The ability to engage with our members wherever they are has been one of the better things to happen during this pandemic. Being able to Zoom into meetings from one’s sofa, car, or outside of California has made it possible to increase attendance to our membership, faculty, and governance meetings.
This time in our history is also making us less reliant on hardcopy paperwork and for the first time, the Guild will be engaging in online balloting for tentative agreement ratification and officer elections. Not only does this decrease our reliance on paper, but it expands accessibility to our members’ right to vote by making it simple, secure, and efficient. This method does not disenfranchise our members who may not have access to printers, and it doesn’t depend on a sometimes unreliable U.S. Postal Service. I’m looking forward to seeing robust voter engagement and I bet we’ll see record turnout.
However, where technology fails us is in our efforts to recruit new faculty members. Nothing beats a face-to-face conversation with our colleagues. This extends to the after-meeting hallway chats many of us enjoyed to ask a quick question or seek a solution to a problem before it becomes a problem with a capital “P”. While email is sufficient and I’ve come to rely on it most of the time in my communications with my members, it falls short in the nuances of speaking to each other in-person. My hope for Spring 2022 is to try out Kreider Hall in its Hyflex capability so that the Guild can meet everyone where they are, on campus, at home, and beyond. I promise to practice before leading our first spring membership meeting on Tuesday, February 22nd (I just realized it is 2/22/22!).
Until then, please have a wonderful holiday break with your loved ones and I’ll see you in 2022.
In Unity,
Emily
Glendale College Guild |
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