Chaparral 2024-2025: Using Approaches Made Easy with 2nd Vice President Juli Wolfgram

Using Approaches Made Easy with 2nd Vice President Juli Wolfgram

Challenges? 

Wow. This is a huge topic! I love challenges, and overcoming challenges is extremely rewarding.

I will try to stay focused on challenges as the representative for Part Time faculty, not only at GCC locally, but also at the state level as part of CFT committees. 

The biggest part of overcoming challenges is determining the method of approach. Whenever someone says that a goal is impossible, I try to think of ways to achieve that goal. Of course, it always helps when I can brainstorm with others who share that same goal. Years ago, when I first became active in the Guild, I had to learn what had been achieved for Part Time Faculty and what the shared future goals were. Then, with the help of other Guild members and past 2nd VPs, together we formulated a strategy to meet those goals. Through a process, I learned how to strategize to overcome challenges met by Part Time Faculty. 

As a member of the CFT Part Time Faculty Committee, I also learned how other community college union members strategized to overcome the challenges of their specific districts. Sharing strategies statewide is a great way to develop new methods to achieve goals, both long-term and short-term. 

I love that this topic follows on the heels of “Ch-ch-ch-changes”! In order to overcome challenges, we must be able to embrace change. Most of the strategies I have learned involve compromise and change. 

Compromise and change is what got us over $200 million in Part Time Faculty healthcare for a reimbursement program that has given qualified Part Time Faculty across the state access to affordable healthcare! 

Compromise and change will eliminate the two-tier system in the California Community Colleges. Eliminating the two-tier system will help all faculty in California Community Colleges by sharing the work and reaping the benefits of working together in an equitable environment that will ensure the success of our students.  More importantly, eliminating the two-tier system will protect Academic Freedom for all! The current system restricts academic freedom for almost 70% of our faculty! 

Let’s continue to compromise and change to overcome challenges in our community college system! That said, I challenge you to come up with openers for our negotiating team, openers that will improve the working conditions of our faculty, especially our Part Time Faculty at GCC.

One last note, Campus Equity/Equality Week was designed to help everyone in our community become aware of the challenges that Part Time Faculty meet to simply do what they do best, help our students achieve their academic goals! Share with me the challenges you are facing in your working conditions. Let’s meet these challenges together!   

In unity,
Juli Wolfgram
2nd VP for Part Time Faculty