Guest Post: An Annual Event You Don’t Want To Miss

by Bruce Seger, Mentor, New Member Mentoring Program

Editor's Note:  As members of academia, I think many of us already know the importance of attending conferences in our disciplines; but how many of us have considered attending a conference about union activities, issues and interests? Bruce's post for this week speaks to his experience at one such conference, and reveals how much you can learn about (and learn to appreciate) your very own union at such an event. -- SKG

 

I recently attended the 35^th Annual NYSUT Community College Conference in Cooperstown at the Otesaga Hotel. The conference occurs annually in November, at an upstate venue. It is always interesting, informative and entertaining.

Look at that scenery! (Oh yeah, and the landscape is nice, too.)

So why should you attend? First, it is a chance to meet with fellow community college colleagues from around the state and interact about institutional, political and union issues. Second, the conference offers numerous workshops, as well as a diverse and informative group of speakers during the breakfast, lunch and dinner sessions. This year’s sessions included Leadership Development: Understanding Conflict, Basic Negotiations: Principles and Theory, Why MOOC’s Matter, Advanced Negotiations: Challenges to Public Sector Unionism, How to Be Smart When Using Social Media, Basic Negotiations: Techniques and Practice, We’re REALLY Disappointed: Civil Expressions of Power, The Union’s Role in Addressing Sexual Harassment and Hostile Work Environment, Basic Negotiations: Developing Contract Language, Who’s on Deck? Leadership Succession Planning, Advanced Negotiations: Issues for Everyone BUT Full-Time Classroom Faculty and What Do You Stand For?: Branding and Local Identity.

Among the presenters this year were our President Kevin Peterman, our Vice President, Sean Tvelia and our Adjunct Coordinator, Cynthia Eaton. It is assumed that our Faculty Association is similar to others in the state. Attending the conference highlights just how wrong that statement is. Kevin Peterman discussed many issues including collective bargaining, having a working relationship with administration political action, engaging union members, promoting common goals among members and planning for the future. Many from other colleges were amazed at our association model and requested that Kevin present at their college associations. It seems that many unions from other colleges have trouble gaining any attendance or interest for union activity.

The conference runs from Friday evening to Sunday morning. During the day on Saturday there is an extended break allowing participants to travel to town and the surrounding area to explore everything from the Baseball Hall of Fame to local farms, wineries, and small town stores and shops.

The previous year’s conference venue was at Saratoga and the conference usually changes venues each year. I have gained valuable new information at every community college conference I have attended, as well as a greater appreciation for our union, its officers and members. We always have one the largest attending groups at the conference and I encourage you to attend and hope to see you next year at the 2014 NYUT Community College Conference.

Guest Post: Tech Tips!

by Liz Foley,Grant Campus Coordinator, New Member Mentoring Program

Editor's Note: SKG again! Please welcome Grant Campus Coordinator Liz Foley as our second guest blogger of the semester. Liz, who works in the Educational Technology Unit on the Grant Campus, has some particularly useful information for those of us who are new to SCCC. Personally, I don't know where I'd be without the last two tips -- it seems like there's always some document I began at school that I need to access and finish at home, or vice versa -- and having access to my files, and/or being able to use my laptop on campus, has helped me be infinitely more productive than I would be otherwise.

 

New job, new office, class prep, departmental meetings, meeting new people… and TECHNOLOGY too!

 

Here are some tips that you may not be aware of to get you started with working with the technology here at SCCC:

• There is electronic equipment available in most every classroom which you may incorporate into your classes, including computers, projectors, Smartboards, and DVD/VHS players. Each campus has an Educational Technology Unit (ETU) that you would contact if the technology is not working. Each campus will explain their service request system. While the technology is not working, call the Media Services department on your campus to deliver a smart cart that has a computer, a projector and a VHS/DVD player. Meanwhile, always have a backup lesson plan that does not include using the technology!


• If you have any issues with your office computer, you may submit a Desktop Service Request Form using the following link - http://desktop (this only works on campus) or call X4357 or x4505. This link works from home - http://depthome.sunysuffolk.edu/Central/CSS/survey/srform.asp to submit a request.


• You are provided an SCCC email account, which is an official means of communication from the college, which you access through your MySCCC faculty portal and then clicking on the email icon in the upper right of the page. You may also access your email directly through http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/exchange, logging in with your SCCC credentials.


• Rule of thumb: Always use the BCC: line (Blind Carbon Copy) for all of your student’s email addresses when sending emails to your class, and not the To: line, so as to keep email information private from other students.


• Did you know that you can access files in your ‘My Documents’folder that reside on your office computer from home?






Using https://roam.sunysuffolk.edu, you will then see this screen: (Include the s in http)

 

Click on ‘Continue to this website (not recommended)’ and you will see this screen:

 

 

Login using your SCCC credentials to proceed.

 

• Did you know that you can access files in your ‘My Documents’folder that reside on your office computer from home?


• Do you want to connect to SCCC’s wireless while on campus? Log into your MySCCC portal and on the Home tab in the right-hand column, click on ‘Wireless Access Network Registration’. Then click on ‘Acceptance Confirmation’. You may register up to two devices for wireless access, contacting the Academic Computing Center on your campus to troubleshoot any problems.

 

Guest Post: Some Experiences From the Front Line of Battle

by Glenda Denicolo, Ammerman Campus Coordinator, New Member Mentoring Program

 

Editor’s Note:  SKG here! Lest you become weary of hearing from me (and enduring my flagrant abuse of parentheticals and exclamation points), I thought that occasionally I’d mix things up on the blog by bringing new voices to you. I’m especially pleased to announce that our first guest post comes from the Ammerman Campus’ New Member Program Coordinator Glenda Denicolo, who makes me exceedingly jealous by being one of those people who can master the languages of math and science while also excelling at the written word. Enjoy!

 

I was asked to write something about my experiences in the college, and most recently what is on my mind is the “art” of professor-student interaction in class. By no means I intend to tell you what to do in class – we all have our very valuable academic freedom. I just want to share what has worked for me.

Caumsett Hall, Grant Campus

I love stories of war and strategy, so I have this irresistible impulse to use them for comparison. The classroom is not supposed to be an inhospitable place like a battlefield, even though I bet, at some point during the semester, all of us will eventually detect an atmosphere of mutiny in class (for example, after a test). This is first and foremost the battle against lack of sense of responsibility, and ignorance of the rules. These are some of the “strategies” that have helped me ease the tensions in class, and move through the semester much more smoothly and enjoyably with my students.

The most efficient strategy I have adopted soon after I started teaching at SCCC was to write a well tied down course outline. I have improved it over the years, worked on constraining several loopholes students were still able to find, included a disclaimer that contains a pep talk about taking responsibility for their results and grades. Nowadays I even ask my students to sign a slip at the end of the outline attesting they are aware and understand all the information contained in that document. Our department chair says I have a lawyer-proof outline, which I find pretty funny. These well-established “rules of the game”, or “our contract” (!), as sometimes I explicitly refer to it in class, have straightened up the students’ expectations about my class, and calmed down the nerves in general. Of course little reminders need to be administered during the semester, and at strategic moments as well. It works for me.

A website for the class has also proven to be a very important and rather strategic tool. It may be in D2L, or hosted at a college server: I use both. I post a list of relevant books available at the library on reserve; the schedule for our student Help Center; my schedule; link to the Physics Club website; links to other websites pertinent to the class. The grades are posted in D2L, avoiding FERPA issues (otherwise we basically we cannot communicate grades/performance unless face-to-face with students). This tool has been important for my classes. It places the charge on the students again: they are responsible for keeping track of their own progress at all times during the semester.

The next best strategy, I would say, are weekly assignments, which are to be collected and graded. The more feedback a student gets, the better his/her performance. Also, students will have fewer complaints because practice will really help them understand what you want. I am very aware that it can be a lot of material to grade every weekend. I have been using online homework assignments lately, for certain classes. My homework assignments are all about solving problems, so sometimes I roll a die in class, in front of the students, and select only one question to carefully examine and grade, while I make sure students receive the answers and solutions to all other remaining questions as well (this is mostly done in higher level courses, not entry-level classes). There is no easy way out with laboratory reports though; I must read everything.

I was writing this on the weekend of my birthday, which I celebrated with a Sunday brunch. We do not consider ourselves brunch aficionados (ha!), but my husband suggested –as this blog can contain all sorts of information (like the edition of the Underground) to help you adjust to SCCC and surroundings, that I post a list of our top brunch places so far. Hey, a battle soldier needs to rest too! Here is the short list:

• Mirabelle Tavern, Stony Brook
• Danfords Hotel, Port Jefferson
• Lombardi’s on the Sound, Port Jefferson
• Windows on the Lake, Lake Ronkonkoma
• Cooperage Inn, Baiting Hollow (for this and the next: thank you, Chris Scott!)
• The Milleridge, Hicksville