3000 to complete the "communications infrastructure" including better organization of our web site, list server and more issues of our wide distribution newsletter with the primary focus of "learning situations." The newsletter costs about $1000 per issue and it is suggested that the newsletter take advertising to help cover the cost. The meeting agreed with the general trend of the proposal, in particular, it's focus on "learning situations," which will include photo-essays of part-time faculty in the field and classroom. Follow-up meetings of a Communications Committee (Neill Bell, Kate Magruder, Dan Hibshman and King Collins) are being held to further clarify the proposal and to make recommendations to the executive committee for action.

 

Administration's scholarship process rejected. The executive committee reviewed the administration's demand regarding how the MPFA and other organizations offering scholarship must relate to Mendocino College Foundation and the yearly award ceremony. The MPFA had already responded to the proposal (MPFA states position on new Scholarship process) and requested changes, but the adminstration's representative, Katie Wojcieszak, told our colleagues that we would either have to accept the new process or go it alone. If we were to accept the administration's proposal, we would have to give up our independent interview process and submit to decisions made by a selection committee in which our members would be a 1/3 minority. Secretary Neill Bell was instructed to write a letter rejecting the proposal. This means that the MPFA will have to create a fully independent process for our scholarships.

 

UPDATE: The administration rescinded its demand that we (and other organizations) work only through the administration's selection committee. We won on this one. We will work with the process but we will use our own selection committee

 

Program Review is stressing full-timers: Why not pay part-timers to help.

The executive committee also briefly discussed the fact that Laurie Vasquez, one of our academic senators, has proposed that some of windfall income form the "Partnership of Excellence" ($300,000 next year) be used to pay part-time instructors for their assistance in program review. Laurie's suggestion makes sense for a couple of reasons:

1) Program review has been a hot topic at senate meetings with the full-time faculty complaining of being overloaded with work, and

 

2) Partnership for Excellence money is just becoming available. The decisions of what to do with the yearly allotment of $300,000 have largely been made (by the usual process, it is supposed) but there is still $85,000 which has not been committed. Laurie pointed out that paying part-timers for program review would be an appropriate use of that money.

 

Laurie will keep us informed. If you have any information about this matter, please e-mail us or give a call to the newsletter staff.

 

What about MPFA socials?

 

Next social is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 26, at a place to be announced in Ukiah.

 

Officers of the MPFA

By Bob Laughton

Our new president is Linda Guebert and she has a letter.

 

Shift in Hiring Policy and the Status of Part-time Faculty

According to the Press Democrat, new money is pouring into Mendocino College but the administration says it's for hiring more full-time faculty. So far nothing is coming to improve teaching conditions for part-time faculty. Let's get organized folks!

 

Students on strike against the Eagle?

See letter from students of COM 100.

 

The "New Communication Era of the MPFA"

The strategy and tactics were outlined in September.

Well, things are getting better, getting better all the time (famous 60s tune). Since the much heralded launching of the "Communication Era" last month: we have a web site, and our list server is up and running. If you direct your email to faculty-part-time@mendocino.cc.ca.us it will be sent to everyone on the list. If you want to add yourself to the list just send your request by e-mail to the newsletter staff or call us at 462-4543.

 

The part-time faculty list: Where is it?

Bob Laughton cites privacy issue

 

E-mail Access for Part-timers: Not yet!

Update by King Collins

 

The CTA and the New Unionism

Here are responses by Alan Frey to questions we asked recently. And we have an interesting article from Dan Hibshman (see next, below).

 

Union Activity in the News

By Dan Hibshman

 

The Academic Senate

By Neill Bell and Laurie Vasquez

Laurie Vasquez has a report of her work on the senate and a summary of the resolutions that were considered during the last year. (We will have it up here soon.) So, what's new in the corridors of collegial self-government, this semester, Laurie? One thing is the new scholarship process (next below).

 

Treasurer's Report

By Laurie Richards

We have the totals in our checking and savings accounts. And we plan to have a summary of expenses by category for the newsletter.

 

Curriculum Committee Report

By Vicki Paterson'

"The task of the Curriculum Committee is to develop and renew the college's curriculum and assess its quality and effectiveness against high professional standards. It is the venue that reaffirms the primacy of faculty in all areas of curriculum"

 

Budget Committee report By Michael Melville

Unfortunately, our man for the job, Michael Melville, has had to step down from that assignment. Is there anyone who can take his place on the Budget Committee. If you can do it contact Michael at michaelmelville@hotmail.com or contact the newsletter staff.

 

Profile of California Community Colleges

More about California Community Colleges, a statewide system, 106 colleges, the largest system of higher education in the world. We want to update this. Anyone? This is definitely a job for a web surfer. Here's the "1996 California Community Colleges" from our September Issue.

 

Erica Enzer

There was a memorial, a very moving one. Perhaps one of us who attended will write something.

 

Send us Other Ideas!

We want articles that are close-up looks at what part-timers are doing in the classroom and in the field. We have some unofficial nominations for most "effective" (substitute other extreme words here) learning situations.

 

Web Sites of Interest

Our research last issue opened up opportunities. Has anyone checked them out? Now it's your turn. Tell us what you think of the sites we listed last time under the title "Web Sites of Interest"

 

TA Strike at UC may set tone for whole country

By Courtney Leatherman, forwarded to us by Janet Chaniot
Thousands of teaching assistants across the University of California System are threatening to stage the biggest strike by graduate students that higher education has ever seen.

 

Net Tech contacts

 

Keep in Touch: Send thoughts, comments, letters to the editor, committee reports, or whatever to greenmac@pacific.net. Comments are also welcome at our listserv at faculty-part-time@mendocino.cc.ca.us. Material sent to the listserv will be immediately transmitted to all list members. Messages sent to Green Mac may be labeled "staff only" by the sender, in which case said messages will not be retransmitted to the wider list.

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