The Word from CSEA

Columbus State Education Association Newsletter of November 7 , 2007

ELECTION RESULTS

In voting conducted October 26 and October 29, Amy Brubaker was re-elected Vice President, and Mary Morgan was re-elected Parliamentarian.

The following people were elected or re-elected to serve as Association Representatives: Liz Betzel, Dave Busch, Charlie Gallucci, Cindy Evans, David Hall, Eric Neubauer, Leslie Smith, and Gil Feiertag.

Sherry Crawford-Eyen, Charlie Gallucci, and Martha Sucheston were elected as Delegates to the OEA Representative Assembly.

Thanks to those members who served on the Nominating Committee: Beth Barnett, TJ Duda, Patrick Fiorelli, Lydia Gilmore, Alesa Mansfield, Susan Moran, and chair Greg Goodhart.

OTHER MEETING ACTIONS

At the October 25 meeting, members approved the 2007-2008 budget and a new Article to the CSEA Constitution to establish a procedure for filling in-term vacancies of Association officers. Members also discussed preliminary proposals for bargaining our next contract, which will begin Spring Quarter.

IMPORTANT GRIEVANCE MEDIATION

This Thursday, November 8, CSEA will be mediating 3 grievances regarding a range of administrative actions that had the effect of exiling a faculty member from his home department. One grievance specifically challenges the forced scheduling of a faculty member to an off-campus site by administrators who overruled a department chair's scheduling decisions. This assignment took place even though there are qualified adjuncts to teach those classes and who had requested those classes. A related grievance contests the denial of the same faculty member an office location near his department (when there are vacant offices within the department). The third grievance believes the administration violated our working terms by denying this faculty member the 5 hours of reassigned time that all new faculty are supposed to receive during their first year teaching.

The first 2 grievances are particularly important. Upper level administrators intervened in the handling of matters at the department level, effectively exiling a faculty member to a branch site away from the faculty member's home department, and the situation has gone on for more than a year as CSEA has attempted to work out a fair resolution of the issues. With the Delaware campus to open within 2 years, such arbitrary interference by administrators in the scheduling of faculty raises serious concerns about whether the Provost or any other administrator can dictate selective treatment for individual faculty members. The potential for abuse is so great (particularly in terms of assigning schedules to union officers, for example) that a reasonable settlement is critical.

CSEA has been working to establish a more cooperative relationship with the administration. We hope that we can reach an amicable settlement of these grievances with the assistance of Provost Kay Adkins. If no settlement is reached, then the grievances will move on to binding arbitration. CSEA's goal is simple: that all faculty should be treated fairly and with respect. We will keep you informed of the results of the mediation and the Provost's position on the matters.

DONATIONS TO OEA's FUND FOR CHILDREN HELP CSEA

The Ohio Education Association's Fund for Children annually collects donations from OEA members to provide members with information about pending state and federal legislation that affects educators, the positions of candidates running for political office, and other political matters. Just as important, CSEA member donations in any amount (even $5) also qualify CSEA for access to local grants that can support recruiting, communications, and other important local member services. Contact Phil MacLean (x5308), Sherry Crawford-Eyen (x3841), or Steve Abbott (x5096) to receive a donation form and help CSEA while helping Ohio's school children.

FACULTY ELECTED TO COLLEGE PROMOTION & TENURE COMMITTEE

Congratulations to those faculty who were elected to serve on the College Promotion and Tenure Committee for this year. The three tenured faculty members who will be filling at-large positions are Rick Bartlett (Business Management), Brenna Michelis (Developmental Education), and Gilberto Serrano (Modern Languages). The two professors representing the Arts & Sciences Division are Luis Latoja (Modern Languages) and Elle Feth (Biological & Physical Sciences), and the two professors representing the Career & Technical and CEWD Divisions are Jeff Woodson (Mechanical Engineering Technology) and Tom Shanahan (Legal Assisting).

FACULTY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR COLLEGE SERVICE WITH AQIP

The next phase for AQIP projects begins in January. During this transition between phases, faculty may again volunteer to work on a specific action project. The Word will be highlighting the work of the different projects in this and future issues.

One of the project teams is gearing up for some important work related to faculty, and CSEA strongly encourages faculty participation. The project team entitled "Improve Effectiveness of Employee Recruitment and Hiring Process" will divide into four sub-teams for Winter Quarter. The four sub-teams will focus on different pathways to answering the question: How are the numbers of full-time and adjunct faculty and full-time and part-time staff developed, defined and reported? The four sub-teams attempting to answer that question include:

• One team focused on determining from where the suggested ratios originated, how they were determined, and what the suggested ratios are currently and why (Ohio Board of Regents, Columbus State Board of Trustees, President Moeller, other);
• One team focused on what and how ratios are determined in various departments and divisions throughout the college and how those ratios are used;
• One team focused on determining what data is reported, how that data is collected, who reports it, and how the calculation is then made for final ratio figures; and
• One team focused on determining what the potential impacts of the second campus may be on hiring faculty and staff.

Anyone interested in continuing participation should contact Sunday Zidonis as soon as possible. Anyone interested in joining as a new member should complete the Action Project Implementation Team Application, which can be found at http://intranet.cscc.edu/aqip/projects.htm on our intranet. Submit the form to Sunday Zidonis. When people join the teams, they can say which of the four sub-teams they are interested in joining. We need faculty representation on each of these teams – faculty who are willing to go to all the meetings, help in data collection and ask serious questions.

In addition to team membership, CSEA encourages faculty to volunteer to serve as team leaders for these four sub-teams. This is a one-quarter commitment that will ensure that faculty perspectives are represented in this important activity.

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