As we enter the second academic year of mostly remote and online education with declining enrollment, I keep wondering when this uncertain period will end. And out of that, I realize the only certain thing right now is this uncertainty. It’s uncomfortable. Whether you’re still working from home with the demands of life outside your profession knocking on your office door (or no door if you’re me – yes, I’m still sore about this) or you’re back to a quiet campus to work, nothing feels exactly right, and everything still feels uncertain.
It doesn’t help matters much when trying to decide what kind of schedule we want to have beyond this semester. While the administration is erring on the side of caution for spring because we don’t know for certain if students really want to come back to campus or if this virus will take on a new form, we have faculty who desperately want to come back to face-to-face teaching, the modality they signed up for when they began this profession. Balancing what students want and need with our own wants and needs is tricky. It feels like a gamble to determine the way in which we want to educate our students. Uncertainty is at the core of this bet.
The only certainty I can give all of you is that the Guild is here to help and protect your choices as faculty. While we don’t negotiate scheduling, we absolutely negotiate the working conditions of scheduling. We will continue to advocate for you no matter your choice.
I recognize that while I’m sitting alone working, I don’t do the work alone. I want to make sure you know who your Guild Exec is this year. Please make sure to give them some support:
Julie Gamberg, 1st VP
Juliann Wolfgram, 2nd VP
Nare Garibyan, Secretary
David Hassett, Operations Officer
Cindy Pollack, Grievance Officer
Richard Cortés, Public Information Officer
Nune Yeganyan, Garfield Representative
Caroline DePiro, Chief Negotiator
Mike Scott, Budget Representative
Joel Weiss, Division Liaison Coordinator
This is a tired phrase, but I mean it as much as I did a year ago: thank you for all that you continue to do for your students, your colleagues, and GCC. None of this is easy, but we all must keep showing up whether that means sitting down in yoga pants in our doorless home offices in front of another Zoom meeting or standing in front of a half empty classroom with masked students. Most of all, keep showing up for YOU.
In Unity,
Emily
Glendale College Guild |
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