The FA's EC, and Your First, Very Important Vote as Members

by Sarah Gutowski, Chair, New Member Mentoring Program

 

Last month I wrote about what to do if you witness a violation of the contract (see our Grievance Officer!). Today, I want to remind you about the existence of the FA's Executive Council (EC). If you would like a particular issue brought to the attention of the FA (separate from a grievance) your EC Representative is the person to go to.

 

It's not quite beach weather yet. But one can dream . . .
(Unless one has 60+ papers to grade. Back to work, you!)

The EC Representatives act as liaisons between the union's membership and its officers. You may have noticed, however, that our officers are pretty approachable and easy to speak to, so the other significant function of the EC is that it occasionally acts as a decision-making, or governing, body within the union.

 

Because that's a fairly important charge, EC Representatives are elected by members within their academic areas (although some academic areas are grouped together). This is one of the reasons it's so important to become a voting member of the union. (If you haven't yet, please do!) And to find your EC Rep, visit the FA's web site at http://www.fascc.org/rep.asp.

 

The Executive Council meets monthly throughout the academic year to discuss the business of the union and its membership. You can find the minutes of past EC meetings archived at http://www.fascc.org/minutes.asp. Looking through some of these documents might give you a better idea of what kinds of concerns the EC meetings cover.

And, if a spot on the EC is ever free in your subject area, I strongly urge you to consider running for the position of Representative. I was a member of the EC as an adjunct, representing the English adjunct faculty, and I learned a lot about the union and our college in my time there. Also, service as an EC Rep counts as College-Wide service, which helps around promotion time. 

Of course, some of you may have noticed that the EC was mentioned recently regarding the new Stipulation of Agreement with the College -- the document that will extend our contract to August 31, 2019, providing that the document is ratified by the FA's membership.

The EC has already voted unanimously on this agreement. They know it's a good thing for our membership, full-time faculty and part-time faculty alike. As you may know if you attended one of the three informational sessions that were held on all three campuses this week, the agreement does a good job of keeping or enhancing what works (like our salary schedule and the benefit fund), tweaking what needs fixing (like sick leave for 12 months faculty and the Work Year dates) and getting rid of what doesn't work at all (hello Tenured Faculty Development!).

If you were unable to attend one of the informational sessions, don't worry. Copies of the agreement and official ballots will be mailed to you on April 2, 2014.

Please, please, please: read the agreement, talk about it with your mentor, and then vote. I'm not even going to say which way you should vote  . . . (okay, yes I will, you should vote for the agreement) . . . just VOTE and mail your ballot back to the FA right away. The ballots will be counted on April 17, 2014, and then we, members of both the FA and the College, can move forward. Into things like Priority Registration, and soon after, the end of this crazy spring semester. Yay!

Enjoy the warm (albeit a little wet) weather this weekend!

In Solidarity,

Sarah


 

Attempt at Clarification and an Update

by Sarah Gutowski, Chair, New Member Mentoring Program

My post on Faculty Development and Retraining needs some clarification, I'm afraid. The language of the letter that was sent out by our administration earlier this semester states that "Administration encourages retraining in the following areas: Chemistry, Communications (Speech), Computer Science, Culinary Arts, Geography, Mathematics (Developmental)." To be more clear, the letter should really read that retraining is permitted for certain areas only, and that this list contains some (or all) of those areas.

 

I mean, really, it would be helpful if they listed the areas in which they allow faculty members to apply for retraining (particularly if there are areas in which they do not allow retraining). Or if they specified the areas where faculty need retraining. Or if they defined retraining. As it stands, the word "encouraging" is ambiguous and a little misleading.

 

Anyway, the point of this post is to clarify, but I'm not sure if I can (see reasons in the paragraph above). Hopefully I'm not contributing to or causing greater confusion, because as Marie Hanna (our FA Secretary) pointed out, new faculty probably don't need retraining at this point anyway, so this information may or may not be useful to you.

 

So here's some information that will be more useful! It's an updated list of new members and their mentors! Yay!

(I apologize for the effusion of exclamation marks. I'm a little excited about the prospect of catching up on grading next week. I know: it's sad.)

Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 New Members and Mentors

 

Grant Campus

New Members  //  Mentors 

 

Kimberly Coluccio  //  Sue DeMasi

Kathleen Ayers-Lanzillotta  //  Alyssa Kaufman

Margaret Kennedy  //  Jeff Epstein

Jason Ramirez  //  Bruce Seger

Gregory Ryan  //  Tony Zajac

Michael Selmer  //  Al Heraghty
Sharon Gardner //  Maureen Arma
Timothy Giardina //  Ed Chropufka
Timothy Keiley  //  Larry Cavanagh
Edwin Roldan  //  Mohini Ratna

 

Central

New Members  //  Mentors

Danielle Groneman  //  Theresa Morales

Donna Krompinger //  Joan Horn

 

Ammerman Campus

New Members  //  Mentors

 

Melissa Adeyeye  //  Emily Lauer

Raymond Di Sanza II  //  William Burns

Nicholas Giordano  //  Albin Cafone

Elizabeth McCormick  //  Meridith Leo-Rowett

Hsiaofang (Sharon) Huang  //  Vera Hu-Hyneman

Mark Kenny //  Vladimir Jurukovski

Brian Koralewski  //  John Bockino

Rachel Schmidt  //  Cecilia Spellman
Lisa Behnke  //  Catherine Lipnick
Richard Lauria //  Maria Nieves-Alonso
Kim Mokarry  //  Karen Pepe
Michael Riggio  //  Andrea Dunkirk
Dawn Wing  //  Krista Gruber
 

Eastern Campus

New Members  //  Mentors

Misty Curreli  //   Justin Turner

Jamie Emmetsberger  //  Katherine Aguirre

Todd Gardner  //  Joe Napolitano

Richard Mack  // Johanna MacKay

Heather Mann  //  Paul Anderson

Aimee Mattiolo  //  Jodi Levine

Rachel Millings  //  Erikka Mendez

Meredith Starr  //  Adam Penna

Susan Wood  //  Kristen Cosentino
Adela Johnson  // Penny Bealle
Janet Tierney  //  Nic Pestieau
Yu Zhang  //  Katherine Aguirre


I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Recess.

(Yay Spring Break!!!)

Faculty Development and Retraining

by Sarah Gutowski, Chair, New Member Mentoring Program

Not sure if you remember, but back in October I wrote about Conference Attendance and Reimbursement. Hopefully, some of you applied for funding already. If you didn't, don't worry -- you have until September of 2015 to spend your $1500.

 

In my defense, breakfast in Seattle
 came with a pretty cool view.

If you did apply for funds already, you may have noticed that while $1500 is a lovely and substantial amount of money, it can . . .um . . . disappear kind of quickly when one has to buy a plane ticket to say, Seattle, and one wishes to stay in the conference hotel for nearly, oh, $200 a night. 

 

*Cough*

 

Anyway, so what if you use all of your available conference money before the two year period is up -- and you have another very important conference to apply for?

 

You apply for Faculty Development and Retraining funds, that's what!

 

Every year, the county provides up to $30,000 in funds for faculty retraining and development assistance. You may remember receiving an email about this earlier in February. You'll get a similar one every year around the same time -- but don't ignore that email! This is a good way to apply for retraining funds for the following year. Take note of the deadline for application (it's April 15), and note that all applications must be submitted, via email, to the Office of the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs -- no more paper copies!

 

It's good to note, too, that faculty retraining is given first priority. Then, if money remains in the pool, it's awarded for faculty development. And if money is still left over, faculty are allowed to apply for summer development funds -- for the current academic year, not the following.

If that's a little confusing, see this page on the FA's web site. I think it may make things more clear.

This year, the administration wants to encourage the following areas, in particular, to apply:

 

Chemistry

Communications (Speech)

Computer Science

Culinary Arts

Geography

Mathematics (Developmental)

 

 

So for those of you who still have conference attendance funds left, relax but think about where and when you might want to spend that money before September 2015 arrives. And for those of you who have blown it all on one fabulous professional development opportunity on the other side of the country (ahem), consider that you can still defray costs for future conference attendance by being diligent and filling out a Faculty/Guild Retraining Application. The worst that can happen is that your request is denied and you'll have wasted a few minutes on extra paperwork -- but if it's granted, you'll be able to hang on to a little more of your paycheck AND be super current in your field.

 

Yay!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post: Welcome to the Suffolk County Community College Libraries

by Krista Gruber, Mentor, New Member Mentoring Program

Do you find yourself frustrated by students’ heavy reliance on Google for research?  Do you wish your students would seek out and gain confidence using consistently reliable sources?  Would you like some reinforcement when it comes to teaching citation and attribution?  Call us! Librarians are available for instruction sessions tailored to projects or papers you assign during the semester.  Your students will learn basics, such as how to locate a book on his or her topic, the ideal databases to consult for magazine, newspaper, and academic journal articles, and how to cite the resources they find.  More advanced concepts, such as critical evaluation of websites, can also be incorporated into the discussion.  In addition, we can work together to design customized electronic guides specifically geared toward your coursework.

 

Super new library on the Eastern campus.
Super new weather, too!

We also hope you will consider making a copy of your course textbook available for student use at the library.  The cost of some textbooks is exorbitant and purchasing them can become a financial hardship for many students.  Each campus library maintains a reserve collection of textbooks.  Often professors or departments have extra copies of the current class texts.  If this is the case for you, please bring the item(s) you would like to place on reserve to your campus library and ask staff for assistance.  Once the materials are processed, students will be able to use them within the library for an hour or two.   I can personally attest to the popularity of this collection.  Students repeatedly express relief and appreciation that they found the right textbook here in the library.

 

Please feel free to stop by your campus library, take a look at our collections, and say hello.  We look forward seeing you soon and welcome you to the college.  Visit the Suffolk County Community College Library website for more information.  Also, do not hesitate to contact me at gruberk@sunysuffolk.edu with any questions or concerns you may have.

Grievance and Arbitration

by Sarah Gutowski, Chair, New Member Mentoring Program

 

I'd like to think that your first months at SCCC have gone smoothly and that you've found your working conditions here optimal. Also, I'd hope that if you run into anything problematic, you've addressed your concerns with your mentor first and that they've provided you with some sound and useful advice for tackling the problem.


I would like to file a grievance against Old Man Winter.

If you ever run into a problem that seems larger than your mentor, academic chair, or department supervisor can handle -- specifically, one that includes a violation of our contract -- OR, if your academic chair or department supervisor is part of the problem (fingers crossed, that won't be the case) -- that's an appropriate time to ask the FA's Grievance Officer, Pete DiGregorio, about filing a grievance.

 

Any member of the bargaining unit -- even those who aren't voting union members -- may be represented by the union when he or she files a grievance. Just remember that timeliness is a real and pressing issue; if you're going to file a grievance, you need to do so within 30 days of when you noticed the violation (or should have noticed the violation).
 

Once the grievance has been filed, the FA will work to settle the matter satisfactorily. Most grievances don't approach arbitration, because they can be resolved beforehand, but if they do go to arbitration (and the FA decides which grievances go to arbitration and which do not), the FA will be there for you.

Distance Education Courses

by Sarah Gutowski, Chair, New Member Mentoring Program

 

If you took notice of Mary Lou Araneo's email to all faculty earlier this week, you may have observed that we have a thriving distance learning program here at SCCC -- and that it's about to undergo some major changes.

 

Some of you may be coming from other institutions where you taught online using a course management system (or CMS) like Blackboard or Moodle. Here at SCCC we've used Desire2Learn, or D2L, for several years. Faculty have been free to use other technologies or course management systems for their courses, but the college doesn't provide technical or other support for those systems – so all in all, you’re better off using the system that's supported by the Office of Information Technology.

 

Currently, you may use D2L to teach fully online courses, or as part of a hybrid course (part face-to-face, part online), or to web enhance your traditional classroom. Currently, I use D2L to web enhance all of my traditional, face-to-face classes. I maintain my grade book with D2L (while printing paper copies, because I’m paranoid like that), and I use the course sites to keep electronic versions of my course outline and course handouts readily available to students. It’s convenient also for distributing relevant web links or posting announcements about class cancellations or changes to the course schedule.

 

If you’re interested in web-enhancing your traditional classroom, or if you’d like to become a member of our online faculty, visit the Suffolk Online tab under your MYSCCC menu. When you click on that tab, you’ll see a link near the top of the page that says “Join SuffolkOnline Files Group.” It looks like this:

 

 

 

Join the group, and you’ll have access to the Distance Education Guidebook, which outlines all the procedures for becoming trained to teach an online course, and subsequently requesting a DE course.

 

Also, speak to your academic chair about your department’s approach to online education and about what specific teaching opportunities might be available to you (since the DE courses are, of course, assigned according to seniority just like our face-to-face courses).

 

Lastly, keep in mind Mary Lou Araneo's email. SCCC is beginning a conversion from D2L to Blackboard Learn (Bb Learn) for its course management system. If you're considering teaching online courses -- and even if you're currently teaching online and/or if you're currently web-enhancing using D2L -- you should consider attending one of the overview sessions to see how and when Bb Learn is going to be implemented at this school. So far, the schedule of overview sessions looks like this:

 

Week of 2/17/14 – Ammerman  Campus

                                    Tuesday                               Wednesday                                       Friday

L 14A                            10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.        11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.      10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

 

Week of 2/24/14 – Michael J. Grant Campus

                                    Tuesday                               Wednesday                                       Friday

Location - TBD              10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.        11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.      10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

 

Week of 3/3/14 - Eastern Campus

                                    Tuesday                               Wednesday                                       Friday

Location - TBD              10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.        11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.      10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Guest Post: The First Day of a Spring Semester

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

 

Editor’s Note:  SKG here -- hoping that you're all doing well and that you're not half as discombobulated by the snow day and first week of school as I am. For instance, this morning I tried to convince my class that it was Thursday, not Tuesday. Also, I thought the smart cart computer was broken but it turned out to be a matter of *shudders with embarrassment* not turning on the smart cart power button. Oy.

Why would I out myself in this manner? In the hopes that you remember, when you're having your own confused, rushing-around-to-get-everything-done-but-accomplishing-very-little days (or weeks) that . . .  you're not alone.

Thus is the message we get from the fun, fanciful little story below.

 

It is early morning and a familiar sound wakes up the instructor. “New e-mail alert”, he reckons. Just one more to be added to the 107 unread messages received in the last 24 hours. “Must have coffee”. He quickly goes through his morning routine and gets in the car. Wishful thinking. He gets out of the car again to scrape ice off the windshield.

Somehow, on the way to SCCC, a song on the radio reminds him of a TLC talk he wants to attend this week. The song’s title, Aerosmith’s Dream On, was a presage of the week ahead. “But before that talk, I must share my idea for a new class assignment with Peter….and Mary – I only see her momentarily on Wednesdays. Ah, I need to ask Paul to photocopy more course outlines. Wait. Perhaps I can do that myself, Paul is too busy this time of the semester. What are all those e-mails about anyway??” The instructor proudly believes his course outlines are infallible this semester. After a long time strategizing, he doubts the students will find any loophole.

One more endorsement for "Feeling and Form:
Collages, Prints,and Drawings"
by Meredith Starr and Richard Mack
(Lyceum Gallery: Thurs, Jan 30, 4 pm.)

At school, the corridors look relatively calm, with the occasional lost newbie. The instructor is blessed with no computer problems, and so there is enough time to deal with some of those e-mails. “Where’s ‘select all’?…ok, now ‘delete all’.” He feels a brief moment of self-reproach, and hesitantly moves the mouse away from the delete button. Too many e-mails from people he never heard of. Sometimes he cannot figure out whether the messages are important or not. He speed-reads, decides to save some just in case, and probably delete all when the inbox reaches the storage limit (quite often…). He takes notes of several events and meetings in his Google calendar – a fantastic advice Mary gave him in his first semester. He remembers her saying “the record will be there when you write your promotion Form A”. She hasn’t done that herself yet, though.

It’s show time! The corridors are now full with faculty and students, and you can smell the nervous energy in the air: it smells like baloney sandwich mixed with a French perfume. On his way to class, the instructor is focused, making detailed mental notes on the class he is about to teach. Right then a student approaches and informs him that her cousin’s wedding is next Tuesday, and that she won’t be able to come to class that day. She would like to photocopy his class notes in advance. The instructor’s detailed mental notes are now in disarrange (it was a feeble attempt anyway; he knows he can always rely on his written notes). No, he is not completely sure of what is going to happen next Tuesday; he just wants to start the class.

He explains the course outline to the kids, and secretly braces for more stories of cousins’ weddings and other unpredictability ahead. The toughest policy in his course outline is no curving of grades, by his personal choice. The instructor quickly learned in his first semester the importance of emphasizing such major policy on the first day of classes. “Besides,” he reflects with a smile, “I never heard objections on the first day.”

The class goes well, he feels ennobled, with a sensation of a job well done. He gives his best, and is now exhausted. The smile of glorified self-satisfaction disappears from his face when he realizes that it was just the first of three classes, starting in five minutes. Also, 43 new e-mails arrived.

After all classes are over, the instructor finds it a bit difficult to speak and think clearly. He has an office hour in the afternoon, and crosses his fingers that it will be a calm one. Perhaps chatting with his colleagues will help him focus again later.

Prof. Anne Smith enters his office. She is full of enthusiasm, and asks whether he will submit his travel form for a very exciting conference this coming March in Anchorage, Alaska. It is going to be 1,499.99 dollars; just what he has available for reimbursement (minus 1 cent). She sent him an e-mail about this super conference. Suddenly he is worried he will be left behind if he doesn’t apply. Now he is franticly browsing the web, and applying for that conference.

 

On his drive back home, the instructor realizes a few things. He cannot go to that conference he already applied to on the account of a family wedding! He also missed a meeting he wanted to attend today, and left several e-mails unanswered. Bottommost, he is worn out.

 

“What a strange day...”, he thinks. “But it gets easier.”

 

Welcome back, everyone!!