Hello, Part-Timers!
Intellectuals in pre-modern China aspired to Confucian ideals, among which The Three Friends of Winter were paramount. For my end of the year Chaparral contribution, and given the tumultuous year of 2020, I would like to share these ideals as those we have been practicing at GCC to ensure quality education for our students in this remote learning environment.
The Three Friends of Winter are steadfast wisdom, persistence, and resilience, each symbolized by the pine, the plum tree, and the bamboo respectively.
The evergreen pine tree grows tall and strong drawing from the resources of the earth below and reaching up to the cosmos above. It steadfastly grows to a very old age witnessing the comings and goings of life on earth. No matter how many changes in our working conditions, Glendale faculty have provided steadfast stability and wisdom that allows our students to continue their academic careers even when the world around us seems to be collapsing. Congratulations!
The plum blossom is the first to blossom after the severe conditions of winter. Sometimes it blooms even when the tree, actually a prunus, is still covered in ice! Perseverance is certainly a characteristic I have noticed in all the Part-Timers at Glendale. No matter how many changes in our working conditions, no matter the chaos of government, no matter the trauma of war and pestilence, all faculty have persevered in delivering quality education to Glendale students. Bravo!
The bamboo is a fast growing, hardy wood that does not easily break. Instead, when under severe conditions, it bends. New requirements, lack of technology, bold evidence of systemic racism and inequalities within higher education have not broken our faculty. I have seen ingenious resilience in delivery of course content in every discipline at GCC. No matter how many changes in our working conditions, all faculty have been resilient in delivering quality education to Glendale students. Kudos!
What does this have to do with Know Your Rights!?
Quest for Equity
Part-Timers, according to the most recent figures of the past two years, we make up more than 75% of the faculty at Glendale. And, yet, part-time faculty do not have job security, we are paid at a rate that is below parity with our full-time colleagues, and we do not share in all the benefits afforded by employment at GCC. We are at-will, contingent workers!
Join me in my quest for equity for Part Time faculty at Glendale. Make me aware of problems in your working conditions so that together we can work to solve them. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at any time, jwolfgra@glendale.edu.
Instructor Support
With the hard work of our Adjunct Faculty Coordinator, John Fuhrmann, we now have access to a lot of resources through the Instructor Support shell in Canvas. Use it!
Emergency Grant Fund
And, don’t forget, the Guild has set up an Emergency Grant Fund supported by voluntary contributions from the faculty. We are here to help. If you are facing an immediate and dire financial situation, please follow this link to apply for a grant: https://forms.gle/EMxyEFo434KPW3pn8
Sending Out Announcements
As we near the end of the term, I will again be sending out announcements regarding the application for unemployment benefits. Be on the lookout for these memos. Remember, you should submit your application the day after your last day of employment. For most of us, this is the official last day of the term. Your contract has ended.
I will also be sending out announcements regarding Part-Time Faculty rights for taking leaves of absences, for best retirement planning, for professional development credit, and for obtaining an additional Faculty Service Area (FSA).
Stay tuned, stay safe, good luck on the end of your term, and HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!
In unity,
Your representative and Guild 2nd VP,
Juli
Glendale College Guild |
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