CampusGuides: Chaparral 2017-2018: 26.4 Adjunct Junction

Adjunct Junction (March 2018)

Adjunct Junction

By Brian Reff
2nd Vice President, Glendale College Guild

I would like to welcome everyone back to the Spring 2018 Semester. It has been a few months since this column last appeared. Many things have happened and continue to happen. As your Vice President, the Second Vice President, which is required to be held by an adjunct, I was very busy over the Winter Break and have been very busy already this semester.

Over Winter Break I was very busy communicating with our fellow adjuncts about their class schedules for the Spring Semester and about their rights to unemployment over the break. The saddest part of this was that many of our fellow adjuncts were unable to return to teach with us this semester as their classes were cancelled due to low enrollment.

As the Spring Semester began, I was approached by people worrying about their Fall 2018 Class Assignments and their Rehire Rights, as well as issues with technology.

For your Fall 2018 Class Assignments, please check your PeopleSoft Account.

PeopleSoft is a perfect transition to issues of technology! Among the issues I have heard about technology are: “PeopleSoft is not fully compatible with the internet browser I am using.” This is an important issue. I have found that downloading the rosters only works in Edge or Internet Explorer. I like using Apple Computers, but the college doesn’t seem to support the use of these computers in the classroom. When I teach in a new classroom, I have to ask: what type of technology does it have? If the technology is broken or doesn’t work right, I have reported it. The next question becomes: how long will it take to get the technology repaired? I work at times when I.T. is closed and if the technology isn’t working, what do I do and/or how long will it take for someone to contact me and come fix it? These are questions that I cannot directly answer, but that continue to be ongoing issues.

If you have issues of any sort, please feel free to contact me.

One of my friends, who has had the distinction of being both the Second Vice President of the Guild, hence the author of this column a few years before me, and a past editor of Chaparral, Julie Gamberg, liked to use the term, “Meeting in a Box”. I am going to attempt to present a Meeting in a Box to you!

Spring 2018 Adjunct Guild Meeting

On Saturday, March 17, 2018 (yes, St. Patrick’s Day), the Spring 2018 Adjunct Guild Meeting was held in Kreider Hall, from 2 to 5 PM. The meeting was well attended. We had outstanding speakers talking topics of great importance to all instructors here at Glendale College, not just adjuncts. For new adjuncts it was an orientation meeting also.

Our first speaker was Patrick Shahnazarian, Interim Assistant Director of Facilities and an Adjunct in Technology and Aviation. Patrick spoke to us about what facilities does, what we should do if we have a problem, and upcoming changes that will hopefully make our lives here at Glendale College better.
The second speaker was Piper Rooney, President of the Glendale College Academic Senate, who made a presentation and answered question about the academic senate, as well as asked for suggestions to take back to the senate and hopefully make it more responsive to our needs as adjuncts.
The third speaker was Paul Vera, Guild Grievance Officer, who gave a PowerPoint Presentation on Adjunct Rehire Rights effective July 1, 2018. These are what is being used for the Fall 2018 Classes Assignments.
Then we had Juliann Wolfgram, Adjunct CFT Representative, who spoke to us about issues affecting us as adjuncts and what the CFT is trying to do for us. She also sought input for the meetings of the Adjunct Committees at the CFT 2018 Convention.
Next to last speaker was Caroline DePiro, Chief Negotiator for the Guild. Caroline spoke about the Guild Reopeners and the District Reopeners. She explained how we got our reopeners and the process for presenting them.
Our last speaker was Zohara Kaye, Past Guild President, who spoke on Flex: the hows and whys, as well as what evil things can happen to you if you don’t do your flex.

All of these people spoke in a jam packed three-hour meeting. For those of you who missed it, there will be two meetings on the Garfield Campus in April. Please consider attending! Further details will be forthcoming.

One last very important thing: Guild Elections!

By the time you receive this column in your email, you will have received a paper ballot in your campus mailbox. Please look for it and please vote your ballot. The more of us who vote, the more power we have in our dealings with the administration. Please vote!