The Word from CSEA
Columbus State Education Association Newsletter of February 15, 2007
ALL-FACULTY MEETING ON HEALTH CARE
We encourage all full-time faculty-whether CSEA members or not-to attend a special CSEA meeting Wednesday, February 28, at 3 PM to learn about proposed changes in insurance for next year. The meeting will be in Delaware 121.
Faculty representatives to the College Health Care Committee will present an update on the committee's discussions of next year's health care coverage. With the College in the process of shifting more and more insurance costs to faculty and other employees, this meeting will provide important information that will affect you and your family in the coming year.
Faculty need to understand the extent to which increased cost-shifting erodes each year's pay increase. We hope that you'll make a point of attending and bringing your questions.
TRUSTEES SHOW INITIATIVE
The Board of Trustees elected its new chair and vice-chair for the coming year January 25, but not without a surprise. After the Board's Nominating Committee presented its nominees, Board member William Antonoplos nominated Michael Keller for chairperson, and Keller nominated Antonoplos for vice-chair.
In doing so, Trustee Antonoplos stated that he believes the College needs to move in a new direction and show more creative leadership. (Trustee Suzanne Stilson Edgar, who was nominated for chair, has previously served a term as Board chair and vice chair.) However, the original slate of nominees, Edgar as chair and Trustee Jeffrey Scheiman as vice-chair, was elected on 5-2 and 4-3 votes, respectively.
Three trustees-Dr. Susan Finn, Paula Innis, and Scheiman-will be up for reappointment later this year. CSEA believes that, in re-electing a Board chair who has been unresponsive to faculty concerns in the past, the Board missed a unique opportunity to move toward increased oversight of College operations and a more collegial working relationship with faculty.
AQIP ACCREDITATION UPDATE
At the same January Board meeting, CSEA President Darrell Minor and past president Steve Abbott addressed the Board with CSEA's concerns about faculty participation in the AQIP process. They spoke to address frequent comments that faculty seemed unwilling to be active in the committee work necessary to complete accreditation work.
They explained that the times at which meetings were scheduled and the large blocks of time required for committee work actively discouraged faculty from participating. They also noted that faculty's requests for consideration of their teaching and office-hour requirements had been ignored.
The following day, guidelines for participation on committees were changed, allowing more than a dozen faculty to attend and participate the following week to refine the major projects the College intends to undertake to improve communication, hiring and assessment in coming years. Faculty, staff and administration representatives will attend an AQIP peer review process in Chicago in a few weeks.
FUND SCHOLARSHIPS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
CSEA encourages all full-time faculty to support scholarships for students through payroll deduction. A small amount from each check can be earmarked for any of scores of targeted and general-purpose funds, allowing faculty to support the goals of students in specific programs and fields.
These tax-deductible contributions are another way of showing our students that faculty are engaged in their education in direct and indirect ways outside the classroom. We encourage you to join your colleagues who already participate in this Development Foundation activity. Support What Works. Contact the Foundation at x2436.
IT'S TAX TIME
Union dues usually qualify as a miscellaneous deduction on Schedule A of IRS Form 1040. Miscellaneous deductions must be at least 2% of Adjusted Gross Income to qualify as legitimate deductions.
A part of union dues ($30.45) is used for lobbying, and this amount may not be deducted. Therefore, the amount of dues CSEA members may claim for a deduction for this tax year is $649.55
The Word is produced by the Communications Committee of the Columbus State Education Association. We welcome your comments, news, and insights.
Darrell Minor, President and President-elect/ x5310
Amy Brubaker, Vice-President / x5068
Susan Moran, Secretary / x5453
Phil MacLean, Treasurer / x5308
Mary Morgan, Parliamentarian-elect / x5768
Steve Abbott, Senior Association Representative / x5096
Gil Feiertag, Senior Association Representative / x5861
Judy Anderson, Association Representative / x5822
Liz Betzel, Association Representative / x5329
Mark Bocija, Association Representative / x5049
Dave Busch, Association Representative / x5079
T.J. Duda, Association Representative / x5309
Dr. Charlie Gallucci, Association Representative / x5499
Cindy Evans, Association Representative / x2435
Bob Mergel, Association Representative / x5034
Dona Reaser, Association Representative / x5475
Gilberto Serrano, Association Representative / x3863
Leslie Smith, Association Representative / x5302
Kathy Struve, Association Representative / x5330
Dr. Wendy McCullen-Vermillion, Association Representative / x2693