Chaparral 2024-2025: A Word from Sage (Guild) Secretary Kevin Dimatulac

Chaparral caught up with returning Guild Secretary and GCC Student Equity Counselor Kevin Dimatulac to discuss his plans for the coming year.

Chaparral: You’re coming back in the Guild as Secretary, Having “planted the seeds” in your position, what would you like it to grow into for the future?

Kevin Dimatulac: As a new-ish Guild Exec member, this past term has cultivated a great deal of growth in me as a faculty member here at GCC. I’ve gained a greater understanding of our CBA, how the Guild supports its membership, and was fortunate to develop deeper relationships with faculty across other disciplines along the way. I hope the knowledge I’ve gained and relationships I’ve developed helps me plant the seeds for greater advocacy across the campus (with our students’ interests at the forefront), whether that be within the Guild or in other forms of shared governance. We are in a very tumultuous time in higher education, so active engagement, service, and leadership is more important than ever.

Chaparral: What did you begin this year that you want to perfect or improve for next year?

Kevin: This year, I went into my role wanting to be a sponge and soak as much wisdom and knowledge from the seasoned Guild Exec members as much as possible. One of the things I’ve learned is how interconnected the Guild is with our parent unions, the AFT and CFT. I hope to improve upon my understanding of how these groups interrelate by seeking involvement in professional development opportunities offered by the AFT and CFT.